M> ■i .4q, .40, -- A >• ^»>> W W» W iili l. l iA i »L^j, lii ju »'''' '"^iftU'^'iM f of-' f i «>->i ■ i M > |yty|« « 4yMK:;:i ' .* ';r* i lw yWil W l'll WW^ ' " '' * ' " '^ I " i S "" "' ?"'^ *W »^ I ,^)p8Bg« li»ilWW II I»Wi l ii|l!JliWUiiHeiJS»W^^ * ^"C1i f lHS! i P ii.ihaMfii»ii»ijjiiiiMMiwiiw>wiiii)^a a s : s: '~ ''»'i0!mL.e m:. 'mfteUi- i,-r'^7n~'SX^^^ ■— vu::-''v'-o'3iv '';:!" j^i;;- i » » j« t« <''«»»'-''»tf«itliw»y*nJ«-<^'-^agyii^ JHsaafcaEiaaac aiM ii i ii« M^' i ifiags«B iai > i «»a ! ^aili pt ii»S«*«'!3*S«S lOO GRAINING, ANCIENT AND MODERN The grains of this wood when finished natural are very- beautiful. The figures run in streaks or veins and seem to interlock in most eccentric fashion. The outer edges of these veins are frequently black and stand out promi- nently on a lighter background. In some of the veins of figured work the background assumes a pinkish tinge which is well imitated by the use of rose pink. The color is first applied sparingly with the sponge or flat brush, using diluted Vandyke brown for the color. One-third stale beer or vinegar to two-thirds water will sufifice to bind the color to the painted surface. Remove portions of the color with the sponge and put in veins of drop-black with a fitch tool. The blender is then used to soften the outlines and it may be drawn through some of the veins inside the outer edges. If it is desired to have some of the veins of a pink shade, a sash tool charged with rose pink is used to apply the color. The background of some of the veins may be faintly stippled, or the stip- pling or checking may be done in the overgraining color. The black crayon pencil does excellent work for this purpose. When the outlined veins are dry, the overgrainer (either piped or short haired) is charged with diluted drop-black and the color is applied in the direction of the fine grains seen in the wood; the overgraining is immediately blended with the badger blender. If carefully done, this will draw the color to sharp edges and produce an effect very similar to the grain of the wood. Without a bright background, it is useless to attempt to grain rosewood, as the color effect depends so largely on the transparent brilliancy of the ground-color and on this brilliancy depends in no small degree the success of the work. The camel's-hair pencil is used to put in some of the border heart grains, also to sharpen the edges of the dark veins. The work must be immediately blended. I have read instructions for graining this wood in which PLATE 54 ROSEWOOD — OVERGR/* GRAINING, ANCIENT AND MODERN loi the ground-color is stated to be black, the graining color is also black, and it gives one a chance to wonder how black graining color would appear on a black ground. CHAPTER XXXIV OVERGRAINING t IN these days of hurry and rush, opportunity is seldom given to finish the work, and even expert grainers get into the habit of considering their work finished without being overgrained ; yet it is a fact that scarcely any wood can be so well done at one treatment as not to be vastly improved by being overgrained. The light and shade, however effectively disposed at the first treatment, can be made much more effective by judiciously overgraining. A common fault, even among expert grainers, is that they try to do too much at once. It is not the intention of the writer to disparage in any way the work of skilled men nor the processes which, by careful experiment and years of practical application, they have evolved and adopted; but it is none the less true that their work would often look better if the effects striven for in oil color were applied in the overgraining rather than in the first treatment and the time consumed would only be slightly greater. Care should be taken in oil overgraining to have as little linseed oil as possible in the color, as an excess of oil often acts disastrously on the varnish, causing it to crack. All that can be done in oil overgraining can be done equally well in water color, but strong beer or vinegar should never be used for this purpose. It requires but very little bind- ing material to hold the water color to the oil graining. One part beer or vinegar to four parts water will make I02 GRAINING, ANCIENT AND MODERN the color adhere sufficiently to allow it to be varnished without rubbing up. If the work is done wholly in water color, one part beer or vinegar to two parts water will bind the color to the groundwork so that it can be varnished with safety. CHAPTER XXXV CEILINGS CEILINGS, whether of plaster, wood, or metal, may be grained to represent wood. When a cornice is at the top of the wall, it should be included with the ceiling, or, if treated alone, it can be made to correspond with the woodwork of the room. * No more effective method of decorative treatment can be suggested for the ceiling of a modern dining room. So much oak is now used for furniture, picture frames, mould- ings, etc., that a ceiUng harmonizing in color effect and general character with the furniture gives a reposeful and harmonious effect which is preferable to some of the costly but rather bizarre effects sometimes produced by alleged decorations. A ceiling properly grained will last for many years and can be easily cleaned and renovated at a slight expense. Simple effects are often best suited to a ceiling. If fiat, lay out the work in forms best suited to the surround- ings. A simple plan is to divide the ceiling into four parts from the centre and parallel to the walls, then represent boards running at angles diagonally across the four squares, the boards meeting on the centre lines. Panels may be laid out and mouldings and carved work represented in light and shade, but it is unwise to do this unless the room readily lends itself to such treatment. Much of the effectiveness of the finished work will depend GRAINING, ANCIENT AND MODERN 103 on its quiet and modest appearance. Unless for special reasons it is unwise to represent a variety of woods on a ceiling; better err on the side of modesty and represent but one wood, or two at most, than to challenge attention and close inspection by imitating too many varieties of wood. When thoroughly dry, it should receive a thin coat of var- nish. Use good coach varnish and dilute it with turpen- tine, adding a little raw linseed oil. This will allow more freedom in spreading the varnish and the finished work will not be as lustrous as if the varnish were used clear. Another reason for the use of a small quantity of linseed oil is that the varnish is applied in a thinner film, and in process of time, should cracking ensue, the cracks will be less conspicuous and finer than if a thicker varnish were used. Dead or flat varnish is not recommended, for these reasons : it is exceedingly difficult to avoid laps in a large surface where flat varnish is used ; if they fail to appear immediately after the work is done, they are likely to appear in bold prominence perhaps a year afterward. The transparency of the work is often seriously im- paired by flat varnish, and if compounded on a wax basis, it is extremely difficult to clean the smoke and dust from the work without injury to the varnish, while work done with hard varnish can readily be cleaned with a diluted solution of washing soda without injury to the work. In case flat varnish is used, it is better to first apply a coat of bright varnish, and when thoroughly dry, apply the flat varnish. I04 GRAINING, ANCIENT AND MODERN CHAPTER XXXVI FLOORS OF late years the advent of so many quartered oak floors has made quite a demand for grained floors, and more are being done each year. If the old floor is at all smooth, and the boards sound, a very fair job can be done ; but if the boards are rough, it is best to plane them before beginning to paint. If the cracks at joints are very pronounced, the floor ought to be relaid and the joints made tight. If this is impracticable, fill all cracks and openings with a mixture of rye meal and fine sawdust mixed to a paste with weak glue-size. There are several patented crack fillers for floors and they will do 'the work equally well. Oil putty is not the best thing in the world for wide- open joints in a floor, as the edges of the boards absorb the oil out of the putty and the dry putty is likely to get loose. Having properly prepared the wood for painting, the floor should