Elements of woodwork

by Charles A. King

(C.) In applying shellac finish, one coat is laid upon the other, each coat being rubbed down with number 00 sandpaper, or with pulverized pumice stone before the next coat is spread. For this purpose, a sheet of sandpaper should be cut into eighths, and one of these pieces folded in the center of its long dimension, and held in the hand as shown in Fig. 99, which keeps its edges from scratching the surface. If it is desired to rub the shellac down to a surface with pumice stone, it should be applied with hair-cloth, or with harness maker’s felt, moistened with oil or water; but for ordinary work, sandpaper will give satisfaction, and as it is more convenient, it is much used.

If the best results are desired, the last coat should be rubbed with pumice stone and sweet oil, applied as above, though boiled oil is satisfactory; and for ordinary work, number 00 sandpaper is used, though it is liable to show scratches. After the rubbing is done, the oil should be wiped off with a soft rag, and very fine rotten stone dusted on and polished with a clean, soft cloth. Many finishers use the palm of the hand in putting on the finishing touches. If a dead, or mat, finish is desired, the final rubbing should be done with water, used sparingly, as oil imparts a high gloss, if the work is well done.

(D.) Care should be used on any kind of work upon which waste or oily rags are used; these rags should be gathered and burned unless they are wanted again soon, in which case they may be spread out separately; since, if crushed together and thrown, as they often are, into a waste box, they furnish the necessary conditions for a case of spontaneous combustion.

Fig. 99.—Method of Grasping Sandpaper in Rubbing Down Shellac
Finish.

(E.) The gloss upon dried shellac and varnishes of all kinds is very showy, and lacks the finish and the texture of a rubbed finish. Moreover, any dust settling upon moist varnish is held, giving the surface an effect of countless minute points; rubbing removes these, and gives the smooth, glossy surface desired upon most work. Upon the most artistic furniture, a gloss, which is the result of a built-up polish, is not considered good taste; the use of muscle and a very little oil, applied at intervals during a term of years, gives a polish and a beauty which can be obtained by no other method, and it is to attain this ideal in a few days that so many varieties of finish exist.

(F.) In rubbing, be sure that the corners are not rubbed through, as the pressure will naturally be more upon the corners than upon a broad surface. This may be avoided by using care that the pressure is not applied so as to bear on the corner; grasp the rubbing material in such a way that no loose edges will be beyond control, as in Fig. 99, or the finish may be badly scratched; this applies especially to the corners. The rubbing should always be in the direction parallel with the grain of the wood.

(G.) If the finish is rubbed through to the wood, it may be repolished or patched by sandpapering the bare wood with fine sandpaper, and staining it to bring it to the same condition as the rest of the wood before the first coat of finish was applied. Using the same finishing material as the finish of the rest of the piece, lay a very thin coat, a little larger than the place to be patched, being careful to avoid a ridge at the edge of the patch. This ridge may be drawn out by a small camel’s-hair brush, and the patch left until thoroughly dried; then apply another patch a little larger than the first one, treating the edge as in the first patch. Continue this until the finish is built up to the same thickness as that of which it is a part. This should be rubbed very carefully to bring it to the same finish as the rest of the surface, using care not to rub through the old finish at the edge of the patch. As it is the corners which are most liable to be rubbed through, this process will not generally be difficult of application; all that is necessary to secure a successful patch is to use care at each step, and not to hurry the drying of the different patches.

72. Wax finishing is a good method of finishing any kind of hard or dark-colored wood; (A.) it does not give as satisfactory results, however, as do some other methods of finishing, upon soft or light-colored wood. There are a number of different kinds of wax finishes which can be purchased in almost any desired quantity, (B.) but an economical and satisfactory wax finish may be made by dissolving as much pulverized resin as may be picked up on a cent in a half pint of turpentine or gasolene heated in a water or steam double vessel. After this is clear, cut up and add a piece of beeswax as large as a thimble, and allow the finish to simmer slowly, until it is clear, when it is ready for use. This may be mixed in larger quantities by using the same proportions. If placed in an air-tight vessel, it will keep indefinitely.

(C.) This finish should be applied hot, with a brush, as smoothly and as evenly as possible, and allowed to stand until it has become quite hard, when it should be polished with a soft rag which is free from lint. As many coats as desired may be applied, each coat being treated in the same way, and adding to the beauty of the finish. Another method of applying this finish, and which gives satisfactory results upon broad surfaces, is to make a pad of a rag, and rub the wax on the wood, rubbing until it is dry. This is not as satisfactory as it is to use a brush upon work where there are many corners to finish around.