Wainscot is oil.—The effect of the grain in this wood is produced by the horn graining-tool, which very much resembles a comb, but the teeth are not pointed. The teeth of the graining-tool are of equal dimensions from the root to the extremity, which is square, and the interstices between them are as small as they can be cut. The principal colour used is burnt umber; this, with a little touch of black and purple brown, makes an excellent wainscot colour,—or a Little raw sienna may be used with it. This colour must be tempered with a peculiar vehicle called graining oil, which is made by dissolving two ounces of bees'-wax in as much turpentine as will just cover it, and make it easy to dis solve, and by adding one pint of boiled oil, stirring it well while mixing. When it is cold it will be of the consistence of soft honey, and will, when to be used, require the addition of a little boiled oil and turpentine : a small quantity of colour is sufficient to stain a large quantity of oil. The graining colour is to be Laid on very evenly and very bare. The brush marks, if not pounced out with the end of the brush or duster, must lie in the direction of the grain of the wood. The horn graining-tool is then to be passed over it, to imitate the grain ; it should be held in a slightly inclined position, and drawn along with a small waving motion, with a little pressure, passing twice over every part of the work. The veins are then to be put in, or rather wiped off, which is beet done with a piece of cotton stocking, or wash leather, wrapped over ,the thumb nail. The veining is the most difficult part of it; and any directions that might be given, other than to observe nature closely, would be quite unavailing; nothing but a close observation of the peculiar character of the veins displayed in nature, with considerable practice, will enable any person to do it, even tolerably. As soon as it is dry, the dark shades observed in the wood are to be put in : for this purpose a little turpentine, stabled with burnt umber, ground in oil, is suf ficient; also the dark veins are sometimes put in with a hair pencil, and a little burnt umber and burnt ochre, diluted with turpentine. When quite dry, it may be varnished, and is then finished.
Wainscot in dittetaper.—Raw umber alone is a very good colour for this, or a little burnt umber may be added to it, to make a warmer tint. The fluid used for this and all other distemper graining must be such as will so bind on the colour, that the varnishing may not bring it off; small beer is the best, or, if it cannot be conveniently procured, stronger beer diluted with water may do, but there is nothing so good as stale, common table-beer. It is only necessary to mix the beer with the colour after it has been carefully ground in water, and it is then fit for use. Sometimes the colour will not lay on the ground ; it is then said to ciss : this may be remedied by wetting the work all over with a sponge and water, and drying it with a wash-leather. Only so much should be begun at one time as can be finished before it gets dry, which it will do in a few minutes, according to the weather. The colour should be laid on as evenly and as quickly as possible, with a suitable brush, and then the flat hog's hair brush must be drawn over it, in a straight line, and in the direction of the intended grain ; this will leave it streaky : it is then to be carefullypounced or patted with the flat side of the same brush, making the bead of the brush advance before the hand, and in the direction of the grain. This will make a
very excellent imitation of the grain of oak, if it be well managed. The veins are to be wiped out with a piece of wet wash-leather, wrapped over the thumb nail. When this is dry, the shades may be strengthened by passing very lightly over it with weaker colour. Great care should be taken that it is quite dry before the varnish is laid on : it is not safe to varnish it in damp weather without fire being near it; but if it will bear the finger passing over it,'it is dry enough.
Pollard oak.—Either burnt umber or Vandyke brown makes an excellent pollard oak colour. The colour, in this case, unlike wainscot, should be laid on unevenly, or darker in some places than in others, after the character of the wood; a coarse sponge, moistened, and assisted by the cutter, produces the effect very welL When the masses of colour are properly disposed with the sponge and cutter, it must be softened off with the badger-hair tool, and the knots put in with the end of a hog-hair etch, by holding the handle between the thumb and fore-finger, and twisting it round; these knots may afterwards -he assisted with a camel-hair pencil. A few small veins are frequently found in pollard oak; these may be wiped off in the same manner as for wainscot. When this is dry, the second or upper grain may be put on : this grain occurs in almost all the woods except oak and rosewood; indeed, it is the proper grain of the wood, with the above exceptions. Some of the first colour diluted will do for this second grain. To put on this grain, the thin, flat hog-hair brush should be dipped into the colour, and the hairs must be combed out to straighten and separate them. As soon as the grain is put on, the softener should be passed lightly across the grain, in one direction only ; this will make one edge of the grain soft and the other sharp, as it occurs in the wood. When the second grain is dry, it may be varnished.
All the other woods are done in a similar manner. The particular character and colour of the shades and grain of the wood must be carefully noticed, and those tools which will produce the effect most conveniently must be selected : for example, the thinnest flat hog's-hair brush will best produce the effect of the grain in rose-wood ; the cutter wM best produce the effect of the shades in mahogany and satin-wood ; the sponge and cutter in pollard oak. Plaid mahogany may be very well imitated by properly disposing •the shades with the common round tool, with which the colour is laid on, and then passing the badger-hair softener over it in a direction across the stripes. When this is dry, the second grain may be put on, as directed for pollard oak. Burnt umber and burnt sienna make a good mahogany colour.