Richard Bitmead - French Polishing and Enamelling
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Richard Bitmead >> French Polishing and Enamelling
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=Spiriting-off.=--Most polishers affirm that if an interval of at least
a couple of hours elapse between the final embodying and the
spiriting-off the brilliancy of the polish will be improved, and remain
harder and more durable. The spirit is applied in exactly the same way
as the polish, and the same rubber can be used, but it should be covered
with more than one fold of the soft linen rag; care should be taken not
to make it very wet, or the gum on the surface of the work will be
redissolved, and a dulness instead of a brilliancy will result. If the
spirit should be very strong, the rubber should be breathed upon before
using, and a little more oil taken up; some, however, prefer to mix a
little polish with the spirit, while others prefer the spirit to be
weakened by exposure to the air for a few hours; experience alone must
be the teacher in this particular; but if the spirit should not "bite,"
as it is termed, all will be well. The last rubber should be worked a
little longer than usual, and a trifle quicker, so as to remove the
slight greasy moisture on the surface.
The finishing touch is given to the work by a soft rag loosely rolled up
and just a few drops of spirit dropped upon it, applied quickly the way
of the grain. This will remove every defect, and leave it clear and
brilliant. If, in a short time after finishing, the polish becomes dull
or rough, it will be owing to too much oil being absorbed in the process
and working through the surface, combined with dust. It should be
cleaned off first with a soft cloth, damped with a little warm water,
and the whole repaired, as at first, with equal parts of polish and
spirits mixed together, using the least possible damp of oil to make it
finish clear; there is no danger of its happening again. In all cases
the work must be rubbed till quite dry, and when nearly so the pressure
may be increased.
The rubber for spiriting-off should be made up from a piece of old
flannel, and be covered with a piece of old rag. This is preferable to
very thin rag, and will give a better finish.
=Prepared Spirits.=--This preparation is useful for finishing, as it
adds to the lustre and durability, as well as removes every defect of
other polishes, and it gives the surface a most brilliant appearance.
It is made of half a pint of the very best rectified spirits of wine,
two drachms of shellac, and two drachms of gum benzoin. Put these
ingredients in a bottle and keep in a warm place till the gum is all
dissolved, shaking it frequently; when cold add two teaspoonfuls of the
best clear white poppy oil; shake them well together, and it is fit for
use.
=Antique Style.=--For mediaeval or old English furniture a dull polish is
generally preferred to a French polish, because it has a gloss rather
than a brilliant polish, which materially assists in showing up
mouldings or carvings to the best advantage; it is also more in
character with the work of the Middle Ages. Another advantage is the
facility of obtaining a new polish (after being once done) should the
first one get tarnished, as the finishing process can be performed
without difficulty by any one, and a new polish obtained each time.
On receiving a job which is required to be done in this style, it should
be "filled-in" in the usual manner, and afterwards bodied with white
polish to a good extent; it is then left for a sinking period (say
twelve hours). The work is then carefully rubbed down with powdered
pumice-stone and a felt-covered block or rubber, and after well dusting
it is ready for finishing. The preparation used for this process is
mainly composed of bees'-wax and turpentine (see Wax Polish, page 87),
well rubbed in with a piece of felt or a woollen rag, and finished off
by rubbing briskly with a very soft cloth or an old handkerchief to
produce a gloss.
=Dull or Egg-shell Polish.=--This is another style of finishing for
mediaeval work; the process is very simple. In commencing a job to be
finished in this style, the process of "filling-in" and "embodying" are
first gone through, then a sinking period is allowed, after which it is
embodied again, till the work is ready for finishing. All the parts
should be carefully examined to see if there is a good coating of polish
upon them. This is important, for if the work should be only thinly
coated it is liable to be spoiled by rubbing through in the last
process. After allowing a few hours for the surface to harden, a pounce
bag of powdered pumice-stone should be applied to the work, and a
felt-covered rubber used, rubbing down in the direction of the grain
until the work is of the desired dulness.
For the cheaper kind of work done in this style, the first process, of
course, is the filling-in; then a rubber of wadding is taken and used
without a cover, made rather sappy with polish and a few drops of oil
added; and after bodying-in with this sufficiently, the work should be
stood aside for twelve hours, then rubbed down with some fine worn
glass-paper. The embodying is then again commenced, a proper rubber and
cover being used; and when sufficient is put on, and while the surface
is still soft, the pounce above mentioned should be applied, and rubbed
down with a piece of wadding slightly moistened with linseed-oil until
the desired dulness appears. This is becoming the fashionable finish for
black walnut work.
