Lawrence democrat. (Lawrenceburg, Tenn.) 1884-1925, 1891-07-03

HOMEMADE WOOD STAINS.
How tn Beautify the Appearance Of Fur.
niture and Wood Work,

How to Beautify the Appearance of Fur
niture and Woodwork.
With the spirit of home-decoration
that in these days is so general, much is
missed by lack of knowledge in regard
to wood stains and their preparation.
This ignorance is not confined entirely
to house-keepers, but prevails with
many. so-called professional painters.
Many articles of furniture, as well as
floors, can be materially enhanced in
appearance by the use of stains.
A beautiful stain when properly pre-
pared, can be made from any of the
following pigments, viz: Raw and
burt sienna, raw and burnt lumber and
Vandyke brown. Besides the foregoing,
carmine, crimson-lal1e and American
vermillion can be used to an advantage,
when pepared as directed below.
To properly make stain from any of
the materials named above, it is best to
buy it ground in oil" for the reason
that when mixed in the dry state it is
liable to be gritty and does not produce
as good an effect
The writer's experience in making
stains of any shade is, that if the ma
terial is first mixed with sufficient
quantity of raw linseed oil to make it
the consistency of thick cream, and
then slowly brought to a boil over
moderate fire, and, while boiling, add
piece of yellow byes'-wax, lin the pro-
portion of piece about the size of half
a nutmeg to a point, and allowed to
boil until the wax is melted and thor
oughly mixed with the material, the
stain has better effect and wears
longer. After removing from the fire
allow the mixture to stand few min
utes, and then thin with turpentine to
whatever consistency you desire. I'm
der no circumstances, however, should
the turpentine be put in until after the
boiling, as the presence of the latter
would make the mixture very liable to
take fire, and probably endanger the
makers safety.
Raw sienna, as stain, produces a
beautiful shade of yellow. Burnt sien-
ma, when properly thinned, produces a
very nice mahogany shade, and in COM
bination with red oxide of lead, does
very well for a cherry stain. Burnt
lumber or Vandyke brown, either, will
make an excellent black walnut stain.
Raw lumber makes stain that some
persons prefer to all others for floors.
Carmine, when combined with burnt
sienna, produces beautifully brilliant
stain between a mahogany and cherry.
Crimson-lake produces beautiful rose
color when properly diluted, and has an
admirable effect when applied to the
floor extending out from the wash
boards about eight inches around a
room, having all the balance of the floor
inside of this border stained with raw
sienna. 1t makes everything look cool
and refreshing even on a sultry day.
American vermillion when used as a
stain should be very thin, and produces,
on new even surface, a lovely deep
pink
To obtain the best results from any
stain, 1t should be vanished, but never
until it is thoroughly dry. To apply
any Of the cheap ordinary varnishes,
which are made from rosin and other
inferior material, is waste of money
as well as time and labor. A No /,
Hard Oil Finish is the proper varnish to
apply. If you desire very brilliant
gloss thin the finish with about gill OF
raw linseed oil to quart of the warm
nish. 1t is quick dryer and in twelve
hours, in warm weather, it will be dry.
Never apply the finish just as you buy
it, as generally it is too heavy (thick)
to spread evenly. Floors that have been
stained and vanished with hard oil
finish can from time to time be freshen.
ed up, when the gloss begins to die
away, by going over the floor with some
raw linseed oil, in which has been
melted, by boiling, some yellow bees
wax; in the proportion of half an ounce
of wax to three pints of oil.
Many persons use asphaltum varnish,
thinned down with turpentine, as a
stain. The writer after unlimited ex.
perience with asphaltum, considers il
as only fit for outside work such as iron
fencing and the like, 1t is uncertain in
drying times, and, therefore, anything
but desirable for inside ork.-Ladies'
Home Journal.