thegoodfellas/blogset-br huggingface dataset:
tonal drop has almost a blackening effect, where the ground or the priming has been of such a colour to become considerably darker and thus the colour values of the original painting are sometimes savagely altered. The danger of a change in tone of the paint caused by the infusion of wax or wax resin has only recently been redefined. The rough rule of thumb criteria that oil paintings will take a wax-resin impregnation, while tempera or gauche paintings will not, no longer wholly serves, for some oil paintings are almost as radically changed as tempera paintings by the wax impregnation method. References to the composition of Vasari type of ground for oil paintings or the lack of opacity of many of the fillers found in traditional and modified gesso layers such as those used by the Venetian school, and continued in various forms up to the 20th century, should cause us to hesitate before deciding on using a wax impregnation method in every case. We have also seen that many of the so called oil grounds are (if of the type recommended by De Mayerne) of a non-homogeneous structure and these grounds too, can easily be affected by penetration of the open cavities inherent in the structure of the material.. However, the use of gypsum, chalk and fillers was not confined to the ground and priming layers, but was often a regular component in the white paint layers of the picture, forming, with the lead carbonate, a light semi opaque paint with increased colour staining power. The adulteration of white lead with chalk was also common during the 17th century as it is today and chalk continues to be a regular ingredient in the artists paints. Impregnation with wax or wax resin can alter the vehicular balance of paint layers, and lower the relative refraction index in such a way as to bring perceptiple changes of tone and quality to the paint layer. Sadly, this principle that was so clear to Muntz was not recognised by future restorers in the 19th and early 20th centuries. The tragedy of the darkening of the Mantegna Cartoons at Hampton Court can hardly be overlooked in the history of conservation. In 1931, these paintings, executed in a form of tempera on gesso canvas were suffused by heavy layers of yellow wax, irreparably bringing a darkening and lowering of their colour values and paint qualities. The advocates of the wax impregnation,(Arthur Church, Noel Heaton, Dr. Tritram, Kennedy North) are only a few amongst the many restorers who used wax in an unquestioning way. The success of wax as a consolidator for friable and flaking wall paintings led to its application in many of the finest wall paintings in English churches, often causing irreparable darkening. The frescoes by Daniel Maclise in the Royal Gallery of the House of Lords were also plunged into darkness by the rash impregnation of beeswax, heated into the surface with blow-lamps. Attempts were even made to impregnate the great Raphael Cartoons in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, painted in tempera on
paper. The rapid darkening of the painting, where the paper turned dark brown, was only checked by the sharp intervention by a youthful restorer who protested that this method was not to be used. This darkened patch remains today; it serves as a useful lesson to all restorers that the choice of adhesive must be matched to the physical and chemical structure of the painting. When in 1930 an international conference was held on the conservation of paintings under the aegis of the International Museums Office, these aspects of wax impregnation and lining methods were discussed. The papers arising from this conference were published in 1940. The distinguished editorial committee (including W.G.Constable, the late director of the Courtauld Institute, Harold Plenderleith, Helmut Ruhermann, Martin de Wild, George Stout, A.P. Laurie, Jacques Maroger, amongst others) dealing with the possible advantages of glue and the disadvantages of wax, wrote, Another advantage of a glue adhesive is that it interferes but very little with the optical properties of most paintings (reflecting power). Wax, on the other hand, would slightly reduce the reflecting power of a more or less absorbent white priming, and thus darken somewhat a transparent painting executed on such a ground. In the case of an oil painting, the wax which penetrates the paint layer or which even spreads over its surface through the crackle would reduce the depth (transparency) of the colours alittle, and thus make the darker tones appear a shade lighter and duller. In an old-master Rembrandt or a Titian, for example the loss of transparency would alter the effect originally intended by the artist. Moreover, as mentioned above, a varnish applied to a painting in such a condition would not retain its transparency and would tend to crackle. A remedy, however, was recommended, and this