The Golden State: Where & How to Live, Secure, Visit, Enjoy and Thrive in California
Coloring Finishing And Painting Wood
Rubbing-varnish which has been thinned with from three to five parts of turpentine can be used with a "rubbing-rag" on the lathe just as thin shellac is used. The coats of varnish take much longer to dry than is the case with each film of shellac. Each of the thin films of varnish adds more body to the finish than does a coat of shellac, and should have about 24 hours for drying, while the shellac finish requires only from one-half hour to an hour for hardening between applications.
Enamels And Enameling
158. Paint-Enamels and Their Functions.—The term enamel is loosely used in naming various compounds which usually contain paint, pigment-colors, and varnish. The word may also refer to fused enamels sometimes called glazes. Paint-enamels are sometimes called varnish-paints or colored varnishes. In this chapter the word enamel refers to paint-enamels exclusively. Enamels are generally defined as being either pale air-drying or baking varnishes which contain white paint-pigments and very often coloring-matter. Color in paint-enamels usually comes from pigments which are ground in varnish, oil, or japan; but in some cases it may be derived from coal-tar dyes. For white enamels the very best French-process zinc white is the pigment that is most satisfactory, and it is ground in a special very pale or transparent varnish. See Fig. 17.
Enamels possess good body, and this means opacity or power of obscuration which is commonly called coveringpower. In general, however, they do not have the opacity of oil-paints. Enamels are very tough and elastic, and usually wear far better than oil-paints under similar conditions. Many of them are made with a high gloss which resists very severe exposure, others have semigloss or dull effects.
The drying time for enamels is similar to that of oilvarnishes, being from 12 to 18 hours as a general statement.
The chief function of enamels is to give a very highgrade finish which is hard, smooth, and long-lasting for inside use and resistant to weather when used outside. Enamels are primarily finishing materials, not undercoating substances. They are used for the last one or two finishing coats only, on account of their great beauty and good wearing qualities and their superiority to paint.
159. Composition of Enamels.—The ingredients selected for the manufacture of enamels are rather numerous, because of the many uses to which enamels are put and the grades and types that are in demand.
