BEAUTIFUL VARNISH FOR WOOD, TO BE USED WHILE THE WORK IS ON THE LATHE.
To one quart of spirits of wine add four ounces of lacker, three ounces of gum benzoin, one drachm of camphor, half a drachm of sandarac, half a drachm of dragon’s blood, one drachm of turpentine. Put these ingredients in a long-necked bottle capable of holding two quarts, and tie a piece of wet parchment over the neck; when dry, pierce it with holes with a large pin. Place the bottle in the bain marée till the contents are perfectly dissolved, shaking it frequently. When cold, strain the liquid through a piece of coarse muslin, and keep it well corked for future use.
Having finished and polished your work with tripoli powder and sand-paper, wipe the wood quite clean with a piece of fine linen. This done, put a few drops of the varnish on a bit of cotton wool, and one drop of olive oil, to prevent its drying too quickly; while applying this varnish, make the lathe wheel go very quick, and hold the cotton close to the work.
To polish the above, when the varnish is perfectly dry, take some finely-powdered whiting or chalk, and with it polish the work in every direction, but be careful not to press too strongly on the varnish, or it will be marked; and do not rub it for more than a few minutes at a time, as the friction and excessive speed and heat will spoil the polish. When done, take a sponge dipped in water, wash the work well, and then rub it with a piece of fine linen, and a drop or two of olive oil; lastly, clean it with a bit of soft old rag or leather.
TURNER’S CEMENT.
Sometimes the workman is too much hurried to wait till the work can be glued upon the chuck; the following cement will be found useful. Take two pounds of Burgundy pitch, one pound of rosin, one pound of colophonium, two ounces of yellow wax, and one ball of whiting. Melt all, except the latter, in an earthen pot, over a slow fire. When it begins to bubble, stir it well with a stick to prevent its passing the edge of the pot, and when all is quite melted take it off the fire. Add the whiting, finely powdered, little by little, stirring in well till the contents are perfectly mixed. Replace the pot on the fire, still stirring it; and after a few minutes, pour all the cement quickly into a tub or basin of cold water for about a minute. Then take it out, and knead it well with the hands. Roll it into sticks upon a smooth stone, and plunge them into cold water to harden. The strength and goodness of this cement depends greatly upon its being made as rapidly as possible. To use it, melt the end of one of the sticks by putting it near the fire; rub it on the chuck; when you think there is sufficient cement laid upon it, heat the bit of wood or ivory you wish to unite to it, and the warmth will make it adhere firmly.
Another cement, that is preferable for using in cold weather, is made by adding two pounds of Burgundy pitch, two ounces of yellow wax, and two pounds of Spanish white. These are melted together, rolled into sticks, and used as above; one stroke of the mallet will detach the work from the chuck when joined with this cement.
NEW AND VALUABLE RECIPE FOR TAKING BEAUTIFUL IMPRESSIONS FROM TURNING PATTERNS.
Take a sheet of rice-paper, paste it upon letter-paper with flour paste, which must be mixed as smooth as possible, and laid on very thin. Leave it till quite dry, then lay the rice-paper thus backed upon the piece of Turning, and with the thumb nail or a piece of cloth rub the back of the paper, pressing it gently so as to make it enter into all the deep, fine cuts of the Turning. The impression will be beautiful, and have the appearance of a raised medallion. It is invaluable for taking off patterns from ivory, as it can in no way injure the colour or delicacy of the work; and from the facility of bending the paper, impressions can as easily be taken from round articles (as the sides of a box or pillar) as from flat ones. The medallions may be left white, or the pattern coloured with water colours, leaving the ground white; and they can, besides their utility as patterns to which to refer, be employed in ornamenting various useful articles.