=Polishing in the Lathe.=--The lathe is of more use to a polisher than a
great many persons outside the trade would imagine. By its aid turned
work can be finished in a most superior style, and in less time than by
hand. The articles usually done by the lathe are wood musical
instruments, such as clarionets, flutes, etc.; also cornice-poles, ends,
and mahogany rings, the latter being first placed in a hollow chuck and
the insides done, after which they are finished upon the outside on a
conical chuck. For table-legs, chair-legs, and all the turnery used in
the cabinet-work, it will be found of great advantage to finish the
turned parts before the work is put together.
Most of the best houses in the trade finish their work in this way,
where all the work is polished out entirely with the rubber. In the
first place, the filling-in is done. The band is thrown off the pulley
and the work rubbed in; at the same time the pulley is turned round by
the left hand. When this is done, the band is replaced and the work
cleaned off with rags or shavings, the lathe to be driven with speed to
get a clean surface. When applying the polish the lathe should revolve
with a very slow motion.
The rubbers best adapted for turned work are made of white wadding, as
the hollows and other intricacies can be completely finished out with a
soft rubber. The work should first receive a coating of thick shellac,
two parts by weight of shellac to one of methylated spirits, and applied
with a brush or a soft sponge; after a couple of hours this is nicely
smoothed with fine paper, and the "bodying-in" completed with the soft
rubber and thin polish. There are numerous hard woods which do not
require filling-in, amongst which may be mentioned boxwood, cocus,
ebony, etc.; these may be rapidly polished in the lathe, on account of
their texture, with the white polish. In spiriting-off a very soft piece
of chamois leather (if it is hard and creased it will scratch) should be
damped with methylated spirits, then wrung so that the spirit may be
equally diffused; the lathe should then be driven at a rapid speed, and
the leather held softly to the work. In a few minutes, if a dark wood, a
brilliant surface will be produced.
CHAPTER IV.
_CHEAP WORK._
=Glazing.=--Glaze is known to the trade under several names, such as
slake, finish, and telegraph; it is used only for cheap work, when
economy of time is a consideration, and is made as follows: mastic, 1
oz.; benzoin, 5 ozs.; methylated spirit, 5 gills. A superior article can
be obtained from G. Purdom, 49, Commercial Road, Whitechapel, E., who is
the manufacturer of a "patent glaze."
First give the work a rubber or two of polish after the "filling-in"; it
is important to dry the last rubber thoroughly, so that no unctuousness
remains upon the surface before applying the glaze, otherwise it will be
of no effect. The way to apply it is as follows: Prepare a rubber as for
polishing and make it moderately wet, and take only one steady wipe the
way of the grain, never going over the same surface twice while wet; and
when dry, if one coat is found not to be enough, apply a second in the
same manner. For mouldings or the backs and sides of chair-work, this is
generally considered to be sufficient. Some polishers will persist in
using glaze to a large extent, even on the best-paid work; but it is not
recommended, as the surface will not retain its brilliancy for a
lengthened period, particularly in hot weather. Nothing is so good for
the best class of work as polishing entirely with French polish.
The way of treating small flat surfaces such as the frames of tables,
looking-glasses, builders' work, etc., is to first fill in, and give one
or two rubbers of polish, drying the last rubber thoroughly; then glaze,
and after a period of two or three hours finish with a rubber slightly
wetted with thin polish. It is a bad plan to put glaze on newly-spirited
work, or to re-apply it on old bodies.
The following is another method for cheap work: A coating of clear size
is first given in a warm state (this can be obtained at most oil-shops),
and when dry is rubbed down with fine glass-paper, after which a coating
of varnish is applied with a sponge or a broad camel-hair brush, giving
long sweeping strokes. The tool should be plied with some degree of
speed, as spirit varnishes have not the slow setting properties which
distinguish those of oil, and care should be taken not to go over the
same part twice. When this is thoroughly hard it is nicely smoothed with
fine paper, a few rubberfuls of polish is given, and it is then ready
for spiriting-off.