receive a first coat of color with not more than one-half linseed oil and one-half turpentine with plenty of dryer. When this is thoroughly dry and hard, a second coat can be given thinned with not more than one-fourth Hnseed oil and three-fourths turpentine with sufficient dryer. For an ordinary floor one-half pound Htharge added to the color will harden it more than Hquid dryers and leave it less sticky. The floor will seldom require a third coat of ground-color ; but if it does, the color should be thin and laid on smoothly, A light rub of sandpaper between the coats is essential to a smooth finish. The floor may then be marked in narrow strips similar to the modern hard-wood floor, marking it off with a lead pencil and straight edge. Or it may be done by dividing GRAINING, ANCIENT AND MODERN 105 the widest boards into two sections and leaving the narrow boards in whatever width they are laid. In the latter case mark the edges of all the boards with lead pencil. If the floor is well prepared and the joints close, it is undoubtedly better to mark it off in three or three and one-half inch strips and grain them independent of the old joints. In most cases it is unnecessary to grain the whole floor. A border of a yard wide all around the room is sufficient, as the centre of the floor is invariably covered with a rug or carpet. This part can be stained or painted plain. Always leave a margin of ample width, allowing the carpet or rug to overlap. On sanitary grounds alone it is worth while to paint the floors in the interior of old dwellings, and if the compari- son is made between any plain painted floor and one prop- erly prepared and grained, there can be no doubt as to the latter being by far the most beautiful, and its durability is equal to any other form of painted floor. Another thing in its favor is that when it begins to show signs of wear and tear, the worst places can be repaired and made to match the old work, a thing very difficult to do in plain paint. The first cost of a grained floor is undoubtedly greater, but it is the cheapest in the end. Having decided on the shade of the graining color, mix a quantity sufficient to do the job on hand, as directed else- where, and after the floor is all marked out begin by rub- bing in the color on a strip of four or five boards on one side of the room, choosing the side on which the boards run parallel to the baseboard. Be sure the brush is well worked into the color, and rub in the boards of the same shade of color from end to end. In graining them some dis- cretion must be used. Do not have them all of the same shade, yet make no violent contrasts. Use the combs to take off more color from some boards than from others, thus altering the depth of color. Treat the work as an intel- I06 GRAINING, ANCIENT AND MODERN ligent carpenter would lay the floor if he had plenty of material, keeping it of the same general color and making no sharp contrasts. In a room of ordinary size up to sixteen feet long it would be wise to make no end joints unless they appear very prominently in the old floor boards ; even then it would be better to ignore them if possible. Work two-thirds or more of the distance across the floor, and then begin on the side opposite to where you first started, finishing the floor about one-third its width from the wall, allowing your- self a chance to make your exit without stepping on any of the work previously done. Use various sizes of rubber combs and vary the combing for the background, being careful not to overlap the comb- ing and treating each board distinct and separate from its adjoining neighbors, as would be the case in a natural-wood floor. If time allows, and expense is no object, the boards might be grained alternately and allowed to dry ; then do the intervening boards, which will allow a greater opportu- nity for slightly altering the color and varying the style of the work without interfering with the edges of the boards already finished. MANILA PAPER FOR COVERING A POOR FLOOR If a floor is in rather bad condition, it may be covered with stout manila paper well pasted down after the cracks and joints of the floor have been thoroughly filled and have received one coat of flat paint. The work can then be painted as usual and laid out in three and one-half inch strips. Be sure that the paper is thoroughly pressed down on the floor so that it will adhere to every portion with which it comes in contact. Thin muslin cloth may be used for this purpose, but it is not so smooth. The object of priming the floor with flat color is to afford an even surface for the paper, and to prevent the too-rapid absorption of the paste where the suction would be great- GRAINING, ANCIENT AND MODERN 107 est on the bare wood or on cracks that have been filled with a porous material. A fair imitation of marquetry may be made by marking out the pattern with a stencil, and filling in the pattern with the proper ground-colors ; or after marking out the pattern on a light ground-color proceed to grain all the light wood in water colors. Cover all the light graining with thin asphaltum varnish or thin Damar varnish. Then grain all the dark woods in water colors on the hght ground, and when dry, wipe over the work with a soft rag saturated with spirits of turpentine. This will cut off the asphaltum or Damar varnish as well as all water color over it, and if used carefully, will leave the water-color graining, both light and dark, comparatively uninjured. It is unneces- sary to first remove the dark water color from the portions grained light. It will all readily be removed with the varnish by the turpentine, leaving the water color under- neath clean and distinct. It is better not to allow too long an interval to elapse before taking off the stopping varnish, as it sometimes dries rather hard and requires considerable friction to remove it. The manila paper makes an effective border treatment for marquetry, and the pattern to be grained can be marked out before the paper is pasted to the floor. In this case the paper should first receive one coat of paint. If it is desired, after the ground-color is applied, some of the figure of the quartered oak may be pencilled on the groundwork, using a thin solution of weak glue-size and sugar colored with a little dry umber and sienna. When dry, grain over it in oil, and when the oil graining is dry, the dark figures may be turned to light ones by using a clean sponge dampened in warm water and rubbed over the work. The dark figures can also be allowed to remain on the work if desired. Another method is to pencil in the dark figures in asphal- tum or Damar varnish, and when dry, grain over them with I08 GRAINING, ANCIENT AND MODERN water color. When this is dry, use the rag wet with tur- pentine to remove the dark figures, leaving the markings light that were painted dark. VARNISHING A GRAINED FLOOR It is a matter of doubt what finish is best adapted to a grained floor. A coat of good floor varnish, applied several days after the oil graining is done, ought to wear and look well for a long time. If water-color graining, it may be var- nished at once. If the under coats are oily and elastic, it is impossible for the best varnish to harden properly, hence it is important to have the foundation coats properly mixed and applied. Thin shellac is sometimes used for a coating over the oil graining, and if properly applied, it makes a very effec- tive finish. Care should be taken to have no wood alcohol in the shellac, as it is likely to cut off the graining color and soften up the paint. Even grain alcohol shellac must be used very expeditiously, and with no small degree of dexterity, or it will cause trouble on the grained surface of the floor. Then again, the graining itself should have been done with special reference to being shellacked instead of varnished. More dryer will be required in the graining color and less oil than on ordinary work. CHAPTER XXXVII PATENT GRAINING DEVICES MACHINES and other devices have been invented for imitating the grains of wood. Many of them are impracticable for ordinary work, and others are effective only when the work can be done on the boards before they are cut up to be made into interior finish. I GRAINING, ANCIENT AND MODERN 109 About 1855 a grainer in London, England, conceived the idea of having the figure