followed closely. These drawbacks can, however, can be met by adding a little resin, as a hardening ingredient, to the wax. Rosin (colophony) is generally used for this purpose and has so far proved very successful. In inferior grades, it has the disadvantage of being rather dark, so that, for bright paintings, or for pictures where the white priming plays an important part, none but the clearest quality should be used. This, of course was no remedy to the problem which had been outlined, of the effect of oil paint darkening by the impregnation of wax, and this misleading non-sequiteur disguised one of the greatest problems using the wax resin method. The conference was also to bring into being the specification of an ideal heated working table for lining. The hot table described was a thick slab of slate, kept at a suitable temperature (about 50-60 C) by an adjustable electrical heating device underneath. This made it possible to ensure a uniform melting through of the adhesive to the surface of the paint, thus dispensing with the ironing of the front (on the felt bedding), which was often necessary to obtain thorough adhesion. The use of hot tables of this type was to find a permanent place in the restoration studios and workshops, and
we are grateful to the Courtauld Institute for allowing us to exhibit the first hot table built in 1948 in the exhibition of lining materials connected with this conference. Although the wax resin method had been introduced first in Holland in the middle of the 19th century (the Dutch Method), the acceptance of the technique using a hot table gave the final seal of approval to the method, and few restoration studios are today without a hot table of some kind. These vary considerably in design and in size.
> The word "varnish" comes from Latin vernix meaning odorous resin, which etymology comes from Greek Berenice, ancient name of modern Benghazi in Libya, credited with the first use of varnishes and where resins from the trees of now-vanished forests were sold. Berenice comes from the Greek words phero (to bring) + nike (victory). Berenice II (267 or 266 BC - 221 BC), was the daughter of Magas of Cyrene and Queen Apama, and the wife of Ptolemy III Euergetes I, the third ruler of the Ptolemaic dynasty of Egypt. During her husband's absence on an expedition to Syria, she dedicated her hair to Aphrodite for his safe return, and placed it in the temple of the goddess at Zephyrium. The hair having by some unknown means disappeared, Conon of Samos, explained the phenomenon in courtly phrase, by saying that it had been carried to the heavens and placed among the stars. This story is parodied in Alexander Pope's The Rape of the Lock. The predecessor of the modern city Benghazi was refounded by her and received her name: Berenice. After the marriage of Ptolemy III to Berenice, daughter of the Cyrenean Governor Magas, around the middle of the third century, many Cyrenaican cities were renamed to mark the occasion. Euesperides became Berenice and the change of name also involved a relocation. Its desertion was probably due to the silting up of the lagoons; Berenice, the place they moved to, lies underneath Benghazi's modern city centre. The Greek colony had lasted from the sixth to the mid-third centuries BC. The asteroid 653 Berenike, discovered in 1907, is also named after Queen Berenice. The name Coma Berenices or Berenice's hair, applied to a constellation, commemorates this incident. Callimachus celebrated the transformation in a poem, of which only a few lines remain, but there is a fine translation of it by Catullus. Soon after her husband's death (221 BC) she was murdered at the instigation of her son Ptolemy IV, with whom she was probably associated in the government. The Candlenut (Aleurites moluccanus), is a flowering tree in the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae, also known as Candleberry, Indian walnut, Kemiri, Varnish tree or Kukui nut tree. Its native range is impossible to establish precisely because of early spread by humans, and the tree is now distributed throughout the New and Old World tropics. It grows to a height of 1525 metres (4982 ft), with wide spreading or pendulous branches. The leaves are pale green, simple and ovate, or trilobed or rarely 5-lobed, with an acute apex, 1020 centimetres (3.97.9 in) long. The nut is round, 46 centimetres (1.62.4 in) in diameter; the seed inside has a very hard seed coat and a high oil content, which allows its use as a candle (see below), hence its name. Koelreuteria paniculata (Goldenrain tree, Pride of India or China tree) is a species of Koelreuteria native to eastern Asia, in China and Korea. It is a small to medium-sized deciduous tree growing to 17 m tall, with a broad, dome-shaped crown. The leaves are pinnate, 15-40 cm (rarely