Another plan is frequently adopted for cheap work: Make a thin paste
with plaster of Paris, suitably tinted and watered, and well rub in
across the grain with a piece of felt or old coarse canvas till the
pores are all full; any superfluity should be instantly wiped off from
the surface before it has time to set. The succeeding processes are
papering and oiling. In applying the polish, which should be done
immediately after oiling, the rubber should be made rather sappy with
thin polish, and worked without oil. During the embodying a pounce-bag
containing plaster of Paris is sparingly used; this application tends to
fill the pores and also to harden the body of polish on the exterior,
but too much should not be used, or it will impart a semi-opaque
appearance to the work. This first body is allowed sufficient time to
harden; it is then rubbed down lightly with flour paper or old worn No.
1, and then embodied with thicker polish or a mixture of polish and
varnish, and the smallest quantity of oil applied to the rubber. When a
sufficient body of polish is given to the work, the surface is rubbed
very carefully with a lump of moist putty plied in the longitudinal
direction of the grain; this will bring up a gloss, and very little
spiriting will be required.
=Stencilling.=--An imitation of marqueterie on light-coloured woods can
be obtained by the following method: Cut a stencil pattern in stout
cartridge paper (this is best done upon a piece of glass with the point
of a sharp penknife), and place it on the centre of a panel or wherever
required, and have ready some gas-black mixed with thin polish; apply
this with a camel-hair pencil over the cut-out pattern, and when it is
removed finish the lines and touch up with a finer tool. The work should
be first bodied-in, and when the pattern is dry rubbed down with a piece
of hair-cloth (the smooth side down) on a cork rubber to a smooth
surface, after which the polishing can be proceeded with until finished.
Upon oak this will have the appearance of inlaid work.
=Charcoal Polishing.=--A method known as "charcoal polishing" is now
much used for producing the beautiful dead-black colour which seems to
have the density of ebony. Its invention is due to French
cabinet-makers. The woods used by them are particularly well adapted for
staining black or any other colour, limetree, beech, cherry, pear, soft
mahogany, or any wood of a close and compact grain being the woods
usually selected.
The first process is to give the work a coating of camphor dissolved in
water and made rather strong; this will soon soak into the wood, and
immediately afterwards another coat composed of sulphate of iron-water
with a few nut-galls added. These solutions in blending penetrate the
wood and give it an indelible tinge, and also prevent insects from
attacking it. After these coats are dry, rub the surface with a hard
brush (an old scrubbing-brush will do) the way of the grain, after which
rub the flat parts with natural stick charcoal, and the carved or
indented portions with powdered charcoal; the softest portion of the
charcoal only should be used, because if a single hard grain should be
applied it would seriously damage the surface. The workman should have
ready at the same time a preparation of linseed-oil and essence of
turpentine (linseed-oil one gill, and essence of turpentine one
teaspoonful), a portion of which should be freely taken up with a piece
of soft flannel and well rubbed into the work. These rubbings with the
preparation and charcoal several times will give the article of
furniture a beautiful dead-black colour and polish. This method of
polishing is applied to the black-and-gold furniture, cabinets, etc., in
imitation of ebony.
Another good black polish is obtained by gas-black being applied to the
rubber after wetting with French polish, the cover being then put on and
worked in the usual manner.
These black polishes should not be applied if there are coloured woods
in the piece of furniture. Should the work be already dyed black, or in
black veneers, it is best to use white polish, which will greatly help
to preserve the transparent density of the dye.
CHAPTER V.
_RE-POLISHING OLD WORK._
If the piece of furniture requiring to be re-polished should be in bad
condition, it is best to clean off thoroughly, using the liquid ammonia
(see page 94), or by the scraper and glass-paper. The indentations may
be erased by dipping into hot water a piece of thick brown paper three
or four times doubled and applying it to the part; the point of a
red-hot poker should be immediately placed upon the wet paper, which
will cause the water to boil into the wood and swell up the bruise; the
thickness of the paper prevents the wood from being scorched by the hot
poker. After the moisture is evaporated, the paper should be again
wetted if required. If only shallow dents, scratches, and broken parts
of the polish present themselves, carefully coat them two or three times
with a thick solution of shellac, and when the last coating becomes hard
carefully paper down with a piece of old glass-paper and a cork rubber.
