VARNISH BRUSHES. All varnish brushes ought to be made of long white hairs of the best quality, and, for the general purposes of varnishing, have a GUTTA-PERCHA VARNISH.-Clean a good regular spring, with about one-quarter of a pound of gutta-percha in fourth or fifth part worn off, flat, sharp, warm water from adhering impurities, and thin at the point, so as to lay on the dry well, dissolve in 1 lb. of rectified varnish smoothly and regularly. As resin oil, and add 2 lbs. of linseed-oil varthe beauty of varnishing depends in a nish, boiling hot. great measure on the brush as well as the manner of laying it on, great care is also necessary that no oil brush be put into varnish; therefore, all brushes worn

first to about the heat of a flat iron as used by the laundress, and the lacquer quickly brushed over it in this state, the work being subjected to the oven for a minute afterwards or not, according to the pleasure and judgment of the lacquerer. The article, if very small, will require this, because it will have parted with most of its heat in laying on of the lacquer; if heavy, it will retain sufficient to perfect the process. The greatest dif

ture of dirt; select the clearest and | By the second method, the work is heated lightest pieces for the most particular kinds of varnish, reserving the others, when separated from extraneous matter, for the coarser varnishes. In choosing spirits of wine, the most simple test is to pour a small quantity into a cup, set it on fire, and dip a finger into the blazing liquid; if it burns quickly out, without burning the finger, it is good; but if it is long in burning, and leaves any dampness remaining on the finger, it is mixed with inferior spirit; it may be also com-ficulty is to know the exact degree of pared with other spirit, by comparing heat, and this knowledge cannot be at the weight of equal quantities, the light- tained except by experience, so different est is the best. The goodness of spirits of is the nature of the materials, the quality turpentine may be likewise ascertained of different lacquers, and the effect to be by weighing it, and by noticing the de- produced. gree of inflammability it possesses; the most inflammable is the best; and a person much in the habit of using it will tell by the smell its good or bad qualities; for good turpentine has a pungent smell, the bad a very disagreeable one, and not so powerful.

LAC-WATER VARNISH. Pale shellac, 5 oz.; borax, 1 oz.; water, 1 pint. Digest at nearly the boiling point till dissolved, then strain. An excellent vehicle for water colours, inks, &c., and a varnish for prints is made thus of bleached lac. When dry, it is transparent and waterproof.

To Bleach Lac.-Dissolve shellac in a lye of pearlash by boiling; filter, pass chlorine through it in excess, wash and precipitate; afterwards melt it into sticks. This makes an excellent varnish with spirits of wine; its colour also renders it good for white and delicatecoloured sealing wax.

Lacquering. This is done in two ways, called cold lacquering and hot lacquering. By the former, a little lacquer being taken on a common camel-hair varnish brush, is laid carefully and evenly over the work, which is then placed in an oven or on a hot stove; the heat from this continued only a minute or two is sufficient to set the lacquer, and the work is finished. Care must be taken not to have the work too hot so as to burn the lacquer, nor yet too cold, for in this case the lacquer will not be thoroughly set.

TO PREPARE BRASS FOR LACQUERING. As the object of lacquering is not to give a brilliancy, but to preserve one already obtained, it will be evident that in the preparation of anything the brighter surface obtained the better. Some goods are turned in the lathe, and then polished; sometimes, as in philosophical instruments, burnished also; this makes them sufficiently bright. Other goods, as, for example, such as have chased surfaces, and cannot therefore be turned with a cutting tool, are held against a scratch brush or brush of wire, which is fixed to the lathe like a chuck, and is made to revolve rapidly. This removes all asperities and renders the surface fit to receive the lacquer. A third and more common process is, after the surface is got by other means as clear as possible, to put the goods into pickle, that is, into aquafortis and water, and leave them there for some hours, according to circumstances. The acid eats away the outer coat, leaving a bright surface beneath. The goods are now put into hot saw-dust, and shaken about to dry and clean them, when they will be ready for lacquering. A very convenient plan for keeping the saw-dust warm and dry is to place it in an iron box, under which a number of gas-jets are kept lighted. See Brightening and Colouring Brass, p. 16.

RE-LACQUERING BRASSWORK.-After taking the work to pieces, and carefully

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Japanning.-To prepare goods for japanning, they are occasionally coated with a priming, for the purpose of filling up inequalities, and making smooth the surface to be japanned, but commonly the priming is omitted, the coloured varnish or japan ground being applied immediately to the substance to be japanned. The former is the method practised when the surface is very uneven and rough; but when the surface is smooth, as in the case of metals or smooth-grained wood, it is now always rejected. The priming or undercoat makes a saving in the quantity of varnish used, but the japan coats of varnish and colour are liable to be cracked and peeled off by any violence, and will not endure so long as bodies japanned in the same manner without priming.

chills it, and prevents its taking proper hold of the substance on which it is laid. When the work is thus prepared, the proper japan ground must be laid on.

JAPAN GROUNDS.-The proper japan grounds are either such as are formed by the varnish and colour, where the whole is to remain of one simple colour, or by the varnish with or without colour, on which some painting or other decoration is afterwards to be laid. This ground is best formed of shellac varnish, and the colour desired. Any pigments whatever may be used with the shellac varnish, which will give the tint of the ground, and they may be mixed together to form any compound colours; but, with respect to such as require peculiar methods for producing them of the first degree of brightness, we shall particularize them below. They should all be ground very smooth in spirits of turpentine, and then mixed with the varnish. It should be spread over the work very carefully and even with a camel-hair brush. As metals never require the priming of size and whiting, the japan ground may be applied immediately to them, without any other preparation than cleaning. Metals receive from three to five coats, and between each must be dried in an oven heated from 250° to 300°.