to 50 cm) long, with 7-15 leaflets 3-8 cm long, with a deeply serrated margin; the larger leaflets at the mid-point of the leaf are sometimes themselves pinnate but the leaves are not consistently fully bipinnate as in the related Koelreuteria bipinnata. The flowers are yellow, with four petals, growing in large terminal panicles 20-40 cm long. The fruit is a three-parted inflated bladderlike pod 3-6 cm long and 2-4 cm broad, green ripening orange to pink in autumn, containing several dark brown to black seeds 5-8 mm diameter. Walnuts (genus Juglans) are plants in the family Juglandaceae. They are deciduous trees, 1040 meters tall (about 30130 ft), with pinnate leaves 200900 millimetres long (735 in), with 525 leaflets; the shoots have chambered pith, a character shared with the wingnuts (Pterocarya) but not the hickories (Carya) in the same family. The 21 species in the genus range across the north temperate Old World from southeast Europe east to Japan, and more widely in the New World from southeast Canada west to California and south to Argentina. The Latin name, Juglans, derives from Jovis glans, "Jupiter's acorn": figuratively, a nut fit for a god. The word walnut derives from Old English wealhhnutu, literally "foreign nut", wealh meaning "foreign" The walnut was so called because it was introduced from Gaul and Italy. The previous Latin name for the walnut was nux Gallica, "Gallic nut". In some countries immature nuts in their husks are preserved in vinegar. In England these are called "pickled walnuts" and this is one of the major uses for fresh nuts from the small scale plantings. In Armenian cuisine, walnuts are preserved in sugar syrup and eaten whole. In Italy, liqueurs called Nocino and Nocello are flavoured with walnuts, while Salsa di Noci ("Walnut Sauce") is a pasta sauce originating from Liguria. In Georgia, walnuts are ground along with other ingredients to make walnut sauce. The nuts of all the species are edible, but the walnuts commonly available in shops are from the common walnut, the only species which has a large nut and thin shell. A horticultural form selected for thin nut shells and hardiness in temperate zones is sometimes known as the 'Carpathian' walnut. The nuts are rich in oil, and are widely eaten both fresh and in cookery. Walnut oil is expensive and consequently is used sparingly; most often in salad dressing. Walnuts are also an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids, and have been shown as helpful in lowering cholesterol. They need to be kept dry and refrigerated to store well; in warm conditions they become rancid in a few weeks, particularly after shelling. Oil paint often employs walnut oil as an effective binding medium, known for its clear, glossy consistency and non-toxicity. Walnuts are heavily used in India. In Jammu, India it is used widely as a prasad (offering or gracious gift) to Mother Goddess Vaisnav Devi and, generally, as a dry food in the season of festivals such as Diwali. Cleansing and polishing: Walnut shells are mostly used to clean soft metals, fiberglass, plastics, wood
and stone. This environmentally friendly and recyclable soft grit abrasive is well suited for air blasting, de-burring, de-scaling, and polishing operations because of its elasticity and resilience. Uses include cleaning automobile and jet engines, electronic circuit boards, and paint and graffiti removal. For example: In the early days of jet transportation, crushed walnut shells were used to scour the compressor airfoils clean, but when engines with air cooled vanes and blades in the turbine started being manufactured this practice was stopped. The problem being that the crushed shells tended to plug up the cooling passages to the turbine, resulting in turbine failures due to overheating. * Oil well drilling: The shell is used widely in oil well drilling for lost circulation material in making and maintaining seals in fracture zones and unconsolidated formations. * Flour made from walnut shells is widely used in the plastics industry. * Paint thickener: Walnut shells are added to paint to give it a thicker consistency for "plaster effect" ranges. * Explosives: Used as a filler in dynamite. * Cosmetic cleaner: Occasionally used in soap and exfoliating cleansers Walnut husks are often used to create a rich yellow-brown to dark brown dye that is used for dyeing fabric and for other purposes. When picking walnuts, the husks should be handled wearing rubber gloves, to avoid dyeing one's fingers, as the dye does not require a mordant. Walnut as wildlife food plants Walnuts are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species. * Brown-tail (Euproctis chrysorrhoea) * the Coleophora case-bearers C. laticornella (recorded on J. nigra) and C. pruniella. * Common Emerald (Hemithea aestivaria) * Emperor Moth (Pavonia pavonia) * The Engrailed (Ectropis crepuscularia) * Walnut Sphinx (Amorpha juglandis) In addition, the nuts are a popular snack among woodland creatures, specifically mice and squirrels.
