The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1925-05-01
THE ROMANCE OF 1900
YEARS

understood things often are the
most commonplace. For instance,
who knows whence comes varnish,
of what it is made, or the romance
of this Oldest OF finishing processes,
now almost extinguished by modern
science
Like the American bison, or
buffalo, real varnish has almost dis
appeared.
The dripping tears of thousand
trees gave the beautiful and en-
during varnish and lacquer OF the
ancient Hindu and the more ancient
Chinese But modern science has
almost dried the tears of the Bur-
mese theetsee and the Indian mark
ing nut tree which once supplied the
world.
So this is the story OF vanishing
varnish.
Originally the gums exuding, like
tears, from dozen varieties OF
tropical trees, in Burma, India,
Japan, in the Andes and Peru and
the East Indies were the sole
sources of varnish, together with
parings from amber which after all,
is only the petrified gum Of trees
of an earlier era.
The words used to describe the
gums have almost disappeared from
common usage-anime, copal, mas
tic, garboge, tumeric-and the de-
.nand for finely finished surfaces
long since exceeded the demand for
these purest substances which made
the ever-enduring. stony-hard lac
luer and varnish surfaces which
grace oriental treasures.
Soon other resins begin coming
into the market" ersatz," as the
Germans called them-su Institutes.
! Resins and turpentines, asphalt
tum and dozen other substances
having something Of the same chem
ical formation came to supplement
the naturally small supply of little
beads OF gums exuded by the ancient
trees.
Better furniture put demands
upon the. yarnish and lacquer
makers which forced the adulter-
alton of the market with substitutes
which, while practically as good, yet
were not the original, age-wearing
varnish and lacquer.
With the wide expanse OF the
automobile industry and its shining
finishes. the demand fast overreach-
ed the supply OF the original gums
making up the base Of varnish.
So Tchemists turned to other in
gradients. Car owners OF dozen
years back know from the rapidity
with which the glossy finish on new
cars gave way before the weather,
to what extent the demand out
stripped the supply OF original var
nish, and how the infiltration OF
substitutes through the market fail
ed to keep pace with the growing
surfaces Of more and more cars.
Quite by accident, chemists came
upon new finish which ia not
substitute for varnish. but which is
a new finish---one Infinitely better
than the best lacquer of even. the
olden days. 1t supplants it, just az
a steamship supplants the saiIer
though still ship! and as the air
plane supplants the horse ands
buggy, though still passenger
vehicle.
There was a waste, during war
time, coming from nitro-cellulose, or
gum cotton, made from ammunition
Now, no manufacturer lets waste be
discarded; his profits often come
from conversion OF waste materials
into useful things. So with this
nitro-cellulose waste.
Experiment brought out a new
hnish-a material handled as better
varnish and lacquer is handled, but
infinitely better, more enduring,
more substantial and with an ap-
parent supply that no demand can
exceed.
Because of its nature, it is called
lacquer. something of a misnomer
from the standpoint OF the ancient
substance. 1t gave a rich, per-
manent finish, but it was a satin
finish and commerce demanded
shining finish.
And now, in the onward march OF
cience. Studebaker, the big auto
mobile concern in South Bend, Ind,
in cooperation with the Glidden
Varnish Company OF Cleveland, has
achieved shining coat in the new
iacqueroid finish. 1t has a lustre,
sheen that endures, so it is called
duro-lustre.
Thus, within generation. just as
the bison disappeared from. the