of quartered oak engraved on the soft side of sole leather and attaching the leather to a cylinder about ten inches in diameter. The graining color was applied to the work, and the cylinder, made of wood with a metal handle, was pushed over the work, and wher- ever the leather came in contact with the wet surface, it absorbed the color and left the pattern on the work. The chief difficulty with this, as with all roller processes, is that the cylinder cannot be gotten into the ends of panels, nor can it be successfully used unless the cylinder is just the size or slightly smaller than the width of the panels. The principal objection to all mechanical graining is its repetition of pattern, for while the individual piece of work may be excellent, it becomes monotonous when repeated over and over again. The Mason pad graining machine was in use in 1864, and was made of convex shape similar to an oscillating blotting pad. It was composed of a framework of wood, covered on the convex side with a sheet of plastic com- pound similar to the material used in a printer's roller. On this surface was engraved the pattern, and it was impressed on the wet graining color by placing one end of the convex pattern at the bottom of a panel, and by rocking the frame, which had handles at either end, the pattern was made in the graining color. In cold weather the composition on the face of the pad would freeze so hard that it would make no impression on the wet graining color, while in hot weather it would almost melt and run together. Callow's stencil plates have been in use thirty years or more, and if properly handled, will produce fair to good work. They can be used with greater success by a grainer than by any amateur. The objectionable repetition is their chief fault. The smooth-faced, large, cvlindrical roller, which is no GRAINING, ANCIENT AND MODERN covered with a composition similar to that used on printers' rollers, is one of the best methods of imitating porous woods. The wood to be imitated must be quite porous, and if the pores are not sufficiently deep, they must be eaten deeper into the wood with a strong solution of potash. The board used for the pattern must be perfectly smooth, clean, and dry. Spread the graining color evenly over the board to be imitated, carefully filhng all the pores of the wood. Then use a thin piece of wood to scrape off the sur- plus color, leaving the pores filled. The roller is then passed over the board and picks out sufficient color from the pores to make a well-defined pattern on the roller. This pattern is in turn transferred to the door or other place prepared to receive it by simply rolling the cylinder over it. Transfer paper of various kinds has been invented for imitating the grains of wood. Some of it is undoubtedly copied from wood, but more of it is imaginary. The most successful mechanical graining I have ever seen, other than the transfer roller, was the invention of a grainer, William Shannon of Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, who invented a machine for representing the grains of oak, in both heart and quartered grains. His machine chopped the pores into soft wood, having first compressed the grain of the wood on the surface, reducing an inch board to seven-eighths of an inch, then chopping in the pattern with a set of knives, the pores being sunk into the wood one-sixteenth of an inch deep. The machine was made from a second-hand planing machine, and the pores were filled by the same machine while the board was travelling through. The board entered the machine white pine and came through on the other end apparently quar- tered oak, filled, and ready to be nailed up and shellacked or varnished. A patent had been granted to W. W. Greer of Hulton, Pennsylvania, for an ingraining machine, which was a GRAINING, ANCIENT AND MODERN III cylinder covered with fine teeth which, when rolled over a board, produced imitations of pores in the wood. It was claimed that Mr. Shannon's machine infringed on Mr. Greer's patent, and I believe Mr. Shannon was prevented* from doing business with the machine. Some of the piano manufacturers now have a process of stamping the figure of quartered oak into the grain of rock maple. The figure is made by steel plates with project- ing teeth and is sunk deeply into the wood by the use of jack-screws ; when these artificial pores are filled and the color of the wood made similar to that of dark oak, it is not easy to detect the deception. A patent was issued for a belt roller machine which took up the pattern from an etched sheet of plate glass and transferred it to the work by a process similar to that describing the large, smooth-faced roller. When original pictures are painted entirely by machin- ery, then and not till then will good hand graining cease to be in demand. CHAPTER XXXVIII SHOW PANELS NO grainer worthy of the name and no young man who aspires to be a grainer should neglect to procure some panels of wood or cardboard and endeavor to faithfully represent both the color and the grain of natural woods, taking for his copy as good examples of the natural woods as he is able to secure. Much of the idle time of young men in the dull seasons or in the long winter evenings could be put to an excellent use if they would try to improve their work. Sometimes two young men working together will help each other, but 112 GRAINING, ANCIENT AND MODERN individual, patient, painstaking effort is the surest road to success. If the young grainer is really in love with his business, he will probably have panels done when he first began to work, and they are worth saving ; for they will show whether he has corrected his early faults, also the progress he has made, which can be seen by comparison with his panels of later years. Always have a few panels on hand grounded ready to grain, and then some day when you feel like doing some- thing of a high order or making a copy of some nice piece of wood, you can bring out your panels and begin to work. If you have to first ground the panels, the chances are that something will intervene to prevent you from doing them at once. In these days we can pur- chase heavily calendered pasteboard with a coated face that readily takes paint and which in some respects is superior to wooden panels, as it will not warp or split and is beautifully smooth. Coat such panels with a rather oily first coat with plenty of dryer or soak them in linseed oil; don't use shellac for a first ^oat, it makes the cardboard brittle. One more coat of color mixed one- third oil and two-thirds turpentine will cover the panel and prepare it for graining. It is a good plan to look at your work in a mirror. You can then see how it looks reversed and it may show you chances to improve. The size of the panels should be about lo in. x 30 in., or larger if you choose. If made of wood, put a screw eye in the end or make a hole in top of centre of panels so they can be hung up on a nail. It is a good plan to exchange panels with men in the same line of business in your own or other cities. A friend of mine, an excellent grainer now deceased, told me about a Grainers' Association of which he was a member many years ago, on the other side of the Atlan- GRAINING, ANCIENT AND MODERN 113 tic. They held monthly meetings, and at every meeting each man brought a panel grained to represent whatever wood was designated for that meeting. The panels were all the same size and were brought tied in paper, and none but the man who received them knew from whom they came. At the proper time the paper was removed, and each member passed his criticism on the panels, not knowing (unless he was very keen) whose work he was criticising, except his own. This is an excellent plan and one that might be fol- lowed with profit by grainers on this side of the ocean. We are all very Hkely to adopt certain mannerisms or eccentricities in our work, and intelligent criticism is a healthy thing for us to undergo. CHAPTER XXXIX GRAINING ON GLASS AVERY effective imitation of wood or marble may be done on a smooth piece of glass. Plate glass is the best for this purpose. The work is done on the back of the glass and in just the reverse order from the ordinary way. The overgraining is first applied, then the graining color, and last of all the ground-color, which backs up the work and brings