BLACK JAPAN GROUNDS.-1. Mix shellac varnish with either ivory-black or lampblack; but the former is preferable. These may be always laid on with the shellac varnish, and have their upper or polishing coats of common seed-lac varnish.

TO PREPARE WORK FOR JAPAN with Priming. Take size of a consistency between common double size and glue, and mix with as much whiting as will give it a good body, so as to hide the surface of whatever it is laid upon; for particularly fine work use glovers' or parchment size, to which add one quarter of isinglass. The work is prepared for this priming by being well cleaned, and brushed over with hot size, diluted with two-thirds water; the priming is then laid on with a brush as evenly as possible, and left to dry. If the surface on which the priming is used is tolerably even, two coats will be sufficient; but if on trial with a wet rag it will not receive a proper water polish, one or more coats must be given it. Previous to the last coat being laid on, smooth with fine glass paper. When the last coat is dry, give the water polish by passing over every part of it with a fine rag or sponge moistened, till the whole appears plain and even; the priming will then be completed, and the work ready to receive the japan ground. Without priming, layÎb.; melt, then add hot balsam of on two or three coats of varnish composed of rectified spirits of wine 1 pint, coarse seed-lac and resin, each 2 oz. This varnish, like all other formed of spirits of wine, must be laid on in a warm place, and all dampness avoided; for either cold or moisture

2. A common black japan may be made by painting a piece of work with drying oil, and putting the work into a stove, not too hot, but of such a degree as will change the oil black without burning it, gradually raising the heat and keeping it up for a long time. This requires no polishing. 3. Asphaltum,

capivi, 1 lb., and when mixed, thin with hot oil of turpentine. 4. Grind lampblack very smooth on a marble slab with a muller with turpentine, and then add copal varnish to the proper consistency. 5. Asphaltum, 3 oz.; boiled oil, 4 quarts; burnt umber, 8 oz. Mix by heat, and

when cooling thin with turpentine. 6. |
Amber, 12 oz.; asphaltum, 2 oz.; fuse
by heat, add boiled oil pint, resin 2 oz.;
when cooling add 16 oz. oil of turpentine.
WHITE JAPAN GROUNDS. - Flake-
white, or white-lead, washed and ground
up with the sixth of its weight of starch,
and dried; temper properly for spread-
ing with mastic varnish. Lay on the
body to be japanned, then varnish over
it with 5 or 6 coats of the following
varnish :-Seed-lac, 2 oz.; gum anime,
3 oz.; reduce the gums to a coarse pow-
der, dissolve in about a quart of spirits
of wine, and strain off the clear varnish.
The seed-lac will give a slight tinge to
this composition; but it cannot be omitted
where the varnish is wanted to be hard,
though where a softer will answer the
end the proportion may be diminished,
and a little crude turpentine added to the
gum anime to take off the brittleness.

BLUE JAPAN GROUNDS may be formed of bright Prussian blue, or of smalt. The colour may be mixed with shellac varnish; but as shellac will somewhat injure the colour by giving it a yellow tinge, where a bright blue is required the method directed in the case of white grounds must be pursued.

RED JAPAN GROUND.-The base of this japan ground must be made up with madder lake, ground with oil of turpentine; this forms the first ground; when perfectly dry, a second coat must be applied, composed of lake and white copal varnish; and the last with a coat composed of a mixture of copal and turpentine varnish mixed up with lake. Vermilion or carmine can also be used for red japan instead of lake.

tilled verdigris, with king's yellow and a varnish, and the effect will be rendered extremely brilliant by laying on a ground of gold leaf.

ORANGE JAPAN GROUNDS may be formed by mixing vermilion or red-lead with king's yellow or orange lake; or red orpiment will make a brighter orange ground than can be produced by any mixture.

PURPLE JAPAN GROUNDS may be produced by the mixture of lake or vermilion with Prussian blue. They may be treated as the rest with respect to the varnish.

TORTOISESHELL JAPAN.-Linseed oil, 2 pints; umber, lb.; boil together until the oil becomes very brown and thick; strain through a cloth and boil again until the composition is about the consistence of pitch, when it is fit for use. Having prepared this varnish, clean well the article that is to be japanned, and then lay vermilion, mixed with shellac varnish, or with drying oil, diluted with turpentine, very thinly on the places intended to imitate the clear parts of the tortoiseshell. When the vermilion is dry, brush over the whole with the above umber varnish diluted to a due consistence with turpentine, and when it is set and firm it must be put into a stove and undergo a strong heat for a long time, even two weeks will not hurt it.

PAINTING JAPAN-WORK. The preparation of colours for japan-work consists in bringing them to a due state of fineness, by grinding on a stone in oil of turpentine. The best varnish for binding and preserving the colours is shellac ; YELLOW JAPAN GROUNDS.-1. King's this, when judiciously managed, gives yellow may be used, and the effect will be such a firmness and hardness to the heightened by dissolving powdered tur- work, that, if it be afterwards further meric root in the spints of wine, of which secured with a moderately thick coat of the upper or polishing coat is made, seed-lac varnish, it will be almost as which spirits of wine must be strained hard and durable as glass. Painting in from off the dregs before the seed-lac is varnish is, however, more tedious than added to it to form the varnish. 2. Saf- in oil or water; it is therefore now usual fron, crome yellow, or turmeric, dissolved in japan-work, for the sake of dispatch, in spirits of wine, strained, and mixed and in some cases for the freer use of with pure seed-lac varnish. the pencil, to lay on the colours with GREEN JAPAN GROUNDS may be pro-japanners' gold size. The colours are also duced by mixing Prussian blue, or dis- sometimes laid on in gum water, but