One of the advantages of this wax finish is that it may be brightened if it becomes dim by going over it with a soft cloth, or it may be renewed and improved by another coat at slight expense and little trouble.
This is also a satisfactory method of finishing a dark floor made of a wood which will not splinter when it is rubbed.
73. (A.) Oil finish is perhaps the most simple way to finish a piece of furniture; it is best adapted to hard, dark woods. The material is made by mixing a quarter of a pint of turpentine with seven eighths of a quart of boiled linseed oil. It should be spread evenly over the surface to be finished, and should stand until as much of it as will, has soaked into the wood, when the surface should be brought to a finish by rubbing. This will require muscle, as the finish should stand about ten hours, during which time a thin film or skin will form, which must be removed by rubbing. Only a soft rag, free from lint, should be used, and be sure that the folds of the cloth do not leave their marks upon the surface. Rub with the grain.
(B.) Oil finish is a very durable finish, easily taken care of, and is used to some extent in finishing the most artistic furniture, being especially adapted to finishing mahogany. It has a character peculiarly its own, and exposure to moisture and heat affects it less than almost any other form of finish. As it should be occasionally oiled, it improves with age and care. This finish was used in olden times, and the care of generations gives a polish attainable by no other method.
74. Varnish forms the finish which is used most commonly upon all grades and kinds of work. (A.) The different grades are made of various vegetable gums and resins, cut in turpentine and mixed with boiled oil. A cheap grade of varnish or hard oil may be made by boiling resin, turpentine, and boiled oil together. Other gums may be treated the same way; the varnish used upon the best work, for instance, is made from copal, a vegetable product of the tropics. By a very careful process of boiling, straining, and ripening, extending over months, copal is made into the product which is used so extensively upon furniture finishing, carriages, etc.
(B.) Varnish should be applied in a room heated to about 80° F., the dust should be laid by sprinkling, and there should be no drafts of air, nor flies or other insects to light upon it, if the best results are desired.
(C.) In flowing varnish, instead of laying a thin coat as in shellac, a thick coat should be applied. This may be done by using a thick, heavy brush; some prefer a heavy, round brush, and others think they can obtain the best results from a broad, flat brush. The finer the hairs, the better the results obtained.
The brush must be taken up full of varnish, enough to cover the entire surface, if possible, and spread or flowed very quickly. The brush should then be wiped out in the varnish pot. With the brush thus dried, go over the surface, picking up all that the brush will absorb; wipe this out in the pot, and repeat the operation until nothing is left but a thin film of varnish. If this is done properly, it will prevent all runs and streaks which result from unskillful workmanship.
When this coat is thoroughly dried, rub with number 00 sandpaper, pulverized pumice stone, or a smooth block of pumice stone (carriage painter’s method), and repeat the process until the desired body of varnish is obtained. Rub down last coat with oil and polish. Allow as much time between last coats as possible, as the harder the varnish is, the better and more durable the work will be when completed.
75. Polishing.—This term applies to the process by which a polish is built up by rubbing, or “ragging” as workmen sometimes call it. The piece to be polished should receive two or three coats of shellac or varnish, which should be rubbed down to a surface, when it is ready for the polish.