For the designer the drawing is the product of his/her mind sifting through experience and creating a style that can be constructed. No good having a nice idea if it is not possible to create or cannot serve the purpose that it is supposedly meant for. I must admit to not being a fan of some of the modern, and well known, cabinet makers ( one of the British royal family springs to mind) who produce highly expensive furniture that to all intense and purposes as only decorative use. Here are a collection of sketches showing the ideas before the final working design have been produced, thay are not as it were initial sketches , I am sure there would be lots of paper before hand, but they are certainly the sketches at a point when the idea has matured to form a clear vision of the finished article. I have found that I need to do sketches in order for me to think my way through the construction, it is also helpfull when trying to make an estimate of timber for pricing. The very act of putting pencil to paper allows the designer to go through a construction process and evaluate the possible problems.This drawing of a steam packet deck chair, reminds me of one that I used to own and made several copies of it for friends and theatre, it uses very little timber, is very strong and folds neatly, as well as having, in my opinion, a very elegant appearance ( although this drawing is not probably the best illustration to support this). One of the copies I made also had a foot rest as part of it, this folded under the seat and had two small folding legs. Spirit and oil varnishes have a long history, the word varnish is often applied to the brushed on, thicker type of boiled finish, whilst its shellac base may well be called polish. Here we have two types of varnish, the spirit based and the oil based varnishes.spirits of wine - rectified ethyl alcoholethanol, ethyl alcohol, fermentation alcohol, grain alcohol - the intoxicating agent in fermented and distilled liquors; used pure or denatured as a solvent or in medicines and colognes and cleaning solutions and rocket fuel; proposed as a renewable clean-burning additive to gasolineshellac also shellack play_w2("S0333500") .n.1. A purified lac in the form of thin yellow or orange flakes, often bleached white and widely used in varnishes, paints, inks, sealants, and formerly in phonograph records.2. A thin varnish made by dissolving this substance in denatured alcohol, used to finish wood.3. An old phonograph record containing this substance, typically played at 78 rpm.seed lac - granular material obtained from stick lac by crushing and washinglac - resinlike substance secreted by certain lac insects; used in e.g. varnishes and sealing waxstick lac - lac in its natural state as scraped off twigs and dried.Spirit Varnish. This is a varnish that has the natural resins dissolved in alcohol, and shellac is the now most commonly used spirit varnish, although in the past
there were many types of spirit varnishes in use. They can be be a very hard and resistant finish, and their clarity can enhance the wood with a fine finish, but do suffer from moisture penetration and marking, being also less resistant to common alcohol and spirit use. Before modern finishes were developed, the spirit varnish and polish, was favoured for its clarity and high degree of fineness in the finish, although the harder varnishes had a tendency, with time, to become very brittle and develop fine crazing over the surface. There are hundreds of recipes for all types of varnish, here I will give some idea of how they were made, in the Dr,Ures Dictionary of 1840, he writes these recipes; White Hard Spirit Varnish, or the white hard spirit of wine varnish,Put 5 pounds of gum sandarac into a 4 gallon tin or bottle, with 2 gallons of spirits of wine, 60 over proof (too strong to drink) and agitate until all is dissolved, exactly as is directed for the best mastic varnish, recollecting, if washed glass is used, that it is convenient to dip the bottle containing the gum and spirits into a copper-full of hot water every 10 minutes- the bottle to be immersed for only two minutes at one time- which will greatly assist in the dissolving of the gum; but, above all, be careful to keep a firm hold of the cork of the bottle, otherwise the