into view the transparent color already applied to the glass. A piece of paper or cardboard the size of the panel to be grained should first be prepared with the ground-color. This is placed beneath the glass while the overgraining is being done, and allows the progress of the work to be clearlv seen. 114 GRAINING, ANCIENT AND MODERN It is wise to sponge the glass over with a wash of vine- gar before any color is applied. The overgraining may then be done in water color. If the graining is done in oil color, it may, when dry, again be overgrained or shaded in oil color; when the graining color is dry, apply the ground-color. Excellent imitations of inlaid work may be done by this method, and it is an interesting study when time will permit. CHAPTER XL IMITATIONS OF CARVING THE illustration on the opposite page is a fairly accu- rate drawing of a ruffed grouse shot by the writer and placed in the position shown by the engraving. In rooms or halls where the light is rather subdued such work can be successfully done, and it requires considerable skill to produce the proper effect. There are often places on walls or ceilings where the skill of the grainer can be shown in imitating carved work and mouldings, but it should be carefully done, having due regard for the surroundings, or the effect is disappointing. IMITATIONS OF MOULDINGS The grainer is seldom called upon to imitate mouldings, but should he be requested to do so, he should not be found lacking in ability. Considerable technical skill is required to successfully imitate mouldings. A steady hand and a correct eye are very essential. The beginner should carefully study the light and shade of mouldings whenever he sees them and endeavor to fix in his mind the principles which govern this special line of work. It is well to study the work of some skilful PLATE 56 IMITATION OF CARVING GRAINING, ANCIENT AND MODERN 115 fresco painter and see how he produces the effect of mouldings in Hght and shade. As a rule the mouldings imitated by the grainer are not as elaborate as those done by the fresco painter. Mouldings on a grained surface can be laid out by a chalk line or by a lead pencil, and the lines painted with the bristle liner, using a straight edge. It is a good plan in laying out the mouldings to remove nearly all the grain- ing color from two sides of the moulding, leaving the other two sides in the shade. A careful consideration of the situation of the work will determine the proper manner to dispose the light and shade. If the work is seen mostly at night, the source of artificial light cannot well be ignored, but the disposal of the light and shade should be governed by the direction from which the light comes. Do not paint the colors too strong. Make them har- monize as far as possible with the Hght and shade on the real mouldings of the adjacent work. After having laid out the mouldings, the lines may be painted in either oil or water colors. The latter method is a good plan if the time is hmited, as the work can be at once overgrained in oil and finished. The ground-color with which the work has been prepared will sufifice for all high lights on the mouldings, as nothing lighter than the ground-color can possibly be seen on the real mouldings which are grained in the same color. A short-haired, flat, fresco bristle liner is the best tool for painting the lines of imitation mouldings. The straight edge should not be more than thirty inches in length, and should be bevelled on the back edge so that the color from the brush cannot gather and touch the work. It should be wiped with a rag after every line is drawn to remove any graining color that may have adhered to it. The grainer who really has at heart the desire to excel in his work must acquaint himself with all the possibiHties of his calling, and in his leisure time, when business is dull Il6 GRAINING, ANCIENT AND MODERN or in the long winter evenings, he can study the painting of mouldings, using the real articles for his guide, so that when the time comes for him to display his abihty on some job, he may be able to attempt it without embarrass- ment. Imitations of carving can also be grained in light and shade, and often the effect is as pleasing as though the work were done in color. Care should be taken not to imitate such work where the light is too strong. It is most effective when executed in places where the light is sub- dued, as it is exceedingly difficult to suggest rotundity on a flat surface in a very strong light. CHAPTER XLI CAUSES OF CRACKING IN GRAINED WORK THE causes of cracking in grained work are a most interesting study. Oftentimes we can only conjec- ture what has caused the eccentricities displayed by the same varnish in different portions of the same room. Sometimes one panel or stile of a door will crack very badly, while the rest of the door will remain comparatively free from cracks. There is a wide field for investigation, by the student with time at his disposal, to try and dis- cover the causes of these cracks. Many times the causes are quite evident to the skilful workman, while at other times he is absolutely at a loss to even guess these causes. The excess of liquid dryer in oil graining color is a pro- lific cause of cracking in the varnish. The dryer, being spread over a non-absorbent groundwork, is left on the surface, and is thus in a position to attack the subsequent coat of varnish. GRAINING, ANCIENT AND MODERN 117 I have made some experiments to show the result of variously prepared groundworks on the varnish and found that there was little or no difference in the cracks that appear in ordinary varnish over a groundwork prepared of a dead flat color, or one-third oil to two-thirds turpentine, or old fatty color thinned with clear oil. The ground-color was for oak and the graining was done in oil color. All these tests were on the same wide board longitudinally and varnished at the same time. One middle cross-section of the board was left without varnish ; the board was exposed to the weather in an easterly direction for six months. At the end of that time fine cracks appeared all over the varnished surface, but, strange to say, the old fatty color groundwork showed cracks no worse than those on the flat groundwork. It is now seven years since this test was made. Since that time the board has been hung indoors, and the cracks appear to have grown no wider or deeper. It would not be well to infer from this test that it makes no difference whether the ground-color is com- posed of old fatty paint or otherwise. I believe it makes a great difference, notwithstanding the results. On general principles the groundwork should be hard and non-elastic, or nearly so, if durable work is expected. After many years of careful observation, in a New Eng- land climate, of the effect of the weather on varnish which has been applied to exterior surfaces, I am fully convinced that in a majority of cases such grained work would be more durable without varnish than with it. The reason for this belief can be readily understood when we consider the extremes of temperature to which such work is exposed every year, 100 to 120 degrees, to say nothing of the violent changes of temperature (often 30 to 40 degrees) which take place in twenty-four hours. The material to which the varnish is attached cannot resist such changes without expanding or contracting, so that if the varnish is of the best quality, it must in time Il8 GRAINING, ANCIENT AND MODERN crack, when its elasticity has departed. Therefore, for the past twenty years I have advocated that an outside door grained in oil should be let severely alone for thirty days or more, and then a thin coat of linseed oil, with a few drops of liquid dryer added, will prove a more durable coating than any varnish, because cracks will not appear to destroy the graining and the work can be revived by a coat of linseed oil once a year if necessary. CHAPTER XLII THE GRAINER IN FICTION MANY persons of intelligence have peculiar ideas about graining and the methods by which it is done. But two cases have come to my notice in which reference to grainers is made in the works of writers of fiction. Both are in the writings of the novelist, Charles Reade. In his story, " It's Never Too Late to Mend," he tells us how one Tom Robinson, a character who had been put in jail