If the surface should be in good condition, it is necessary only to
remove the viscid rust; this is done by friction with a felt-covered
rubber and pure spirits of turpentine; by this means the polish remains
unsullied. If the surface should not be in very good condition, a
flannel should be used smeared with a paste of bathbrick-dust and water,
or a paste made of the finest emery flour and spirits of turpentine.
After cleansing, and before the polish is applied, it is a good plan to
just moisten the surface with raw linseed-oil; this will cause the old
body to unite with the new one.
In order to carry out the process of re-polishing with facility, it is
necessary to disunite all the various parts, such as panels, carvings,
etc., before commencing the operation. The polish is applied in the
usual manner, and when a good body is laid on the work should be set
aside for twelve hours, after which it can be finished. It should be
particularly observed that in polishing no job should be finished
immediately after the rubbing-down process; a sinking period should
always be allowed. If the work should be immediately finished, the
consequences are that in a few hours all the marks and scratches of the
paper, etc., will be discernible, and the polished surface will present
a very imperfect appearance, although looking perfect when first
finished.
Holes and crevices may be well filled up with a cement made in the
following manner: In a large iron spoon place a lump of beeswax about
the size of a walnut, a pinch of the pigments mentioned on page 5,
according to the colour required, a piece of common rosin the size of a
nut, and a piece of tallow as large as a pea; melt, and it is ready for
use. Some add a little shellac, but much will make it very brittle. A
similar substance to the above can be bought at the French warehouses.
CHAPTER VI.
_SPIRIT VARNISHING._
Most polishers are agreed that to obtain a good surface with varnish it
is necessary to give the work, where it is possible to do so, a
rubberful of polish first, and to thoroughly dry the rubber; but in most
carved work the surface is not accessible, and the brush must be used.
Sometimes the carving is extremely coarse, and with an open porous
grain, in which case it is best to oil it first and then to fine-paper
it down; by this process a thin paste is formed by the attrition, which
materially assists in filling up the pores. Before commencing to use the
varnish have ready an earthenware dish or box,--one of the tins used for
the preserved meats or fish will answer the purpose,--with two holes
drilled so that a piece of wire can be fastened diametrically across the
top; this is called a "regulator," and when the brush is passed once or
twice over this it prevents an unnecessary quantity of varnish being
transferred to the work.
=Varnishes.=--The ingredients for making
varnish are very similar to those for making polish, but the proportions
are somewhat different. Furniture varnish consists of two kinds, viz.:
the brown-hard and the white-hard; the former is used for dark woods,
such as mahogany, walnut, rosewood, etc.; whilst the latter is used for
the light-coloured woods, in conjunction with the white polish. A few
years since the brown-hard varnish was made from these ingredients:
1 gallon of methylated spirit,
40 ozs. of shellac,
4 ozs. of rosin,
5 ozs. of benzoin,
2 ozs. of sandarach,
2 ozs. of white rosin.
The brown-hard varnish which is used at the present time is made
differently, and produces a better result; it is made from the
following:
1 gallon of methylated spirit,
32 ozs. of shellac,
8 ozs. of rosin,
8 ozs. of benzoin.
The white-hard or transparent varnish for white wood is made with
1 gallon of methylated spirit,
32 ozs. of bleached shellac,
24 ozs. of gum sandarach.
In making either polishes or varnishes, all the gums should be first
pounded and reduced to powder before mixing with the spirit, and when
mixed they should be occasionally well shaken or stirred, so as to
hasten their dissolution.
=Brushes and Pencils.=--The brushes used for varnishing are either flat,
in tin, or round, tied firmly to the handle, and made of camel's-hair;
but the small white bristle-tools and red-sable pencils will frequently
be found of service in coating delicate carving, or turned work. Varnish
brushes can be obtained from a quarter of an inch to four inches and
upwards in width; the most useful brush, however, for general use is
about an inch wide. It is important that brushes should be cleaned in
spirits immediately after use, for if laid by in varnish they lose their
elasticity and are soon spoiled; but if this preservative principle is
ever neglected, the hardened brush should be soaked in methylated
spirit, and if wanted for immediate use the spirit will soften the
varnish quicker if made luke-warm. The spirit should be gently pressed
out by the finger and thumb. All varnish brushes when not in use should
be hung up, or kept in such a position that they do not rest upon their
hairy ends, either in a box or tin free from dust.
