Graining and Marbling / A Series of Practical Treatises on Material, Tools and Appliances Used; General Operations; Preparing Oil Graining Colors; Mixing; Rubbing; Applying Distemper Colors; Wiping Out; Penciling; The Use of Crayons; Review of Woods; The Graining of Oak, Ash, Cherry, Satinwood, Mahogany, Maple, Bird's Eye Maple, Sycamore, Walnut, Etc.; Marbling in All Shades.

by F. Maire

In some specimens of plain mahogany many fine pores appear, and it may be well to flog a few of the lines made by the sponge lightly before blending. This must be quickly done, as otherwise it would become too dry for blending. There will be enough porousness show after the blending to make a more natural appearance than if the stippling had not been resorted to.

120. Crotch and feathered mahogany should be well studied out in order to reproduce it rightly. It is not very difficult to do the work, but as said before the operator must have a good idea of what he is going to do and should have the space to be grained all pictured out in his mind’s eye. The feathering is brought out by the proper use of the sponge and the blending of it properly afterward has much to do in the making it look natural, for if it is not done right it will make an otherwise good piece of work look ridiculous. In the natural wood these fine markings are very scarce, and never seen outside of veneers and are costly, therefore hardly ever seen except upon high priced furniture, but in the grained imitation the operator can indulge his wildest fancies in reproducing the choicest specimens of the wood at a small outlay.

121. In the crotch mahogany veneers one will frequently notice a fine set of veins which cross the mottlings or featherings in an opposite direction. They are not nearly as prominent as these, but seem to be a succession of fine paint lines. These when put in as they should be help out the graining very much, and the putting of these in is the chief object of overgraining. The coloring should be the same as that used for the graining, only thinned a trifle more and sometimes just darkened a bit more by the addition of a little ivory black in distemper. The fine lines are put in with the fan overgraining brushes from which the hair has been well thinned out, so they will separate by running through a comb into a number of parallel fine lines.

QUESTIONS ON LESSON XXII.

117. What is said regarding the graining of mahogany?

118. How are the grounds of light and dark mahogany prepared?

119. How should plain mahogany be grained?

120. How is crotched and fancy feathered mahogany to be grained?