LESSON IX. GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF GRAINING OPERATIONS--CONTINUED. APPLYING THE DISTEMPER COLORS.

44. A good-sized brush may be used for the laying of the distemper colors, but they are not absolutely necessary. A sponge is even more frequently used, especially when the character of the wood is to be shaped by the use of the sponge as the color is being laid on. It is hardly worth while to say that the man who does the graining must be his own “rubber in” in distemper work. The name itself is dropped for this class of work; the person applying it must be able to do the shaping as he goes along, excepting for “stippled” woods, when it may be well to have some one to help, especially if the color dries fast; he can then follow the helper closely and then there will be no trouble from that cause.

45. The color itself may be thickly or thinly thinned—it will all depend upon the kind of surface one is working upon, and also upon the kind of graining being done. Some grainers must have stale beer for a thinner, but others will do as good work who never use any, and such use vinegar somewhat diluted for that purpose. The proper thing is to have the color of the right working condition for the particular job. The kind of thinner does not matter so much so that it has tack enough to hold the color, so the colors will not run together when brushed over in the varnishing afterward.

46. The use of the check roller usually is the first operation done in graining woods which show weather checks. The proper way to use them is to fill a 3-inch fan overgrainer with the distemper color which comes nearest to the ideas of the grainer in showing up what he desires to produce. This fan overgrainer is laid upon the face of the check roller flat, and a few turns are given in order to spread, when it is ready to do its duty. Checks while they look all right in some oak work, are usually rather scarce in nature, and it is an easy thing to overdo them in the imitation. A few in well-chosen locations will look infinitely better than an oversupply. As overdoing nature is a fault which applies in all the other operations used in graining, it will be well to guard the student against this defect right at the beginning. Let him bear in mind that all graining will look better underdone than overdone, no matter what wood one tries to imitate.

47. Stippling is another operation which is used chiefly upon open grained woods or woods which show fine or coarse pores all over their surfaces, such, for instance, as black walnut in the dark woods and chestnut in the lighter ones. Some pretty effects are also made by partial very fine stipplings over certain parts of woods. As the particular graining of each wood will be related these effects will be noticed under their proper headings. The application of the distemper color (the only proper one) has already been noted. The operator doing the stippling must hurry his work with the flogger or stippler (see Fig. 1) before the color commences to dry, or the stippling will not be uniform. He at no time must let the brush rest upon the work, but must hit the surface and let it rebound back, and be ready to strike again, being careful that the stippling proceeds evenly, and that the porousness indicated be as near equal all over as possible. It is not a very difficult operation, but one minute of actual work with the flogger will teach more to the student as to how it should be done than an hour of description will.

QUESTIONS ON LESSON IX.

44. How should the distemper colors be put on?

45. What is said of the thinners used in distemper work?

46. How should the check roller be used?

47. How is the stippling done?