This branch of woodwork is a trade by itself and under modern methods of specialization the men who do this work do nothing else. The methods of finishing are legion and every polisher has a few little "kinks" of his own which he regards as trade secrets.

The personal equation enters very largely into the work, and if twenty boys have a given method explained to them and they all polish, say, a box of the same size and material, there will result twenty different kinds of polished surfaces.

This is due to difference in temperament. Some boys are patient and painstaking. Others are nervously anxious to get through and see how it looks. It is a fact particularly true of finishing that it cannot be hurried without endangering the result. Every coat must be thoroughly dry and hard before the next one is put on. Different woods require different treatment, and the elements of good taste, colour, and harmony all enter into the problem.These statements are not made to discourage the young woodworker, because finishing can be done well by any boy who will use reasonable care, but to emphasize the fact that it is poor policy to make a fine piece of woodwork and then spoil it at the last moment by hurry.

Staining is something on which opinions differ greatly. Some artists claim that only the natural colour of the wood should be used, but a great deal of staining is done, and we must leave artistic arguments to others.

The extent to which staining is carried may be illustrated by the following finishes used on one kind of wood—oak:

The writer believes that staining to make imitations is wrong, such as staining cherry or birch to give the impression of mahogany.

The list of materials for staining is very bewildering, and it is advisable to reduce the list to a few reliable ones and learn to use them well. They may be divided roughly into three classes: oil stains, water stains, and stains produced from drugs or chemicals.

Oil stains are dry colours ground in oil such as chrome yellow, Prussian blue, burnt umber, burnt sienna, etc. When preparing one of these for use, thin with turpentine and linseed oil and apply with a brush. After it has stood for a few moments rub off with a piece of cotton waste or rag.

Water stains are colours dissolved in water.

After applying this kind allow it to dry. Sand-paper the surface flat and apply a second coat of half the strength.

Stains produced from drugs and chemicals include such materials as logwood, bichromate of potash, ammonia, iron sulphate, acetate of iron, etc.

The preparation of the surfaces to be finished is very important and means the removing of any defects, such as scratches, by means of plane, scraper, and fine sand-paper.

These defects always show much more prominently after polishing than before, so that too great pains cannot be taken in preparation. Assuming that the surface is ready, the first question to be considered is whether the wood is open or close grained. If an open grained wood, a coat of filler may be used; if close grained this may be dispensed with. The following list will enable the beginner to decide:

Filler may be made at home, but it is a staple article to be found in paint stores and it is advisable to buy it ready made. It comes in paste and liquid forms, and the paste is recommended. It must be thinned with turpentine to the consistency of cream and applied with a brush. As soon as it begins to dry, rub off the excess across the grain with a handful of excelsior, waste, burlap, or rags and allow it to stand over night to dry.

When the wood is to be stained the colour is frequently mixed with the filler.

The object of all this is to fill up the pores of the wood to give a flat, solid surface for the polishing. Sometimes even on open grained woods filler is omitted entirely.

Suppose that the work in hand is a footstool or tabourette made of oak and we wish to give it a forest green finish.

The process would be as follows:Prepare the stain by mixing a small quantity of chrome yellow and Prussian blue on a piece of wood. Mix thoroughly with a putty knife or old chisel and thin with boiled linseed oil and turpentine; add blue or yellow until a beautiful dark green is obtained. Add this to the filler, using turpentine for thinning, until the whole mass of liquid is the desired colour and as thick as cream. Paint the footstool all over with this filler. As soon as it starts to dry, rub off as explained.

The next day sand-paper smooth and give a coat of shellac. When hard, sand-paper flat and give a second coat of shellac.

From this point on the process depends on whether a glossy polish is desired or a dead flat surface. For an article of furniture like a footstool a highly polished surface would be a mistake, as it would soon be scratched, and while furniture is not to be abused, it is to be used, and shoe nails make scratches.

A dead flat surface may be obtained by rubbing down the third coat of shellac with fine ground pumice stone or rotten stone and water. If too flat, rub the surface with raw linseed oil and wipe dry.

Some boys will obtain a better finish with two coats of shellac than others will with four.After the first coat of shellac, varnish is often used for the remaining coats, but it takes much longer to harden and requires careful handling.

Shellac is a product obtained from certain trees in the Orient. It may be bought in the dry state at paint stores and dissolved in alcohol. Grain alcohol is the best and most expensive, but wood alcohol is cheaper and will answer all ordinary purposes. The shellac may be bought in cans all ready for use, and there are two distinct kinds—orange and white.

White shellac is the more expensive, but should be used on light-coloured woods, such as maple, to avoid spoiling the colour.

Varnish comes in so many grades and kinds that it is best to go to a reliable dealer and tell him just for what purpose you expect to use it. There are outside varnishes, rubbing varnishes, light flowing varnishes, etc.

