JAPANNING. The art of coating surfaces of metal, wood, etc., with a variety of varnishes, which are dried and hardened on in stoves or hot chambers. These drying processes constitute the main distinguishing features of the art. The trade owes its name to the fact that it is an imitation of the famous lacquering of Japan. Japanning is done in transparent varnishes, in black and in body colours; but black japan is the most characteristic and common style of work. The varnish for black japan consists essen tially of pure natural asphaltum with a proportion of gum anime dissolved in linseed oil and thinned with turpentine. In thin layers such a japan has a rich dark brown colour ; it only shows a brilliant black in thicker coatings. For fine work, which has to be smoothed and polished, several coats of black are applied in succession, each being separately dried in the stove at a heat which may rise to about 300° F. Body colours consist of a basis of transparent var nish mixed with the special mineral paints of the desired colours or with bronze powders. The transparent varnish used by japan
ners is a copal varnish which contains less drying oil and more turpentine than is contained in ordinary painters' oil varnish. Japanning produces a brilliant polished surface which is much more durable and less easily affected by heat, moisture or other influences than any ordinary painted and varnished work. It may be regarded as a process intermediate between ordinary painting and vitreous enamelling.
Japans may be applied by either the brushing, spraying or dip ping process, and are extensively used in the finishing of the chas sis and mud-guards of motor-cars, ordinary ironmongery goods and domestic iron-work, deed boxes, clock dials and papier-mache articles. The process is also applied to blocks of slate for making imitations of black marble for chimney pieces, and in a modified form is employed for preparing enamelled, japan or patent leather.