LACQUERING, lalc'er-ing, the art of giving a smooth and brilliant surface with vari ous preparations of shellac (see JAPAN NING). In Chinese lacquering they first stop up the holes and crevices, covering all the imper fections with a coating of diluted lac by means of a flat, close, short brush. Then they cover the whole with a thick coating of lac and white clay. This clay, oily to the touch, is found at the bottom of certain lakes in Tonicing; it is • dried, pulverized and sifted with a piece of fine silk before being embodied with the lac. This operation is designed to conceal the inequalities of the wood and produce a uniform surface, which, when completely dry, is rendered smooth with pumice stone. If the object has portions cut or sunk the clayey mixture is not applied, for it would make the details clammy, but in its place a single, uniform layer of pure lac. In any case, after the pumicing, a third coating, now pure lac, is passed over the piece which at this time has a mouse-gray color. This layer, known under the name of sou lot, colors the piece a brilliant black. As the lac possesses the remarkable property of not drying in dry air, the object is left in a damp place. When per fectly dried the •piece is varnished and the de sired color imparted by a single operation. If the metallic applications are excepted, the lac is colored only black, brown or red.
The operation of lacquering is then ended, but there are parts to be gilded. These are again covered with a mixture of lac and of oil of frau. When this layer is dry the metallic leaves are applied, which are themselves pro tected by a coating composed also of lac and oil of frau. All these lac and oil of tram mix tures are carefully filtered, which the natives effect by pressing the liquid on a double filtering surface formed of wadding and of a tissue on which it rests. It can only be applied after several months when the metallic leaf is of gold. In the case of silver or tin the protect ing coat can be laid on in a few days.
The wood to be lacquered should be abso lutely dry. In Japan when wood is well pre pared and the faults have been corrected with pure lac it is dried, pumiced and covered with a coat composed of crushed flax mixed with glue. Then a layer of lac is applied and cov ered with a fine linen fabric which should per fectly adhere in all its parts. This first prepara tion, suitably dried, serves as a foundation for the successive applications of 33 layers. Each coating is rubbed with a fine-grained stone be fore drying in the moist chamber. This is done with the greatest precaution, so as to avoid im purities and dust. The last polish is obtained by rubbing with the powder of calcined deer horn. The piece is then ready to receive the application of gold or of silver, which is effected as follows: The design to be reproduced is drawn on very fine paper prepared with a mix ture of glue and alum, and on the hack of the paper the outlines are traced with a brush of fine rat's hair, dipped in lac previously boiled over a brisk charcoal fire. This paper is then
applied to the object to be decorated, and it is made to adhere by rubbing with a spatula, either of minoki wood or of whalebone. When the paper is removed the design is found trans ferred damp and is rendered more distinct by the application of a white powder by means of a piece of wadding. With one of these trans fer papers 20 reproductions can be secured, and the lines can be retraced with the boiled lac, it is said, so as to procure copies almost indefi nitely. The outlines remain damp in conse quence of the use of the boiled lac, and imper fections can be corrected. In this case the out lines are retraced with a pencil of hare's hair lightly charged with a preparation of lac not boiled. This operation is delicate and requires great care not to displace the lac from the orig inal outlines. When ended the whole is cov ered with fine gold, silver or tin powder, as desired; the powder is applied by means of a piece of wadding. If the object to be deco rated is of large dimensions the process is con ducted on separate parts, and at each step the piece is placed in a damp closet tightly closed, so as to exclude the dust. When the metallic coating has hardened sufficiently the piece is taken out, and the design is covered with a fine transparent lac laid on with a brush of hare's hair. The gilding or silvering of the succeeding part is never attempted until the preceding has been completely dried in the damp chamber. All the parts of the object are finally rubbed with a piece of camelia wood charcoal in order to equalize the thickness, and then polished with the fingers moistened with a mixture of calcined deer horn powder and oil.
Indian lacquer is a natural black varnish ob tained from the inspissated juice of the unripe rind of the fruit of the Semecorpus anacardium or some related tree. Burmese lacquer is ob tained from the black varnish tree (Melon orrhcra usitata). European and American imitations of Oriental lacquering may be re garded as identical with japanning. Late in the 18th century lacquering was regarded as a polite art or fad of the well-to-do, and a va riety of ornamental varnishing was performed under this name. The art possessed quite a literature. Consult Audsley, Ornamental Arts of Japan' (1882) ; McQuaid, 'History of Eng lish Furniture) (1908); Seeligmann, 'Hand buch der Lach- and Firnis-Industrice' (1910).