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FRENCH POLISHING
AND
ENAMELLING
A Practical Work of Instruction
INCLUDING
NUMEROUS RECIPES FOR MAKING POLISHES,
VARNISHES, GLAZE-LACQUERS, REVIVERS, ETC.
BY RICHARD BITMEAD
AUTHOR OF "THE CABINET-MAKER'S GUIDE," "THE UPHOLSTERER'S GUIDE," ETC.
Fourth Edition
[Illustration: Capio Lumen]
LONDON
CROSBY LOCKWOOD AND SON
7, STATIONERS' HALL COURT, LUDGATE HILL
1910
[_All rights reserved_]
PRINTED BY
WILLIAM CLOWES AND SONS, LIMITED,
LONDON AND BECCLES.
AUTHOR'S PREFACE.
Early in the present century the method generally adopted for polishing
furniture was by rubbing with beeswax and turpentine or with
linseed-oil. That process, however, was never considered to be very
satisfactory, which fact probably led to experiments being made for the
discovery of an improvement. The first intimation of success in this
direction appeared in the _Mechanic's Magazine_ of November 22, 1823,
and ran as follows: "The Parisians have now introduced an entirely new
mode of polishing, which is called _plaque_, and is to wood precisely
what plating is to metal. The wood by some process is made to resemble
marble, and has all the beauty of that article with much of its
solidity. It is even asserted by persons who have made trial of the new
mode that water may be spilled upon it without staining it." Such was
the announcement of an invention which was destined ultimately to become
a new industry.
The following pages commence with a description of the art of French
Polishing in its earliest infancy, care having been taken by the Author,
to the best of his ability, to note all the new processes and
manipulations, as well as to concisely and perspicuously arrange and
describe the various materials employed, not only for French polishing
but for the improving and preparation of furniture woods, a matter of
great importance to the polisher. The arts of Staining and Imitating,
whereby inferior woods are made to resemble the most costly, are also
fully treated, as well as the processes of Enamelling, both in
oil-varnishes and French polish, together with the method of decorating
the same. The condition of the art of polishing in America is dwelt
upon, and various interesting articles written by practical polishers in
the States, which appeared in their trade journal, _The Cabinet-maker_,
have been revised and printed in this work.
A number of valuable recipes, and other instructive matter, useful alike
to the amateur and to the practical workman, are also given.
CONTENTS.
CHAPTER I.
_THE IMPROVING AND PREPARATION OF FURNITURE WOODS._ PAGE
Improving 2
Matching 3
Painting 5
Dyed Polishes 6
CHAPTER II.
_STAINS AND IMITATIONS._
Imitation Mahogany 8
Imitation Rosewood 8
Imitation Walnut 9
Imitation Ebony 10
Imitation Oak 11
Imitation Satin-wood 12
A Blue Stain 13
A Green Stain 13
A Purple Stain 13
A Red Stain 14
Imitation Purple-wood Stain 14
Chemicals used in Staining 15
Process of Staining 16
Ready-made Wood Stains 17
CHAPTER III.
_FRENCH POLISHING._
The Polish Used 18
Rubbers 22
Position 24
Filling-in 25
Applying the Polish 26
Spiriting-off 30
Prepared Spirits 32
Antique Style 32
Dull or Egg-shell Polish 33
Polishing in the Lathe 34
CHAPTER IV.
_CHEAP WORK._
Glazing 37
Stencilling 39
Charcoal Polishing 40
CHAPTER V.
_RE-POLISHING OLD WORK_ 42
CHAPTER VI.
_SPIRIT VARNISHING._
Varnishes 46
Brushes and Pencils 47
Mode of Operation 47
East Indian Varnishes 48
CHAPTER VII.
_GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS._
Remarks on Polishing 51
The Polishing Shop 52
CHAPTER VIII.
_ENAMELLING._
Materials 57
Tools 58
Mode of Operation 58
Polishing 60
Another Process 61
Decorations 63
CHAPTER IX.
