The Golden State: Where & How to Live, Secure, Visit, Enjoy and Thrive in California
Coloring Finishing And Painting Wood
Quick-drying varnishes are in a class by themselves because of their rapid setting, and also because they harden fast enough for handling or careful service within a few hours. Varnishes made of synthetic resins harden quickly and are now widely used on furniture, on floors, in architectural work, and in quick-drying paints.
339. Choice of a Varnish.—There is no such thing today as an all-purpose varnish. Varnishes are now made for special uses and for particular methods of application. In the classification for use we might mention short-oil furniture rubbing varnishes, medium-oil floor varnishes, long-oil spar varnishes, flat varnishes, insulating varnishes, mixing varnishes, color varnishes, and quite a number of special varnishes. The list of varnishes classified by methods of application is short, but the types differ considerably. Among them might be mentioned: air-drying varnishes, baking varnishes, spraying varnishes, brushing varnishes, and dipping varnishes. The user should always consider both the purpose of the varnish and the method of application which he finds available or most convenient. If a varnisher wishes to apply a furniture-rubbing varnish with a brush, he should obtain a varnish made for that particular purpose. A spraying varnish would be too thin. It should be remembered that present-day synthetic, quick-drying varnishes are not easily "doctored" by use of thinners as was possible with the old fossil-gum varnishes. Synthetic-gum varnishes do not mix properly with varnish thinners when cold. A factory-prepared varnish for each type of work and each method of application is necessary for good results today.
340. General Preparations for Brush Varnishing.—There are several preliminaries to a successful job of brush varnishing. The following are some important preparations:
1. The varnish room should be cleaned and dusted during the afternoon of the day before the varnishing is to be done. A clean room is needed, not a dusty shop used for woodworking.
2. Prepare all surfaces to be varnished—smooth, sandpaper, and dust. Do this work in another room, not the place where varnishing is to be done. "When revarnishing, it is very important to remove any old wax polish, furniture polish, grease, oil from handling or dirt by washing, preferably with turpentine. Rough undercoats should be removed or smoothed properly.
3. Have a revolving varnish stand, if possible, because the varnishing light will always be at its best when the stand is properly turned.
4. Always use a clean varnish pot or container. A drip or wipe wire across the top is very helpful. Clean tin cans make cheap and satisfactory varnish pots, which can be thrown away daily.
