The Confessions of a Fakir 
changed for the grain 
of the wood was filled 
and of course resisted 
the fumes, but a 
chair antiqued in the 
box and then dis¬ 
sected failed to reveal 
any signs of youth. 
Oak antiqued by this 
process and then 
oiled and colored in 
the usual way is fully 
as beautiful as the 
truly old oak and is 
naturally more du¬ 
rable. Mahogany 
and the darker woods 
are greatly improved 
in color and of course 
defy detection. 
Worm-holes stumped us more than once, for some 
customers insist upon having them in desks, (draw¬ 
ers) and the unexposed parts of furniture. Making 
them with a tool is slow ? work so the experimental 
Fritz devised a scheme by which he fondly hoped to 
cover himself with everlasting glory. Every Satur¬ 
day afternoon he hies himself to 
the suburbs in quest of game, 
his trusty “pistol*” a single bar¬ 
relled shotgun, upon his arm. 
One Monday morning he ar¬ 
rived very early, carrying his 
gun and when I asked him w hat 
he expected to shoot in tow n he 
simply said that he was going 
to try an “ exberiment. ” I 
thought nothing more of it until 
a muffled roar from the base¬ 
ment told me that all was not 
well. When I reached the spot 
there w as more or less confusion. 
1 here stood Fritz holding the 
still smoking “pistol’’ and woe¬ 
fully contemplating two sixty 
dollar chairs the backs of w hich 
he had blown to splinters. I 
could not preserve the dignity 
that the occasion required, and 
burst into a roar of laughter, but 
experiments in regard to worm- 
holes ended wdth the wrecking 
of the chairs. Sometime after¬ 
wards I overheard a rather pro¬ 
gressive salesman ask Fritz if he 
could not suggest a method of 
making worm-holes that would 
be simpler than boring them, 
fritz put his lips close to the 
expectant ear of the 
youth and said in a 
stage whisper, “1 
guess the only way to 
do is to train the 
worms.” Satinwood 
furniture, in the style 
originated by the 
Adam Brothers, 
James and Robert, 
architects in England 
in the latter part of 
the eighteenth cen¬ 
tury, is much sought 
after, for it appeals 
strongly to the femi¬ 
nine taste. It is very 
beautiful and very ex¬ 
pensive. 
The best satin- 
w'ood comes from India and takes its name from the 
satiny sheen it has when polished. It is usually 
veneered over mahogany and after staining with a 
solution made from bichromate of potash it is slightly 
polished and then decorated by skilled artists. The 
decorative designs are usually medallions of classic 
figures in color or Wedgwood 
surrounded by pearls and sup¬ 
ported by festoons of draperies 
and garlands of flowers. \ he 
original furniture was decorated 
by such artists as Pergolese, Ci¬ 
priani and Angelica Kauffmann. 
I have often been told that there 
is not one piece of original 
Adam furniture in this country 
but whether or not this is so I 
am not prepared to say. I am 
confident, however, that there is 
very little. 
In the decoration of satin- 
wood the best results are ob¬ 
tained by painting the medal¬ 
lions and supporting designs in 
rather brilliant color. When 
the painting is thoroughly dry 
a thin coating of clear shellac is 
put on and then the process of 
antiquing begins. Japan var¬ 
nish is thinned with turpentine 
and enough mummy added to 
give sufficient depth of tone. 
I his is then laid on very care¬ 
fully with a soft brush. It re¬ 
quires much experimenting 
before satisfactory results are 
obtained but practice makes per¬ 
fect and beautiful effects are 
MAHOGANY TABLE 
The diligently sought ball and claw foot—a ready seller. 
DECORATED SATINWOOD CHAIR 
Eighteenth Century 
*75 
