The writer has found by experience that on the cheapest jobs (of two-coat work) where the wood is sappy and the work has been rendered rough by the painter using a large quantity of drier in his priming coat, a much better surface is made to grain over by this method. It will not spot or look cloudy when rubbed in to grain, as two-coat work often does on new wood.
A little "elbow-grease" and sand-paper between coats make a vast difference in the looks of a job when finished, and the ground-work should always be lightly sand-papered before it is rubbed in by the grainer.
CHESTNUT. DARK OR POLLARD OAK.
BLACK OR FRENCH WALNUT. STAINED CHERRY.
MAHOGANY. ROSEWOOD.
GROUNDS FOR GRAINING.—IN ILLUSTRATION OF ARTICLE BY WM. E. WALL
In mixing the ground-color for graining never use dry colors where it can be avoided, as the work will be more or less gritty, and there is really no saving in their use. A pound of color ground in oil will go much further than one of dry color, is more easily applied and is much better to grain over. Of course much depends on the purity of the colors employed, and the painter will find that the best colors are none too good for his use, as they go further and work better than do the cheaper grades. It is a good plan always to strain the color before thinning, whether the colors used be dry or ground.
The foregoing may seem superfluous to the good workman, as he himself has probably found out more than this; but it may put some beginner on the right track, and none of us are expert enough to miss learning a point if we can.
MIXING OF THE GROUND COLORS.
The ground-work for oak is made by adding yellow ochre to lead till the color is deep enough. In matching the real wood a little raw umber will help to bring it to the desired color, but is better without the umber for light work.