The Golden State: Where & How to Live, Secure, Visit, Enjoy and Thrive in California
Coloring Finishing And Painting Wood
Lacquers-History, Uses, And Compsition
237. Brief History of Lacquers.—Few persons comprehend just what lacquer is, because the term has been used for at least three finishing-materials of quite different composition. Sometimes the word is used in referring to certain varnish-like materials used in the celebrated and much admired lustrous finishes that for many years have been coated over wood by the artistic workmen of Japan and China, and to a lesser extent of Ceylon, India, and Burma.
During many centuries, at least as far back as 500 to 600 B. C. according to some authorities, Chinese and Japan workmen have probably used these remarkable and beautiful finishes which unquestionably were superior to anything else of their kind in any part of the world. These oriental peoples discovered that a liquid exudation could be taken in spring and summer from a certain lac tree (Rhns vernicifera) by making cuts or scarifications, and that this fluid became thick and creamy, and later on changed, becoming darker in color. Several millions of pounds of this raw material usually pass annually thru the Chinese city of Hankow, the greater part being shipped to Japan where it is known as "Ki-urushi." At first when the sappy exudation comes from the trees it is of a gray-brown color and is somewhat viscous and sticky, or mucilaginous in consistency ; but finally, after exposure to the air, it turns practically black, being coated over with a rather tough and thick covering.
Oriental lacquers dry by oxidation, and are like oilvarnishes in that peculiarity, being entirely dissimilar from nitrocellulose lacquers which dry by evaporation. Tung-oil or perilla-oil is sometimes mixed with the natural lacquers from the trees, but these drying-oils are not necessary and are regarded as adulterants. More body is added to the Chinese lacquers, according to one writer, by the addition of 30 grams of Roman vitriol and 40 grams of pig's gall to each kilogram of lacquer. Sabin, in his interesting and detailed description of Chinese and Japanese lacquers, also mentions the use of Roman vitriol and hog's gall in compounding Chinese lacquers.2
The Japanese make their lacquer from the same gum or resinous material that is used by the Chinese. In Japan the lacquer is thinned "with camphor which is thought to be the only proper thinner for making it more fluid. Some authorities think that the Japanese lacquer films or coatings are more durable than finishes made from any of our best resins. Their durability is undoubtedly greater because they are nearly always applied over a wood of exceptional hardness, called teak, which shrinks and warps very little, and does not often check or crack. The lacquering fluid originally is nearly clear, but films after being spread and exposed to the air at first turn to a reddish color and finally change to a rich black. The hardness of such films increases with time.
