The Following article originally appeared in the April 1924 edition of the British Institute of Certified Carpenters Journal
STAINING, FUMIGATING, FRENCH AND WAX POLISHING.
Since its introduction, French polishing has always maintained its position as the ideal finish for wood surfaces, for “ bringing out ” the beauty of grain and figure of all hardwoods, and for its hygienic and preservative qualities, in which respect it has never been equalled.
French polishing should be done in a room with a good light, dry atmosphere and as little dust as possible: dampness or extreme cold causes the polish to “chill” and prevents good and satisfactory results.
In the preparation of wood for the polisher, it is essential that all plane-marks, torn or irregular grain, be carefully scraped and glass papered, as polishing accentuates all irregularities and defects, and if these are not eliminated, a very patchy result will be obtained, especially when the wood is stained.
STAINING.
Vandyke crystals dissolved in boiling water makes an excellent brown stain for any kind of wood; two ozs. to a pint of water will be full strength, which can be diluted according to shade required. For staining mahogany that rich, dark colour so popular nowadays, dissolve 2 ozs. of bichromiate of potash in one pint of boiling water; this solution must be diluted to suit the wood, and to obtain the shade required, the stain should always be previously tested on a piece of glass-papered scrap wood similar to that to be stained. Bi-chromate of potash is highly poisonous and should be applied with a brush. The work should be allowed to dry and then glass-papered with fine paper till smooth.
FUMIGATING.
Oak is practically the only wood treated by this method, and as different oaks give different shades of a brown colour, it is advisable to use, in one article or piece of work the same specie of wood. American oak is not so good for this purpose as Riga or Austrian—sap wood should also be eliminated. It is necessary to have a closed chamber – or room – a cupboard will do if large enough -where all apertures can be hermetically sealed. The work to be “fumed” should be placed in this, so that a “free” circulation of air is possible to every portion of wood to be darkened; saucers or dishes containing spirits of ammonia should then be placed near the work and the room closed up. The length of time that is necessary to leave the work exposed to the action of the ammonia will depend upon the depth of colour required, the longer the period the darker the wood will become. 12 to 15 hours generally gives good results.
If it is impossible to obtain a closed space for the above purpose, a fair result can be obtained by mixing one part of spirits of ammonia to three parts of water, and applying this with a brush. Needless to say, it is advisable to do this in the open air to avoid asphyxiation. When dry, the work must be rubbed down with fine glass paper, when it will be in a nearly similar condition to the dry fumed article.
“WAX” POLISHING.
This can be obtained by first covering the work with linseed oil and allowing to dry; a brush similar to a shoe or clothes brush should then be dipped in a paste composed of beeswax and turpentine and rubbed over every part of the work, This must be allowed to “stand” for some days to become hard or dry, the work must then be vigorously rubbed with a cloth or the before-mentioned brush, when the dull polish sometimes called “eggshell” finish will result.
To obtain a similar result more expeditiously, apply white polish on a pad of wadding, carefully going over every portion of the work two or three times; let it dry for an hour or longer, then lightly glass-paper until smooth; apply more polish until a dull shine appears. Shred a quarter pound of best beeswax in half pint of turpentine and when dissolved apply to the work; leave this for about 12 hours and then brush with a stiff brush.
“ FRENCH ” POLISHING.
This type of polishing has a perfectly smooth enamel-like surface, and in woodwork is “usually preceded by a process known as “filling in,” This consists of filling up the grain of the wood to be polished, by rubbing in specially manufactured “fillers” or by dipping a wet rag in ordinary fine plaster of Paris and vigorously rubbing it across the grain, so that all open pores become filled up. The rubbing must be persisted in until all superfluous “filler” is removed, which is usually accomplished by using old rags or soft canvas. When dry, the work is ready for polishing.
For light coloured woods to be polished, a natural colour, white polish is necessary.
For dark coloured wood and for general purposes, ‘Button” polish is best.
A dark coloured polish known as “Garnet” is sometimes used for special dark work.
For mahogany tints, red polish should be sparingly used. This can be obtained ready manufactured, or by dissolving a small quantity of “red sanders,” or “bismark brown” in about a gill of “Button” polish; an occasional “dip” of this usually has the required effect.
Apply the polish to a pad of wadding covered with cotton rag—the usual method is to stretch the rag over the saturated wadding, carefully tucking the ends of the rag into the palm of the hand; the pad is thus applied to the work in a circular motion, taking care that it leaves a “smear”’ that covers every part. Not less than six superficial feet should be dealt with at one time, and these should be gone over six or seven times, allow to dry for half an hour, then glass-paper with No. O glass paper and afterwards work polish as before with slow irregular strokes, using a little linseed oil as a lubricant; pressure on the pad or rubber should be increased so as to squeeze out a thin film of polish at every stroke—the rubber must on no account be used “wet.” This is called “bodying up.” When the surface appears to have received a good coat or ” body ” of polish it should be allowed to stand until the following day.
Then, again, apply polish as in “bodying” up; work out the polish contained in the rubber till it is nearly dry, then gradually apply a little methylated spirit to the face of the rubber, working it in the direction of the grain until the oil smears entirely disappear.
For highly finished work it is usual to “ finish off ” with a new pad and rag only just damp-ed with methylated spirit.
If smears are not all off, apply another dip of spirits on pad, working with grain of wood and graduating the pressure as pad becomes dry. Another method of finishing is, instead of using spirits, to work 2 or 3 dips of polish, without oil, on the pad, and work following the grain of the wood till all smears are off the surface.
Re-polishmg old furniture is practically the same method, except staining and filling, but it must first be well washed.
Polish can be removed from the hands by either methylated spirits or hot soda-water.
To make a success of the above, practice and patience are valuable and necessary assets.
This article first appeared in the British Institute of Certified Carpenters Journal April 1924. We then reprinted it in the March 2014 issue of Cutting Edge. As part of the IOC membership, IOC members receive quarterly editions of Cutting Edge magazine and access to all back issues online.
For more information and to join the Institute of Carpenters Click here