_AMERICAN POLISHING PROCESSES._
Use of Fillers 65
Making Fillers 70
Japan of the Best Quality 70
Fillings for Light Woods 70
Another for Light Woods 70
For Mahogany or Cherry Wood 71
For Oak Wood 71
For Rosewood 71
For Black Walnut (1) 71
" (2) 71
An Oil Colour for Black Walnut (3) 72
Finishing 73
Black Walnut Finishing 75
Finishing Veneered Panels, etc. 78
Light Woods (Dead Finish) 79
Mahogany or Cherry Wood 79
Oak 79
Rosewood, Coromandel, or Kingwood (a Bright Finish) 79
Walnut 80
Finishing Cheap Work 81
With One Coat of Varnish 81
Wax Finishing 82
A Varnish Polish 82
With Copal or Zanzibar Varnish 83
Polishing Varnish 85
An American Polish Reviver 86
CHAPTER X.
_MISCELLANEOUS RECIPES._
Oil Polish 87
Wax Polish 87
Waterproof French Polish 88
Varnish for Musical Instruments 88
French Varnish for Cabinet-work 89
Mastic Varnish 89
Cabinet-maker's Varnish 90
Amber Varnish 90
Colourless Varnish with Copal 90
Seedlac Varnish 91
Patent Varnish for Wood or Canvas 91
Copal Varnish 91
Carriage Varnish 92
Transparent Varnish 92
Crystal Varnish for Maps, etc. 92
Black Varnish 92
Black Polish 93
Varnish for Iron 93
Varnish for Tools 93
To Make Labels Adhere to a Polished Surface 94
To Remove French Polish or Varnish from Old Work 94
Colouring for Carcase Work 94
Cheap but Valuable Stain for the Sap of Black Walnut 95
Polish (American) for Removing Stains, etc., from Furniture 96
Walnut Stain to be used on Pine and White-wood 96
Rosewood Stain 97
Rosewood Stain for Cane Work, etc. 97
French Polish Reviver 98
Morocco Leather Reviver 98
Hair-cloth Reviver 99
To Remove Grease Stains from Silks, Damasks, Cloth, etc. 99
To Remove Ink Stains from White Marble 99
CHAPTER XI.
_MATERIALS USED._
Alkanet-root 100
Madder-root 100
Red-sanders 101
Logwood 101
Fustic 102
Turmeric 102
Indigo 103
Persian Berries 103
Nut-galls 103
Catechu 103
Thus 104
Sandarach 104
Mastic 104
Benzoin 104
Copal 105
Dragon's Blood 106
Shellac 106
Amber 107
Pumice-stone 107
Linseed-oil 108
Venice Turpentine 110
Oil of Turpentine 110
Methylated Spirits 110
FRENCH POLISHING
AND
ENAMELLING.
CHAPTER I.
_THE IMPROVING AND PREPARATION OF
FURNITURE WOODS._
For a French polisher to be considered a good workman he should, in
addition to his ordinary ability to lay on a good polish, possess
considerable knowledge of the various kinds of wood used for furniture,
as well as the most approved method of bringing out to the fullest
extent their natural tones or tints; he should also be able to improve
the inferior kinds of wood, and to stain, bleach, or match any of the
fancy materials to which his art is applied, in a manner that will
produce the greatest perfection. The following information is given to
facilitate a thorough knowledge of the above processes.
=Improving.=--Iron filings added to a decoction of gall-nuts and vinegar
will give to ebony which has been discoloured an intense black, after
brushing over once or twice. Walnut or poor-coloured rosewood can be
improved by boiling half an ounce of walnut-shell extract and the same
quantity of catechu in a quart of soft-water, and applying with a
sponge. Half a pound of walnut husks and a like quantity of oak bark
boiled in half a gallon of water will produce much the same result.
Common mahogany can be improved by rubbing it with powdered red-chalk
(ruddle) and a woollen rag, or by first wiping the surface with liquid
ammonia, and red-oiling afterwards. For a rich mild red colour,
rectified spirits of naphtha, dyed with camwood dust, or an oily
decoction of alkanet-root. Methylated spirits and a small quantity of
dragon's blood will also produce a mild red. Any yellow wood can be
improved by an alcoholic solution of Persian berries, fustic, turmeric,
or gamboge. An aqueous decoction of barberry-root will serve the same
purpose. Birch when preferred a warm tint may be sponged with oil, very
slightly tinted with rose-madder or Venetian red; the greatest care
should be used, or it will be rendered unnatural in appearance by
becoming too red. Maple which is of a dirty-brown colour, or of a cold
grey tint, and mahogany, ash, oak, or any of the light-coloured woods,
can be whitened by the bleaching fluid (see "MATCHING"). Numerous
materials may be improved by the aid of raw linseed-oil mixed with a
little spirits of turpentine. Artificial graining may be given to
various woods by means of a camel-hair pencil and raw oil; two or three
coats should be given, and after standing for some time the ground
should have one coat of oil much diluted with spirits of turpentine, and
then rubbed off.
