The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1905-08-18

Powdered pumice stone is sold in sew
eral grades of fineness. and the finest
only should be used on varnish or shell
pound.
Pulverized rotten stone of the best
quality will cost from FIVE to eight cents
pound. Both pumice and rotten stone
should be bought only where varnish
and other wood finishing materials are
sold. thus insuring a good article free
from dust and grit
The art of finishing fine furniture,
pianos, ETC., after they are made, as may
be inferred from the description and
instructions given regarding varnishes
| and how to use them, is not only CON-
plicated, but requires years of expe-
rience and practice, and is far in ad-
vance of the work of the varnisher or
painter who finishes the interior of our
houses.
Yet with these facts before him. the
beginner may with care and patience
in following these simple directions
produce a passably fair finish ON ar
ticles made by himself, and bearing on
which we wish to emphasize the fol-
lowing points:
l. Water stain will dry in one hour;
oil stain requires "a to So hours.
2. Filler must be rubbed off perfectly
clean from the surface and from all
angles and corners. 1t must then have
from "a to 4S hours to harden and dry.
3. Each coat of yarnish or of shellac
must be dry and hard before another
is applied.
4. Each successive coat Except the
LAST must be sandpapered smooth when
dry.
5. Each coat of shellac should have
about "a hours to dry and harden.
6. Each coat of copal furniture) var
nish must have from two to four days
to dry and harden.
7. Shellac varnish does not resist
moisture, hence be sure to use oil, not
water, with the pumice stone.
8. Copal, being an oil varnish. resists
moisture, therefore may be rubbed with
pumice and water to produce an even
surface.
8. Pumice stone will cut much faster
when used with water than when used
with oil.
10. When copal is rubbed with pumice
and water the finished surface, although
even and smooth will have no gloss.
II. If copal is rubbed with pumice
and oil Gnstead of water), a. beautiful
dead finish is produced, which many
persons prefer to a bright, glossy
polish
r. If bright polish is desired on
any kind of varnish, it must be polished
with rotten stone and oil, after being
Cut to an even surface with pumice
stone.
Is. Never use a block or holder when
sandpapering shellac or varnish, of any
kind. Use the hand only. ...
IA. Use a block when rubbing down
fiat surfaces with pumice and oil. or
water, only long enough to cut off the
larger projections of the varnish. Then
use the hand alone to hold the rubber.
Is. Never sandpaper the last coat
use pumice stone, as directed.
Note.-All articles finished with copal
varnish can be cleaned and regewed
in appearance, after long use, in no way
so we'll as to wash with soft cloth and
tepid water, to which a little mild, fine
soap has been added. No injury will
result, provided they are at once wiped
dry with a soft cloth. To improve the
polish after the above, go over all sur
faces with a small piece of chamois
skin and few drops of olive oil, and
finally polish with soft, dry chamois
until all oil has been removed, espe-
cially from the angles and corners.
Much of the foregoing instruction ap-
plies to the finishing of wood on which
fine, smooth surface and polish are
desired. A very common but rough
finish may be produced by first stain
ing (when desired), filling and then
| applying two or three coats of good var
nish of any kind, and leaving the last
coat in its natural gloss, unrubbed.
Such a finish may be seen on the in
terror hard woodwork of many houses.
and also on the cheap grades of cab
met furniture.
Waxing.
Waxing is the most durable. and the
most easily renewed of all finishes for
wood. Three or four generations ago
nearly all the woodwork in the interior
of houses was finished with wax The
wax then used was simply beeswax, cut
and made into paste with turpentine,
which produced a soft finish that would
not dry hard, and required renewing
very often.
Now that wax finish is coming into
use again, not only for floors, but also
for the better class of furniture, a wax
paste is being manufactured which
dries more quickly than copal varnish.
The johnson" and the Butchers {"
floor and furniture wax can be bought
in one-pound tins at about 40 cents a
pound, and this finish is recommended
to workers in wood for all their hard
wood work
The preparation of the wood for
waxing is the same in every way as
when varnish is to be used. For exam
pie, if the article is made of oak, and is
to be finished antique in color, it is first
filled with antique filler, which must
be rubbed off clean, and polished. After
hardening for about 48 hours a coat
of wax is rubbed on with cloth. After
standing for 10 to Is minutes the wax