for stealing, was able by diligent study of the grains of pieces of natural wood (which were supplied him by the kind-hearted chaplain), and being furnished with the proper tools, etc., to become an expert grainer, or " ingrainer," as he calls him. After being sent as a con- vict to Australia he obtained a ticket of leave and went about graining front doors walnut, oak, mahogany, or satin- wood, to the admiration of all beholders. He prepared the ground-color, grained and varnished the door, and got his money all in one day. Such a rapid execution of the work, while not impossible, would be plainly so if he used oil paints, and the inference is given that such paints were used. GRAINING, ANCIENT AND MODERN 119 A wager was made by a friend of mine that he could apply two coats of paint to a door, grain, and varnish it in five hours, and he won the wager with hours to spare, doing it in less than three hours. He grained the door mahog- any, preparing the groundwork with dry white lead and dry colors thinned with diluted shellac, following one coat of ground-color as soon as the first coat was dry, graining the wood in water colors, and varnishing immediately. Some of the water-color washable paints are said to make good groundworks for work that is to be rapidly prepared, but as a rule they are not recommended, for reasons given elsewhere. In a* volume by Charles Reade, entitled "Good Stories," one short story is called " Singleheart .and Doubleface " and among other characters is one James Mansell, a painter and grainer, who was the successful suitor for the heroine of the story. Mr. Reade writes " Mansell had three trades. In one of them (graining) he might be called an artist. He could imitate the common woods better than almost anybody, but at satinwood, mahogany, and American birch, he was really wonderful." After marrying the heroine and settling down he ac- quired the habit of indulgence in intoxicating liquors to such an extent that he lost both his self-respect and his customers. Mr. Reade writes, " Mansell was styled the first grainer in the place and the tradesmen would have employed him by preference if he could have been relied on to finish his jobs, but he was so uncertain ; he would go to dinner and stop at a public-house, would appoint an hour to commence, and be at a public-house." " He tired out one good customer after another, the joint income declined in consequence, and, as generally happens, their expenses increased, for Mrs. Mansell getting no help from her husband was obliged to take a servant." " Often in the evening she would close her shop early, leave her child under strict charge of the girl, and go to I20 GRAINING, ANCIENT AND MODERN some public-house and there coax and remonstrate, and get him away at last." ********* ** At last it came to this, that nobody in the town who knew James Mansell would employ him." ********* "This man's vanity was prodigious; it equalled his demerit." Mansell finally died a drunkard in America. Here is faithfully portrayed for us, by a master hand in fiction, the end that often follows the course of the grainer who allows himself to be led away by his appe- tite for strong drink. It is the curse of many a skilful workman and particu- larly in the graining trade. Many such I have known, arid their work I have admired, but in no case was strong drink any help to such men. On the contrary, it was their ruin. No man ever did, or in my opinion ever will, excel in whatever sphere of usefulness his work lies while he is in an artificial condition. The man who totally abstains from intoxicating drinks, while he may not have the natural talent that is the gift of many, yet his work, if conscientiously and faithfully done, will often surpass the work of the man who is brilliant and mediocre by fits and starts, according to the condition of his mind when doing his work. It is often possible, by careful examination, for an expert grainer to tell with tolerable accuracy the physical and mental condition of the man who did a piece of work. A word of advice to all young men who aspire to be grainers : abstain from intoxicating drinks and I warrant your work will be improved thereby. Nor is the use of tobacco in any way essential to your success. A man's mind ought to be entirely free to allow him to concen- trate all his efforts to the successful accomplishment of GRAINING, ANCIENT AND MODERN 121 the work in hand, and making a chimney of the mouth is in my opinion "a wasteful and ridiculous excess." It is neither eating nor drinking. It takes time and money from the workingman, and unless prescribed by a physi- cian, for some special reason, I can see no use for it.' I have heard an intelligent master painter, himself an in- veterate smoker, say that the man who did not use tobacco was worth ten cents a day more than the one who used it, for he could devote all his time to the work and was not disturbed by seeing others smoking or chewing tobacco. CHAPTER XLIII GRAINING A DOOR QUARTERED OAK An Illustrated Talk given at the Second Annual Convention of the Master House Painters and Decorators Association of Canada held at Ham- ilton, Ontario, July 25, 26, 27, 1905. Mr. President and Gentlemen : — I don't wish to present myself to you to-day as anything else than an humble imitator of nature ; but if any of the little things shown are new to you, it may be of some help in getting closer to nature in your work. First, we should have a proper foundation of ground-color, which should be strained through fine cloth before being apphed and thinned with about one-fourth raw linseed oil to three-fourths spirits of turpentine for old work, adding a larger proportion of linseed oil for new work. A little varnish may be added to the last coat, as it tends to hold the color and gives a better surface to work on. A sufifi- cient quantity of dryer is also added. When the last coat is dry, it should be lightly sandpapered, and then we are ready to apply the graining color. For representing 122 GRAINING, ANCIENT AND MODERN quartered oak this color is generally mixed in oil, although good work can be done in water colors, but by a different process. In case a fair to good job is wanted, and we can- not spare time to come back and overgrain the work, we may first apply a thin glaze of water color directly to the groundwork. I will treat this panel in this way, leaving the others plain. For the glazing color we use a Httle diluted drop-black, ground in water and thinned with one part stale beer and one part water. If the color creeps or crawls or will not readily attach itself to the ground-color, we will use some bolted whiting, which, on being rubbed over the panel, will effectu- ally stop the cissing or crawling. If the oil color crawls, the same treatment may be given, or a better plan is to first dampen the work with benzine. This is the most effective process to prevent the crawling of any kind of paint or varnish and it in no way effects the durability of the work. We now take a short-haired overgrainer, and after wet- ting it and charging it with the thin color we separate the hair with an ordinary bone comb and apply the color to the panel. Before the color has time to dry use a steel comb to serrate the regularity of the lines. We will now mix our oil graining color. Supposing we want to have the work of a medium shade, the color can be mixed about one-third burnt umber to two-thirds raw sieiina, adding a little drop-black to subdue the brightness of the other colors. This color we will thin with a mixture of two- fifths raw oil to three-fifths turpentine, using about one-half pint of good liquid dryer to the gallon of mixture. In this mixture we dissolve about two-thirds of an ounce of yellow beeswax, which we first cut in shavings and melt in an iron vessel, adding turpentine slowly after taking it from the fire, or the wax may be cut in shavings placed in a wide- mouthed glass bottle, and the bottle filled two-thirds of its height with turpentine. If this be done overnight and kept WM. E. WALL GRAINING DOOR 2d Annual Convention Canadian Association Master House Painters and Decorators. Hamilton, Ont., July 27, 1905. James J. O'Hearn, rubber-in. Stewart N. Hughes, boss. GRAINING, ANCIENT AND MODERN 123 in a warm room, the turpentine will have so softened the wax by morning, that a few violent shakings