RERAMIC STUDIO 
69 
The most satisfactory way to finish this furniture is with saw would, of course, l)e desirable for its purpose, and a block 
the simple stain I have suggested. It is made by mixing ]3lane for finishing end wood, 
ordinary painters' colors, ground in oil, and which come in small 
tin cans, in 3 parts of boiled linseed oil and i part of turpentine. 
Medium chrome green toned with a little black (ivory or lamp 
Ijlack) for leaf greens; or with Vand3d^:e brown for various 
shades of iDronze-greens, or with more black for grey-greens; 
and all the shades of the brown alone, or made warmer and 
richer with a little burnt sienna, are all the colors needed or 
that are safe, satisfactory^ and artistic in the hands of beginners. 
Paint is satisfactory on this "plank" furniture when it has Ijeen 
well planed and smoothed with sandpaper. The best colors 
are ivory white, and many greens — apple green, leaf green, 
sage green, bronze green and hunter's green — a few shades of 
red; but no browns are good for this purpose in paint. 
An elaborate outfit of tools is not necessary. It is wonder- 
ful how^ much can be done with a medium sized cross-cut saw 
and a hammer. Add to these a half-inch chisel, a | bit, a jack- 
plane, a compass saw for curves, a draw-knife, or good, stout 
knife (a Sloy d knife, for instance) , a try-square and ruler, and 
an ingenious person ought to be pretty well equipped. A rip 
MAKING A SILVER TEA STRAINER 
Emily F. Peacock 
A real tea strainer can truly be a thing of beauty and a joy 
forever. In this problem, so many different ideas in size 
and shape can be carried out. One of the chief points 
though is to make the holes in the strainer just large enough 
for the tea to run through easity; if there is a handle, to have 
it long enough, and if the strainer is to rest on the top of a cup, 
to have the rim large enough wdthout seeming clumsJ^ 
Materials for the large tea strainer; a piece of silver 5^ x4j, 
22 gauge. 
TOOLS REQUIRED 
Saw frame, metal saws, size 01, hand or lathe drill, drills, 
steel compass, steel point, vise and pattern block made from a 
4 inch cube of hard wood carved^,slighth? concave on one side 
as in profile (Fig. i), files and emerj^ cloth. 
METHOD 
Make a circle 2j inches in diameter in the center of the 
silver with the steel compass, inside this circle make several 
concentric ones as in Fig. 2, cut or saw the silver along the 
outside line, and smooth the edge with a file. Put the pattern 
block firmly in the vise, concave side uppermost, place the silver 
on this, and begin to haminer it into the hollow, just ouside the 
circle. Make close even strokes and work spiralty to the center. 
Continue this process until the strainer is deep enough, about 
