Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1883-11-21

} A short DESCRIPTION of the manner II
which lacquering is done may be oi
interest to our readers, and mere W,
will describe it as briefly as possible
The operation depends, of course. Oh
: the peculiar properties of the lacquer
and the effects to be produced. The
raw lacquer. chiefly the Seshine urushi
is used for pruning. with an addition o.
burnt clay dust, or fine stone powder
SO as to produce a coating of the utmost
hardness. The prepared lacquer, a'tel
! having been strained, is slightly trans
parent when applied in Thin layers, and
possesses a color similar to that OF
} shellac; this transparency is occasional
! ly increased by small addition of dry
lng-oil, which, by mere hardening; pro-
duces sufficient elossiness of the sur
face, whereas the pure lacquer has to
be polished. For coloring, the lacquer
Is mixed with cinnaba or piment, red
oxide of iron or Prusian blue, etc.
1 The black lacquer Is prepared in the
fol owing manner. 1t is effected with
out any addition of solid particles,
such as lampblack or similar substauc-
es, but merely by stirring the crude
lacquer for day or two in the open air,
whereupen it assumes very dark
brown color. Towards the end OF the
operation a small quantity of water,
which bas been kept standing for a
few days, mingled with with iron filings
or gall-nut infusion darkened by the
addition of iron, is added, and the
whole stirred again until part OF the
water has evaporated; then the lacquer
acquires proper conslstence and color.
The addition of this water is said to
cause the highest brilliancy and black
ness of lacquer. Sometimes the colored
lacquer is used when the final coating
IS required to be OF Il transparent nature.
Either the unmixed, strained lacquer,
or that peculiar kind of lacquer which
has been thin ned by an addition of oil,
Is used,
The mixing of lacquer with harden
! ing or coloring powders Is generally
effected by the lacquerer himself on a
wooden board with wooden spatula Just
before using it. Finally, the thick
mixture is forcibly stra ined through a
piece of paper called yashino9anai.
Should the lacquer become too stuff for
use, some bits of camphor are crushed
and thoroughly mixed with the lacquer
by spatula, and then it becomes more
liquid. Before beginning to lacquer,
the artist often lines the exterior OF the
objects, especially the joints and corers,
with linen gauze orgoshtnogdD'i pasted
on with raw lacquer so as TO give the
objects grea:er soIidity and to prevent
its breaking.
The primary coatings are put on with
mixture of raw .acquer and b1rnt clay
powder, and afterwards stone powder;
when hardened they are rubbed with a
grindstone to smooth and polish the
smfaca. The next two or three layers
are done with inferior kinds OF the black
or cOlored lacquer, according to the
color 10 be produced. The lacquer is
applied in the first place with wooden
spatula and afterwards with very stiff
fat brush, SO as to smoother ald spread
the lacquer equally. The surface is
then ground with water and charcoal.
of which latter two kinds are used, the
one coarse and hard, and the other
light and soft. As a popularity, it may
be stated that the freshly Iacquered
objects are placed III large wooden
boxes, the inside of which has been
sprinkled or washed with water, SO that
the procsss of hardening takes place III
dark and damp atmosphere; according
to the statements of professionals, thIs
precaution is absolutely necessary to
produce the speedy hardening and line
appearance of the lacquer.
The final coating Is done with the
best lacquer OF the kind require IN the
particular care, and after having been
carefully ground it Is polished with
deer-horn powder. The black lacquer.
when finished, is repeatedly rubbed
with ball slightly in the Seshime lac
qIer, and each time carefully s,ollshed
with powder made of deer-horn. The
gold sprinkled lacquer, called NashJi
Qiteially pear-surface), is produced ny
sitting a certain amount of gold leaf cut
into small pieces on to fresh coating
of .Seshime lacquer. When hardened,
the surface Is smoothes and then coated
with a choice quality of lacquer, called
the Ndshjt urushi. which Is prepared
by carefully strsinIng and mixing it
with a small quantity of gomboge. The
lacquer when applied in thick layers,
is Opaque, and only becomes tra0spar-
ent in thin layers; so that, by grinding
the final coating with charcoal, the
gold sparkles underneath can be made
more or less visible, according to the
will of the artist.
Finally, after being carefully polished
the object receives a very thin coating
of the same lacquer to produce the
glossiness. For common ware, tiniol
is used instead of goIdleaf, but owing to
the yellow color of the NdshJi Urushl,
the tIDfou has gold-like appearance.
The method OF iacqueIiug always re-
maiDs the same, but the number of
cOatings can be reduced The priming
may be done with cheaper materials. or
the lacquer may be of inferior qualIty.
The final process of decorating the
objects Is one which admits an almost
innnite variety OF devices, and consists
either of paintings or OF Incrustations of
mother ol-pearl, metals, ETC., or else of
a peculiar preparat on of the surface.