A variation of the oil stain that will give novel and beautiful results on white pine or other wood of coarse, open grain, such as cypress or chestnut, is the wiped stain. This is a stouter bodied stain than the ordinary oil stain—more like a thin paint—which is applied to the wood, allowed to partially dry, and then wiped off with a rag. The stain, by this time, will have sunk into and colored the softer por tions of the grain, while the harder parts will be only very slightly colored.
It must not be forgotten that the same stain will produce very different results on different woods. It is practically impossible, for exam ple, to finish a piece of hard pine to match a given sample of oak in color, although this is something that the painter is often asked to do by the owner, who has, perhaps, bought an oak mantel to go in a room whose standing finish is of hard pine.
Perhaps the most satisfactory method for darkening oak in such a way as to give the actual effect of old wood, is to apply several coats of ammonia. It is better to apply several coats of dilute ammonia than to attempt to pro duce a deep tone with a single wash of the stronger solution, because there is danger of getting the wood too dark by the latter method and it will be impossible to make it any lighter. The same method can also be used for darken ing mahogany, producing the rich, deep-red tones of old mahogany. The wood should be allowed to stand for several days after applying the ammonia, in order to allow it to evaporate completely, so that it will not affect the sub sequent finish injuriously. Rubber gloves should be used, to avoid injury to the hands.
For a dead black stain for wood, apply a coat of hot logwood solution, allow it to dry; then apply a second coat, and, when this is dry, apply a solution of acetate of iron, made by dissolving iron filings in hot vinegar or acetic acid, which will turn the logwood stain dead black. Let this dry, then rub with raw linseed oil to a dead polish.
Another method of finishing woodwork that will give very beautiful and soft effects, is to shellac it and then finish it with one of the polishing waxes made for the purpose. The
material is put on in a very thin coat, and is then rubbed to the desired degree of polish with a wool polishing mitt or a brush similar in shape to a shoe brush. This finish is softer and more easily marred than a varnish surface, but it can readily be repolished at any time. A wax finish has been very highly recommended for outside front doors and is said to outlast a varnish finish, provided it is rubbed up with a little additional wax two or three times a year. Even the best exterior varnish will scarcely last for two years without requiring refinishing.
Use of Varnish in Wood Finishing. One branch of the painters' and wood-finishers' art is that of coating the surface with a transparent film which shall not only protect the wood, but shall have the property of bringing out and accentuating the hidden beauty of the grain, Incidentally it may be necessary to change the color of the wood to make it harmonize with the decorative scheme, to make the wood appear old and as if darkened by time, or to imitate in inexpensive wood the effect of the rarer or costlier timber. In this branch are included the various arts of staining, varnishing, polishing, and wax-finishing.
Probably the best definition of varnish is that given by A. H. Sabin: "As the term is commonly used, varnish is a substance which is applied as a liquid, and, on exposure to the air, hardens and forms a thin and somewhat transparent film (but some varnishes are black and nearly opaque) which improves or better displays the surface over which it is spread and to a considerable degree protects it from dirt and injury. Some varnishes harden by a chemical change, which in almost all cases is the absorption of oxygen from the air; others by the evaporation of the solvent." Although the finishing of hardwoods with varnish is generally spoken of as a modern art, in reality the use of varnish has come down from ancient times. Wooden mummy cases brought from Egypt and dating back 2,500 years or more, still show traces of the varnish that was used to make them lustrous. Just what was the character of this ancient varnish is un certain, but it is supposed by the best authori ties to have been composed of gums dissolved in oil of cedar, which essential oil was known to the Egyptians, for Herodotus describes it as having been used in the process of embalming. This ancient varnish, which may be noticed on the mummy cases in different museums, is still surprisingly free from cracks, is of a yellowish color, and appears to have been very roughly applied, as though it might have been smeared on with a knife.