of the bottle will finish its dissolution. It can then be added to the gallon of thinners. For many reasons I prefer the finest grade of dry colors, except black and burnt sienna, in preparing graining color. We now work in our flat rubbing-in brush, and apply the color in the usual way. When it has slightly set, we comb it with a rubber comb and intersect the tracts of the rub- ber comb with the steel comb. This gives the porous appearance of the wood, and we imitate the quartered veins by wiping off the color with the rag drawn over the end of the thumb nail. We can blend the edges of the work by using the second joint of the forefinger, or we can use a short- haired fitch for this purpose. We can blend the work lightly with a rubbing-in brush, always in one direction. A piece of straw matting makes an excellent fine comb for quartered oak. To get a darker effect for some of the veins we take some of the rubbing-in color, and with a flat fresco lining fitch apply the color directly to the combed work and blend it quickly with the rubbing-in brush. The effect produced is not as good an imitation of wood as if the work is done on dry color, but it gives variety to the work, and if carefully done, is a fair representation of the darker veins of quartered oak. In graining the cross stiles of the door we must take pains to go well beyond the joints, and if the long stiles are to be done light, we cover the coarse or medium-toothed steel comb with one thickness of the rag and draw the mitre lines cleanly, combing the rest of the stiles with the same comb, or if necessary using the rubber comb outside the mitre joints. We then overcomb the tracks of the rubber comb with a finer steel comb. The work of wiping out the veins or putting them in with a fitch can then be done. If the long stiles are to appear as slightly darker than the 124 GRAINING, ANCIENT AND MODERN cross stiles, use a sash tool to cut the mitres, having a dip of color from the bottom of the pot. The most effective process is to do the long stiles of the same color as the rest of the work, and when dry, overgrain them to the depth of color desired, or they can first be glazed with a thin wash of water color as previously described. If the doors in a room are nearly or quite dry before we leave the job, we can overgrain the more prominent por- tions of the figured work by using the short-haired over- grainer in the oil color, separating the bristles with a comb. Take care to have the color quite thin, and the steel comb can be used as directed in the use of the overgrainer in water color. A good imitation of any kind of wood is rarely done without being overgrained. Some kinds of woods require more attention in this respect than others, but all can be helped by overgraining. Two or three days should elapse before the work should be varnished. Gentlemen, I have briefly tried to show you how a fair imitation of quartered oak may be done, and I trust you may have gained something in the way of information from what you have seen and heard. CHAPTER XLIV NEW METHODS IN the development of new methods a fertile field is available for study to those who care to depart from conventional lines of working. The patient investigator will find that the field has been well worked over by his predecessors. Still, he will find ample opportunity to improve his work, and possibly his method of working, by a diligent study of the wood as he finds it in his particular locality. GRAINING, ANCIENT AND MODERN 125 The grain of many woods is naturally affected by the soil in which it grows, or by its geographical location. An oak tree grown in Canada may have very different mark- ings in its grain from that of a similar species of tree grown in a southern clime and on a different soil. The layers of wood in trees grown in temperate climes are, as a rule, produced in annular rings ; yet a friend of mine, a botanist, and one not Hkely to be mistaken, informed me that he had seen pine trees growing in the rich alluvial bottom lands of Arkansas that added three tops to their growth annually. This meant three rings to the growth of the tree, so that a grove of trees whose age he estimated to be thirty years were in reality planted but ten years. They had been set out by the man in charge of the estate, and my friend told me that he would not have believed that the trees were so young had he not seen the marvel- lous rapidity with which they grew. Some varieties of quartered oak may require an entirely different method of treatment from that ordinarily used in order to make a successful imitation. It is a wise plan to endeavor to be versatile and not accustom one's self to a particular method of working. Be governed by cer- tain principles rather than by rules. One man may fail to achieve success by the process which he is taught, and yet he may accomplish excellent results by another process, possibly by one he may himself have developed. In any case the persistent study of the grains of wood is essential to any person who desires to become an expert imitator. Examine the same piece of wood in a strong sunlight, also by artificial light. Notice the play of light and shade that often travels across it as you move the board or change your point of view. The grainer cannot produce (except to a very limited extent) this iridescence, but he should know as much as possible about it and endeavor to adjust his work in con- formity to the markings he observes in the wood. These 126 GRAINING, ANCIENT AND MODERN shadings are often represented much stronger and darker than they appear in the wood, but this is a great mistake. One of the oldest methods for producing an iridescent effect is to have a metallic leaf groundwork. Gold or silver leaf is usually employed. Aluminum leaf or bronze is more frequently used in these later days. It is better to leave the work as grained, or, if done in water color, to oil it over and wipe off any surplus oil with a soft cloth, as varnish largely destroys the effect. In imitating light to medium, or even dark, quartered oak, it is doubtful if a more effective process can be em- ployed to produce the iridescence than to use for a founda- tion for the work some light, clean-grained wood, such as clear pine, spruce, or whitewood. It may be prepared by a thin coating of white glue-size or, better, by two thin coats of white shellac. When dry, apply the graining color and grain in either water or oil color, varnishing as usual ; or it may be finished in white shellac, which is probably the better plan, as it avoids the possibility of the cracking of the varnish due to lack of affinity with the shellac under coats. Care must be taken to use as little linseed oil as possible in the graining color. The work may also be prepared by coatings of liquid filler or pale oil varnish. The former often contains ele- ments which utterly destroy not only the graining, but all subsequent coats of varnish, hence its use is not recom- mended. The oil in the varnish is apt to discolor the new wood more than white shellac. This is a factor not to be overlooked where it is desired to keep the work as light as possible. It is very seldom that this process can be suc- cessfully applied to an entire room, as the wood is rarely sufficiently free from imperfections to allow its use over large surfaces. It is better adapted to panels or compara- tively small surfaces, but when carefully done, it surpasses in woodiness and transparency work done on any solidly painted groundwork. GRAINING, ANCIENT AND MODERN 127 In passing it may be worth while to notice that the mottled effect of nearly all woods, and the shadows that appear in connection with the heart grains of nearly all woods, are due to the angle at which the fibre of the grain approaches the surface of the wood. When the fibre runs parallel, the grain is apt to appear without mottled effect. The open ends of the fibre present a dark appearance, and when the undulations in the tree are intersected by the saw, an effect is produced more or less mottled, according to the character of the wood. CHAPTER XLV JOURNEYMEN IN the early days of the trade guilds, centuries ago, a workman was known and recognized by his ability rather than by the quantity of work he was able to accomplish in a given time. After faithfully serving his apprenticeship, generally