Finishing.—There are two things to be considered in finishing woodwork; the preservation of the wood, and the artistic finish. Three steps are necessary in putting on the finishing touches. First, the surfaces made smooth by the use of sandpaper; the second, staining or varnishing, and the third, polishing.
Sandpaper.—Sandpaper is not expected to do the work of edged tools. Tool work must be completed before using sandpaper, or particles of dust will get into the pores of the wood which will dull the tools while working with them. Never sandpaper across the grain of the wood. While dressing flat surfaces, use a piece of sandpaper put over a block of wood.
Stains.—Water, oil, and alcoholic stains are used for staining woodwork. All have their advantages and disadvantages, but for general purposes the alcoholic stains are highly recommended, Johnson’s wood dye being one of the best. A good water stain is made by boiling an extract of logwood, the size of a walnut, with four ounces of water. This is applied to the wood while hot, using a brush or sponge with which to apply it. Repeat the application until the desired color is obtained. Varnish must be used only when a hard, transparent finish is desired.
Polish or Wax.—Satisfactory results cannot be obtained unless the surface is smooth and well prepared by the use of sandpaper and stain. A cheap recipe for making wax is given as follows:
- 1 lb. beeswax.
- ½ pt. alcohol.
- 1 pt. turpentine.
Break up the beeswax and melt it into the consistency of thick cream in a bowl placed in a saucepan of boiling water. Remove bowl from the fire, gradually beating into the wax the turpentine and alcohol. Store it away in covered jars and warm slightly when it is to be used. Spread a thin layer on a soft woollen cloth and apply it to the surface.
SUGGESTED LIST OF TOOLS
| 1 Stanley “Bed Rock” smooth-plane, No. 603 | $1.60 |
| 1 Disston’s Crosscut-saw, No. 9, 22”—10 points | 1.15 |
| 1 Disston’s Back-saw, No. 4, 10” | .95 |
| 1 Buck Bros. firmer chisel, 1” | .35 |
| 1 Buck Bros. firmer chisel, ¼” | .20 |
| 1 Hammond’s Adze-eye hammer, No. 3, 7 oz. | .45 |
| 1 Hardened blade try-square, No. 5½, 6” | .25 |
| 1 Beech Marking-gage, No. 64½, 8” | .20 |
| 1 Sloyd Knife, No. 7, 2½” blade | .30 |
| 1 Boxwood rule, 2’, 4-fold | .12 |
| 1 Barber’s ratchet brace, No. 33, 8” sweep | 1.40 |
| 1 Miter-box, beech, 12” long, No. 00 | .30 |
| 4 Brad awls, handled, 1”, 1¼”, 1½”, ½” | .15 |
| 1 Set Russell Jennings Auger-bits, 4/16”, 5/16”, 6/16”, 7/16”, and 8/16” | 1.40 |
| 1 Quire sandpaper, No. 00 | .30 |
| 1 Quire sandpaper, No. 1 | .30 |
| —— | |
| Total | $9.42 |
Note: Sufficient equipment for constructing all of these devices may be found in average country homes. The work may be successfully done with fewer tools but this list is given as a suggestion for schools.
LIST OF PUBLICATIONS FOR SUPPLEMENTARY READING