French Polishing and Enamelling: A Practical Work of Instruction

By Richard Bitmead

_THE IMPROVING AND PREPARATION OF FURNITURE

WOODS._

F

or a French polisher to be considered a good workman he should, in addi-

tion to his ordinary ability to lay on a good polish, possess considerable

knowledge of the various kinds of wood used for furniture, as well as the

most approved method of bringing out to the fullest extent their natural

tones or tints; he should also be able to improve the inferior kinds of wood,

and to stain, bleach, or match any of the fancy materials to which his art

is applied, in a manner that will produce the greatest perfection. The fol-

lowing information is given to facilitate a thorough knowledge of the above

processes.

=Improving.=-Iron filings added to a decoction of gall-nuts and vinegar

will give to ebony which has been discoloured an intense black, after brush-

ing over once or twice. Walnut or poor-coloured rosewood can be improved

by boiling half an ounce of walnut-shell extract and the same quantity of cat-

echu in a quart of soft-water, and applying with a sponge. Half a pound of

walnut husks and a like quantity of oak bark boiled in half a gallon of water

3 RICHARD BITMEAD

will produce much the same result. Common mahogany can be improved

by rubbing it with powdered red-chalk (ruddle) and a woollen rag, or by first

wiping the surface with liquid ammonia, and red-oiling afterwards. For a

rich mild red colour, rectified spirits of naphtha, dyed with camwood dust,

or an oily decoction of alkanet-root. Methylated spirits and a small quantity

of dragon's blood will also produce a mild red. Any yellow wood can be im-

proved by an alcoholic solution of Persian berries, fustic, turmeric, or gam-

boge. An aqueous decoction of barberry-root will serve the same purpose.

Birch when preferred a warm tint may be sponged with oil, very slightly

tinted with rose-madder or Venetian red; the greatest care should be used,

or it will be rendered unnatural in appearance by becoming too red. Maple

which is of a dirty-brown colour, or of a cold grey tint, and mahogany, ash,

oak, or any of the light-coloured woods, can be whitened by the bleaching

fluid (see "MATCHING"). Numerous materials may be improved by the

aid of raw linseed-oil mixed with a little spirits of turpentine. Artificial grain-

ing may be given to various woods by means of a camel-hair pencil and raw

oil; two or three coats should be given, and after standing for some time the

ground should have one coat of oil much diluted with spirits of turpentine,

and then rubbed off.

=Matching.=-Old mahogany furniture which has been repaired may be eas-

ily matched by wiping over the new portions with water in which a nodule

of lime has been dissolved, or by common soda and water. The darkeners

for general use are dyed oils, logwood, aquafortis, sulphate of iron, and ni-

trate of silver, with exposure to the sun's rays. For new furniture in oak,

ash, maple, etc., the process of matching requires care and skill. When it is

desirable to render all the parts in a piece of furniture of one uniform tone

or tint, bleach the dark parts with a solution of oxalic acid dissolved in hot

water (about two-pennyworth of acid to half a pint of water is a powerful

solution); when dry, if this should not be sufficient, apply the white stain

(see pp. 11, 12) delicately toned down, or the light parts may be oiled. For

preserving the intermediate tones, coat them with white polish by means of

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0HHFPMJXD
• ISBN13: 9798240854378
• Release Date: August 2026
• Publisher: Millers Print
• Length: 114 Pages
• Weight: 0.36 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.0" x 0.2" x 6.0"