=Mode of Operation.=--It is usual in varnishing to give the work three
coats, and always allow each coat to dry thoroughly before applying the
next. It should be noted that spirit varnishes begin to dry immediately
they are laid on; therefore, on no account should they be touched with
the brush again whilst wet, or when dry they will present a rough
surface. Always ply the brush quickly, and never go over a second time.
When giving the first or second coats it is unimportant how they are
applied, whether across the grain or with the grain, but the finishing
coat should always be with the grain. If the varnish should appear
frothy when laid on, it is of no consequence, as it will dry smooth if
equally and evenly applied before a good fire or in a warm atmosphere.
Coloured varnishes can be made in exactly the same manner as coloured
polishes (see page 6). The beautiful glossy black varnishes so admired
on Indian cabinet-work, specimens of which can be seen at the Indian
Museum, are very difficult to obtain in England, but a description of
them may be interesting.
=East Indian Varnishes.=--The Sylhet varnish is composed of two parts of
the juice of the bhela (the tree which bears the marking nuts of India),
and one part of the juice of the jowar. The articles varnished with it
at Sylhet are of the most beautiful glossy black; and it seems equally
fitted for varnishing iron, leather, paper, wood, or stone. It has a
sort of whitish-grey colour when first taken out of the bottle, but in a
few minutes it becomes perfectly black by exposure to the air. In the
temperature of this country it is too thick to be laid on alone; but it
may be rendered more fluid by heat. In this case, however, it is clammy,
and seems to dry very slowly. When diluted with spirits of turpentine,
it dries more quickly; but still with less rapidity than is desirable.
The _tsitsi_, or Rangoon varnish, is less known than the Sylhet varnish.
It is probably made from the juice of the bhela alone. It appears to
have the same general properties as the Sylhet varnish, but dries more
rapidly. The varnish from the _kheeso_, or varnish-tree, may be the same
as the Rangoon varnish, but is at present considered to be very
different. The kheeso grows particularly in Kubboo, a valley on the
banks of the Ningtee, between Munnipore and the Burman empire. It
attains to such a large size, that it affords planks upwards of three
feet in breadth, and in appearance and grain is very like mahogany. A
similar tree is found in great abundance and perfection at Martaban.
A poisonous vapour exhales from several of the Indian varnishes,
especially from that of Sylhet, and is apt to produce over the whole
skin inflammations, swellings, itchings, and pustules, as if the body
had been stung by a number of wasps. Its effects, however, go off in a
few hours. As a preventative the persons who collect the varnish, before
going to work, smear their faces and hands with greasy matter to prevent
the varnish poison coming into contact with their skin.
CHAPTER VII.
_GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS._
=Remarks on Polishing.=--Amateurs at French polishing will be more
successful on a large surface than a small one.
When polishing, the rubber-cloth should be changed occasionally, or the
brightness will not remain when finished.
A most efficacious improver of many kinds of woods is raw linseed-oil
mixed with a little rectified spirits of turpentine.
French polish can be tinted a light-red with alkanet-root, and a
dark-red with dragon's blood.
A good Turkey sponge is capable of spreading either stain or varnish
more smoothly than a camel's-hair brush on a flat surface.
The sub-nitrate of bismuth mentioned on p. 12 is beginning to supersede
oxalic acid for bleaching processes.
Thin panels for doors should be securely tacked down to a level board,
and polished with a large round flannel rubber having a very flat sole.
Fret-work panels should have all the edges entirely finished with
varnish before they undergo the above operation. To get a good polish
upon a full-fret panel is considered by polishers to be the most
difficult part in the work, on account of the extreme delicacy and
frangibility of the work and the great carefulness required.
Soft spongy wood may be satiated by rubbing a sponge well filled with
polish across the grain until it becomes dry.
In polishing a very large surface, such as a Loo-table top or a wardrobe
end, it is best to do only half at a time, or if a large top a quarter
only.
The approved method of treating dining-table tops is to well body-in
with French polish, after which thoroughly glass-paper down with fine
paper, and then use the oil polish (see page 87).
Immediately after using a rubber, it should be kept in an air-tight tin
canister, where it will always remain fresh and fit for use.
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