for a term of seven years, he was still not recognized as a journeyman until he had, as the name implies, made a journey of many miles and worked at his trade in several cities. On his return home he was recognized as a full-fledged journeyman and considered competent to be admitted to fellowship with his fellow-workers. In his travels he was provided by the guild with credentials certifying that he had duly served his apprenticeship. Wherever a workman in his trade was needed, he was given employment, and the local guild looked after his welfare. This system broadened the ideas of the young craftsman and allowed opportunity for comparison to be made between the work and methods of his late master and those of skilful craftsmen of other "cities and towns. It also put him on his mettle and stimu- 128 GRAINING, ANCIENT AND MODERN lated him to do the best and prove his claims to be an expert workman. These facts are cited to draw attention to the great benefit to be derived by the young grainer in studying work and methods of skilled grainers in cities or towns in their vicinity or in any city in which they may find them- selves ; the object being not to copy the work of any man, however excellent in itself, but to study the process by which results are attained, to avoid any fault observed, and, if possible, to improve on the work examined — always in the direction of a closer imitation of nature. To the expert workman, in his examination of a piece of finished work, it need not be necessary to explain the pro- cess by which it was done. Oftentimes he can determine with tolerable accuracy the methods employed and tools used, also the number of stages through which the work passed before it was completed. It is true that even the most expert grainer may be mistaken in his opinion of how the work was done, but this is seldom the case. Even the bank clerk is sometimes mistaken and allows a counterfeit bill to pass his scrutiny without detection. It is often a revelation to the aspiring young craftsman to observe the results obtained by a workman of another school from that in which he was taught. Tools and vehicles for applying the color may be radically different from those he may have considered as standards. It is a wise man who can profit by the mistakes of others or who will try and correct his own shortcomings. It is remark- able how a simple process may be used to produce effects which to the beginner seem marvellous. He should, as far as possible, acquaint himself with all known processes by which wood can be imitated and endeavor to master them so that his work shall not appear as a mere copy of the work of his master, but shall at least suggest the grains of the wood which he is trying to imitate. rp] GRAINING, ANCIENT AND MODERN 129 CHAPTER XLVI BICYCLE FOR COUNTRY OR CITY WORK ^HE grainer who works for the trade outside the very I larger cities is losing an opportunity to earn extra dollars if he fails to use a bicycle. There are many occasions when he can get home to dinner and save both time and money by using a bicycle. A grainer's kit is so small that it is not difficult to carry it on a wheel, and a little practice will soon give one confidence so that he can safely go from place to place and save hours of valuable time. Possibly the grainer of the future may ride to and from his work in an automobile, and his "rubber in" may act in the dual capacity of rubber in and chauffeur, but the prices now paid for work will have to be raised one hundred per cent before such things are likely to transpire. CHAPTER XLVn BUTTERNUT Ground-color. — White lead, raw sienna, raw umber. Graining Color. — Raw sienna, raw umber, burnt umber. Tools for Oil Color. ■ — Rubbing-in brush, sash tool, fitch tools, bristle liner, combs, rags, crayons. Tools for Water Color. — Sponge, rubbing-in brush, stip- pler, blender, sash tool, fitch tools, bristle liner, crayons, overgrainers. This wood is found in the middle western states and is sometimes called white walnut. Its grains are quite simi- lar to those of black walnut, but are as a rule more angular 130 GRAINING, ANCIENT AND MODERN in the heart grains, and the outline of the grains is much less vigorous. There is but little mottle to its grain, and it has a quiet and subdued effect. Some of its grains are not unlike those of white mahog- any. It is seldom seen in the East nowadays. For oil color mix about one-third each of raw sienna, raw umber, and burnt umber. Thin with the regular thinners, making the color very thin. The work can then be rubbed in, and the faint stippled effect can be produced with the dry rubbing-in brush on the color which has been allowed to set slightly. The heart grains can then be put in with the flat fresco liner and the work blended with the rubbing-in brush, care being taken not to lift the color too much in blending. Combs can be used for the finer grains, and the sides of the rubbing-in brush can be used to remove portions of the color. The stippling with the dry brush can then be done over the combing. For water color graining the work is first sponged over, using one-third beer to two-thirds water and rubbed in with a mixture of raw sienna, raw and burnt umber, using the rubbing-in brush, and applying the color very sparingly. Stipple at once, and when dry, the heart grains may be put in with the bristle liner, and blended quickly, or the dry crayon may be used for this purpose. The plain grains can be represented by using the short- haired overgrainer. Remember that the outline of the heart grains should not be too pronounced. The crayon outline is often nearer to the natural grains than is the work done by the brush. PLATE 38 BUTTERNUT NOTES 1. Always bear in mind that the graining on no piece of wood on which you are at work should appear to begin or end. The tree from which the board is cut is encircled with rings of annual growth, and it is impossible to find the end of any grain except where a board is cut at some angle to the growth of the tree. Remember that although the board may be cut off, the grain is continued to the other piece. The work of many grainers suggests the thought that the wood begins to grow where they start to represent it and the growth stops where they leave oif. 2. Never work on Sunday unless in a case of great necessity. Many people have a habit of getting mechanics to do work on Sunday simply as a matter of convenience for themselves ; do not encourage them ; re- member the commandment " Thou shalt do no manner of work in it.'" Also remember that you are not keeping the Commandment if you leave your books and accounts to be written up on Sunday ; that should be the day to worship God and to rest from labor, " for what shall it profit a man if he gain the whole world and lose his own soul." 3. In graining the panels of doors, where both sides are grained to rep- resent the same wood, attention should be given to the fact that a thin panel if made of solid wood would present somewhat similar markings on both sides. In the case of ash, yellow pine, or walnut the figure would be almost identical. It is well to consider this in attempting to imitate the wood, for a good grainer should be consistent, and not vio- late mechanical laws, but make his work conform as nearly as possible to what he sees in the natural wood. 4. An excellent way to carry the kit, without causing objection when travelling in trains or on the electric cars, is to have a round sole- leather case made slightly over twice the height of the pot used in mix- ing the color, thus giving room for two pots. That containing the mixed color can be placed in the bottom of the case, the dry pot with colors and brushes on top. This will leave room for rags, combs, etc., and when the cover is strapped down, the kit can easily be carried and the leather case is good for years of service. 