=Matching.=--Old mahogany furniture which has been repaired may be
easily matched by wiping over the new portions with water in which a
nodule of lime has been dissolved, or by common soda and water. The
darkeners for general use are dyed oils, logwood, aquafortis, sulphate
of iron, and nitrate of silver, with exposure to the sun's rays. For new
furniture in oak, ash, maple, etc., the process of matching requires
care and skill. When it is desirable to render all the parts in a piece
of furniture of one uniform tone or tint, bleach the dark parts with a
solution of oxalic acid dissolved in hot water (about two-pennyworth of
acid to half a pint of water is a powerful solution); when dry, if this
should not be sufficient, apply the white stain (see pp. 11, 12)
delicately toned down, or the light parts may be oiled. For preserving
the intermediate tones, coat them with white polish by means of a
camel-hair pencil. On numerous woods, carbonate of soda and bichromate
of potash are very effective as darkeners, as are also other
preparations of an acid or alkaline nature, but the two given above are
the best.
A good way of preparing these darkeners, says the "French Polisher's
Manual," an excellent little work published in Perth some years since,
is to procure twopennyworth of carbonate of soda in powder, and dissolve
it in half a pint of boiling water; then have ready three bottles, and
label them one, two, three. Into one put half the solution, and into the
other two half a gill each; to number two add an additional gill of
water, and to number three two gills. Then get the same quantity of
bichromate of potash, and prepare it in a like manner; you will then
have six staining fluids for procuring a series of brown and dark tints
suitable for nearly all classes of wood.
The bichromate of potash is useful to darken oak, walnut, beech, or
mahogany, but if applied to ash it renders it of a greenish cast. If a
sappy piece of walnut should be used either in the solid or veneer,
darken it to match the ground colour, and then fill in the dark markings
with a feather and the black stain (see pp. 10, 11). The carbonate
solutions are generally used for dark surfaces, such as rosewood
represents, and a still darker shade can be given to any one by oiling
over after the stain is dry. The better way of using these chemical
stains is to pour out into a saucer as much as will serve the purpose,
and to apply it quickly with a sponge rubbed rapidly and evenly over the
surface, and rubbed off dry immediately with old rags. Dark and light
portions, between which the contrast is slight, may be made to match by
varnishing the former and darkening the latter with oil, which should
remain on it sufficiently long; by this means the different portions may
frequently be made to match without having recourse to bleaching or
staining.
=Painting.=--The next process is painting. It frequently happens in
cabinet work that a faulty place is not discovered until after the work
is cleaned off; the skill of the polisher is then required to paint it
to match the other. A box containing the following colours in powder
will be found of great utility, and when required for use they should be
mixed with French polish and applied with a brush. The pigments most
suitable are: drop black, raw sienna, raw and burnt umber, Vandyke
brown, French Naples yellow (bear in mind that this is a very opaque
pigment), cadmium yellow, madder carmine (these are expensive), flake
white, and light or Venetian red; before mixing, the colours should be
finely pounded. The above method of painting, however, has this
objection for the best class of furniture, that the effects of time will
darken the body of the piece of furniture, whilst the painted portion
will remain very nearly its original colour. In first-class work,
therefore, stained polishes or varnishes should be applied instead of
these pigments.
=Dyed Polishes.=--The methods of dyeing polish or
varnish are as follows: for a red, put a little alkanet-root or camwood
dust into a bottle containing polish or varnish; for a bright yellow, a
small piece of aloes; for a yellow, ground turmeric or gamboge; for a
brown, carbonate of soda and a very small quantity of dragon's blood;
and for a black, a few logwood chips, gall-nuts, and copperas, or by the
addition of gas-black.
The aniline dyes (black excepted) are very valuable for dyeing polishes,
the most useful being Turkey-red, sultan red, purple, and brown. A small
portion is put into the polish, which soon dissolves it, and no
straining is required. The cheapest way to purchase these dyes is by the
ounce or half-ounce. The penny packets sold by chemists are too
expensive, although a little goes a long way.