refraction will drive the cork out with the force of a shot, and perhaps set fire to the place ! The bottle, every time it is heated, ought to be carried away from the fire (remember this is alcohol inside) and the cork should be eased a little, to allow the now rarefied air to escape: then driven tight, and the agitation to be continued in this manner until all the gum is properly dissolved; which is easily known by having an empty tin can in which to pour the vanish, until near the last, which is to be poured into a gallon measure. If the gum is not all dissolved, return the whole of the mixture into the 4 gallon tin/bottle, and continue the agitation until it is ready to be strained, when every thing ought to be quite ready,and perfectly clean and dry,as oily tins, funnels, strainers,or any thing damp, or even cold weather, will chill and spoil the varnish. After it is strained off, put into the varnish 1 quart of very fine turpentine varnish, and shake and mix the two well together. Spirit varnishes should be kept well corked: they are fit to use the day after they are made.Brown Hard Spirit Varnish. Brown hard spirit varnish is made by- putting into a bottle 3 pounds of gum sandarac, with 2 pounds of shellac ( shell-lac) and two gallons of spirits of wine, also 60 over proof; proceeding exactly as before directed for the white hard varnish, and agitating it when cold, which requires about 4 hours of time, without any danger of fire; whereas,
making any spirit varnish over heat is attended with a degree of danger. No spirit varnish ought to be made near fire or candle light. When this brown hard is strained, add 1 quart of turpentine varnish, and shake and mix well: next day it is fit for use. French White Spirit varnish. The following are reckoned to be good French recipes for varnishes: White spirit varnish Sandarac, 250 parts, mastic in tears, 64; elemi resin, 32; turpentine (vernice), 64; alcohol, of 85 per cent,1000 parts by measure. The turpentine is to be added after the resins are dissolved. This is a brilliant varnish, but not so hard as to bear polishing. For large quantities of the spirit varnish, Dr Ure recommends the following: When large quantaties of spirit varnish are to be made, a common still, mounted with its capital and worm, is the best vessel employed for containing the materials, and it is placed in a steam or water bath. The capital should be provided with a stuffing-box, through which a stirring-rod may pass down to the bottom of the still, with a cross piece at the end, and a handle or winch at the top. After heating the bath till the alcohol boils and begins to distil, the heat ought to be lowered, and the solution may continue to proceed in an equable manner, with as little evaporation of the spirits as possible. The operation may be supposed to be complete when the rod is easily turned round. The varnish must then be passed through a silk sieve of proper fineness; then filtered through porous paper, or allowed to clear leisurely in stone jars. The alcohol which has come over should be added to the varnish, if the just proportions of the resins have been introduced at first. If I can get hold of the software for text recognition, I have a large number of recipes, in many books, and covering many periods of history, and it would be good to post them on the net. However the work load to simple read and then rewrite these is rather greater than I would like to undertake at the moment, text recognition would allow me to scan and copy into word, direct, and then also give me the opportunity to translate into other languages and also copy and translate Italian and Spanish reference into English. A Treatise of Japaning and Varnishing; Stalker and Parker, 1688. This excerpt gives recipes that have not changed over the three centuries that have now passed since the writing of their treatise. Take one gallon of good spirit, and put it into as wide a mouthed bottle as you can procure, for when you should afterwards strain your varnish, the Gums in a narrow mouthed bottle mat stick together, and clog the mouth, so it will not be easie task to sparate or them them out. To your spirits add one pound and a half of the best seed-lac, let it stand the space of 24 hours, or longer, for the gum will be better