131 132 NOTES 5. In using oil graining color in warm weather the surplus color on combs, rags, etc., is often transferred to the hands, and if allowed to re- main for more than three or four hours, it is difficult to remove. It is wise to wash the hands thoroughly both at noon and at night after using oil colors. To remove the graining color from between the fingers noth- ing is better than a pad of curled horsehair, such as is used by uphol- sterers. This can be rubbed against the hand at any point where the graining color has adhered, and by the use of a good lather of soap and some hot water the hands can be effectually cleaned. If no curled horsehair is available, place a saucer full of granulated Indian meal in the sink, and after having made a good lather of soap and hot water on the hands, dip them in the dry meal and rub thoroughly. This will be found an excellent process to remove all sorts of dirt from the hands. If varnish or pitch gets on the hands, first use a little lard or grease to soften it and then try the curled hair or meal. 6. A wooden wedge, about six inches long and one-half inch thick, tapering from the point to about three inches in width, will be found very useful to hold a door open at any position desired. It is most effective whe'n pushed against the edge of the door. A few thin pieces of wood are also useful to lay on the threshold of doors to prevent the door from shutting, especially if there are no handles on the doors, as is often the case in a new house. On new work it is wise to carry, in the jacket pocket, a short piece of hard wood cut so that it will fit the knob sockets of doors, so that in case the knobs are not fitted the latch may be turned and the door opened without waste of time. Original Poem Read by Francis A. Hartford at the quarterly meeting of Grainers' Association of Boston and vicinity, April 19, 1904. The grainer, a merry man is he, And his life is a round of joy, He hustleth like a honey-bee, And the quarter grain of the wormwood tree, He graineth as close as close can be, On a surface of corduroy. To work for a country shop, tra la, He riseth at break of day ; He rideth the costly railway car And goeth a distance, — very far. And often he getteth the merry '' ha ! ha !" When he asketh for his pay. How often he bolteth his breakfast-food And firmly he maketh his mind To match up his work to the '• real wood," For the painter insisteth '' it must be good," But he longeth to spill that painter's blood — For the painter is color blind. Now the painter he taketh the grainer, and lo ! He posteth him on his job : " You should carry your color so and so, And this is the way wood ought to grow, ril have to tell you, for you don't know," But that painter is a slob. At night the grainer he lieth down. And dreameth a great big dream, That the great, round earth is a graining ground, And a million grainers gathered around. With color and brushes and cloths all found, Bread, beer, and cheese, and a pipe to smoke. And all of the work is quartered oak — And then he awoke ! 'twas his wife who spoke ; " William, get right up ; Mr. Smith is downstairs and wants you to do a job for him this morn- ing, so he can varnish it this afternoon." GRAINERS' ASSOCIATION OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, AND VICINITY The Grainers' Association of Boston, Massachusetts, and vicinity was organized in Somerville, Massachusetts, May 27, 1903, with the following charter members : — 2. William Hopson, President Everett. 5. Francis Vincent Maiden. 6. John E. Patten Boston. I . *F. A. Hartford South Boston. 4. William M. Ross (died March 2, 1905) . Somerville. 3. William E. Wall, Secy-Treas. . . . Somerville. Since that time the following grainers have been admitted to mem- bership : — Charles A. Morgan Lawrence. Richard Holland Brockton. INDEX [Roman figures pages, black figures plates.] Antiquity of graining, i. Ash, 46; burl, 53; ground-colors for, 46 ; Hungarian, 51 ; wiped out and pencilled, 48. B Badger blender, 1, Bicycle, for city or country work, 129. Bird's-eye maple, 35 ; maple in water color, 36. Black walnut, 87. Blending groundwork, 12. Bristle rubbing-in brushes, 2 ; liners, fitches, 2 ; mottlers, overgrainers, 1 ; stippler, 1 ; piped overgrainer, 1. Burl ash, 53 ; ash, ground-colors for, 46 ; ash in oil color, 54. Burl walnut, 91. Butternut, 129. C Camel's-hair piped overgrainer, 1. Case for carrying tools, 131. Causes of cracking in grained work, 116. Ceilings, 102. Champs, to put in (quartered oak), 57- Check roller, 21, 30. Cherry, 81 ; groundwork for, 81 ; in oil color, 82 ; in water color, 83 ; mottled, to overgrain, 83 ; mottled and overgrained, 84. Chestnut, 71. Circassian walnut, 93. Coats, thin preferable, 13. Color, for graining, 13; straining before thinning, 13. Combing in oil color, 25 ; combing in water color, 29 ; combing a back- ground for quartered oak, 27, 28. Combs, 2 ; bone, 1 ; cork, 21 ; rub- ber, 20 ; steel, 20. Covering teeth of combs, 26, 27. Crayons for light oak and ash, 31. Curly birch, 85 ; curly maple, 33 ; curly walnut, 91. Cypress, 77. D Dark oak, 54 ; ground-color for, 54 ; veins in mahogany, 95 ; veins in quartered oak, 59-62 ; veins in rosewood, 100. " Docked " pencil in bird's-eye maple, 37- Dry colors for graining, 16. Dryers in graining color, 13. Eminent grainers of the last century, 7. English oak, 65. Eyes and shadows in bird's-eye maple, 40. Feathered mahogany, 95, 96. Fitch tool, 21. Flat brush for rubbing in, 2 ; fresco bristle liner, 2. Floors, 104. 135 136 INDEX Fourteen ways of imitating quartered oak, 60. French walnut burl, 91. Grainer, in fiction, the, 118. Grainers' combs, 20, 21 ; tools, 20, 21. Graining, antiquity of, I ; both sides of the same panel, 131 ; colors, 16 ; crayons, 31 ; door, quartered oak, 121 ; on glass, I13 ; over old paint, 14 ; quartered oak, 58. Ground-colors, 11; for ash, 46 ; for burl ash, 46 ; for Hungarian ash, 51 ; for birch (curly), 85 ; for cedar, 72 ; for cherry, 81 ; for chestnut, 71 ; for cypress, 77 ; for mahogany, 94 ; for mahogany (white), 45 ; for maple, 35 ; bird's- eye maple, 35 ; curly maple, 33 ; silver maple, 40 ; for oak, 54 ; Eng- lish oak, 65 ; pollard oak, 66 ; root oak, 67 ; quartered oak, dark, 54 ; quartered oak, light, 54 ; for pine (hard or pitch), 75 ; for pine (yel- low), 74; for rosewood, 99; for satinwood, 42 ; for sycamore (quar- tered), 78 ; for walnut, 87 ; black walnut, 87 ; Circassian walnut, 93 ; curly walnut, 91 ; French walnut (burl), 91 ; Italian walnut, 93 ; for whitewood, 41; for butternut, 129. H Hard pine, 75. Heart grains, in ash, 77 ; in cherry, 84 ; in oak, 59 ; in walnut, 88 ; in hard pine, 76 ; in yellow pine, 75. Heart, or sap, oak, 67. High lights in bird's-eye maple, 38. Hungarian ash, 51. Imitations, 4; of carving, 114; mouldings, 114. Italian walnut, 93. of Journeymen, 127, M Mahogany, 94 ; mahogany (white) , 95; Manila paper for covering a poor floor, 106. Maple, 35 ; bird's-eye, 35 ; curly, ;^^ ■ silver, 40. Mason pad machine process, 109. Megilp, for oil colors, 18 ; for water colors, 19. Mixing, graining color, 16 ; ground- colors, 12. Mottlers, 1. N New methods, 124. Notes, 132. O Oak, 54 ; English, 65 ; graining in water color, 67 ; pollard, 66 ; root, 67 ; quartered, 54. Old paint, graining over, 13, 14. Old varnish, to remove, 14. Overgrainers, plain, 1 ; plain bristle, 1 ; piped bristle, 1. Paint removers, 14. Patent graining devices, 108. Piped bristle overgrainer, 1. Pitch pine, or hard pine, 75. Pollard oak, 66. Preparing old work for graining, 14 ; ground-colors, 12. Primary coats, 14. Q Quantity of megilp, 18. Quartered oak, 54 ; sycamore, 78. INDEX 137 R Removing old paint, 14 ; varnish, 14 ; graining color from the hands, 132. Roller, the check, 30 ; rubber, 109. Root of oak, 67. Rosewood, 99. Rubber combs, 20. Rubbing, in graining, 21 ; in oil color, 21, in water color, 24. Sandpapering, 15. Satinwood, 42. Shading quartered oak, 57. Show panels, ill. Silver maple, 40. Solution for removing figure of oak, 64 ; to remove varnish or paint, 14. Steel combs, 2. Stippling for mahogany, 88 ; for wal- nut, 88. Sunday work, 131. Sycamore, quartered, 78. Teak, 98. Thinners, for oil colors, 175 for water colors, 18. Thumb nail, substitutes for, in grain- ing, 64. Tools, for putting bird's-eyes in maple, 37 ; used by grainers, 20. Touching quartered oak with solution, 64. Transfer, paper, 1 10 ; roller, no. Varnishing a grained floor, 108 ; over- grained work, loi. Vinegar, use after rempving old paint, . 14. W Walnut, black, 87 ; Circassian, 93 ; curly, 91 ; French burl, 91 ; Italian, 93- White mahogany, 45 ; Oregon cedar, 72. Whitewood, 41. Wiping out, in oil color, 57; heart grains in oil color, 32 ; heart grains of oak, 69. Wooden wedge, to hold door open, 132. Yellow pine> 74. 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