When by exposure it becomes thick so that the brush drags, it should be thinned with a little turpentine.

There is a great difference in the methods of using shellac and varnish. The former being dissolved in alcohol evaporates quickly, so that it must be put on thinly and as rapidly as possible. Varnish, on the other hand, may take forty-eight hours or more to dry, so that the brush can be drawn over the surface several times to remove air bubbles. It is not possible to do this with shellac. The brush used in shellac should never be laid on the top of the jar or can, as it will harden in a very short time. The care of brushes is an important item. Varnish brushes should be cleaned with turpentine, shellac brushes with alcohol, and when cleaned it is better to keep all brushes in a pail of water than to allow them to become dry.

The jar or wide mouthed bottle used for shellac should be kept covered else a great deal will be lost by evaporation. A jam jar makes a convenient receptacle for this, as it has an opening wide enough to allow the use of a flat brush. Evaporation may be prevented by inverting another jar of the same size over it. The shellac on the rim will hold them together practically airtight with the brush inside.

RELATIVE ADVANTAGES OF OIL AND WATER STAINS

The merits of these two classes of stains may be stated briefly. Water stains enter more deeply into the pores of the wood because of their lighter body. The hard parts of the surface hold practically none of the stain and constitute the high lights of the finished surface. But water stains raise the grain and make sand-papering necessary to bring the surface flat again. For this reason, some polishers first give a coat of water to raise the grain and when dry sand-paper flat before staining.

Oil stains do not raise the grain, but owing to their heavier body do not penetrate so deeply and more of the stain is lost in rubbing off. Oil has a tendency to darken wood, so that wood stained with oil colours has a tendency to become clouded or muddy with age.

For staining old work, oil stains should be used rather than water stains. Old work has the pores already filled and water has little chance to penetrate.

Some chemicals and aniline dyes are very satisfactory. Bismarck brown, which may be bought at the chemist's as a powder, is soluble in alcohol and gives a rich reddish brown. It is very powerful and a very small quantity is necessary. Bichromate of potash comes in the form of lumps and crystals. It is soluble in water. Put half a dozen crystals in a quart milk bottle of water and allow it to stand over night. Warm or hot water will dissolve the crystals more quickly. It is to be put on with a brush and gives rich brown tints, the shade depending on its strength, the kind of wood and the number of coats. It gives excellent results on oak and chestnut, and is used to "age" bay wood to a dark mahogany, while several coats of it will bring white wood to the colour of natural black walnut.

Each coat must be allowed to dry and then be rubbed flat with fine sand-paper.

This treatment may be followed by two or three coats of orange shellac, rubbed down.

For "antique" finish on oak or chestnut, dissolve lampblack in turpentine, mix with filler and proceed with polishing as explained.

A decoction of logwood is often used to produce dark and even black effects. The logwood extract is cheap and comes in the form of gum or resin. Several lumps of this are boiled in a gallon of water and applied as any water stain.

Acetate of iron, made from iron filings and vinegar, is used for dark browns occasionally. The filings should be allowed to stand for several days in the vinegar. The acid present is acetic. It unites with the iron forming the acetate of iron.

POLISHING

The method given above is for a substantial solid finish, but sometimes a boy will have some difficulty in obtaining the desired finish through lack of patience or some other cause.

A French polish may help to give the finishing touch. For this a piece of cheese cloth about 6 inches square, a piece of cotton waste about the size of a walnut, a little shellac and raw linseed oil are necessary.

Dip the waste lightly in shellac; fold the cheese cloth around it, making a soft pad, dip the pad in the oil and rub quickly and constantly in circles, gradually covering the whole surface. As the shellac hardens or sticks, use a little more oil and squeeze the pad slightly to bring the shellac through the cheese cloth. The oil prevents the shellac from sticking and a little experience will give the right balance between the two. When the polish becomes so bright that it shows the slightest finger mark, wipe dry with a piece of soft flannel.

WAX POLISH

This is used where a dull or flat finish is required. It can be applied directly after staining or filling.

Dissolve beeswax in turpentine to the consistency of filler. Heat hastens this part of the process, but is not necessary unless time is a consideration. The wax is applied with a soft rag or waste and rubbed and rubbed. The turpentine evaporates, leaving the wax. Several rubbings at intervals of a week will give the desired effect, and the surface may be brightened at any time by an additional application.

It should be remembered in all forms of polishing that dust is the great enemy. Wherever possible a piece of furniture after receiving a coat of shellac or varnish should be placed in a room or closet where no dust can settle on it. It should also be kept out of the sun to avoid blistering. The action of some stains like bichromate of potash is affected by the sun and should be either kept out of direct sunlight entirely or so placed that all parts receive the same amount, else the parts in shadow will be of a different shade from the rest of the surface.