The Golden State: Where & How to Live, Secure, Visit, Enjoy and Thrive in California
Furniture Finishing
Any over spray on gum or walnut will readily wipe off the fancy veneers due to their having been protected with shellac. Apply medium coat white shellac to gum and filled walnut, then sand and shade using a large spray cone on walnut and gum, a very fine one around edges of fancy veneers. To mix shading stain dissolve 3 oz. Bismarck brown, 11/4 oz. spirit nigrosene and 1/4 oz. spirit loutre brown in 41/2 gallons alcohol, to which add 1 gallon 4 lb.-cut white shellac.
OTHER STAIN FORMULAS
An excellent color for Ash consists of 4 oz. walnut crystals and 1 oz. lemon yellow to the gallon of water. Tulip is a delicate wood which should be wash-coated natural with half white and half orange shellac or stained 1/4 oz. walnut crystals and a trace of orange yellow to the gallon. Zebrawood may be finished natural or stained to imitate rosewood with a weak brown mahogany stain. Mahogany depends on the figure, for fiddle back or straight grain a good formula is 1/2 oz. mahogany brown, 8 oz. walnut crystals, 1 oz. orange yellow to 6 gallons water; for crotch, 1 oz. lemon yellow, 4 oz. orange yellow. 3/4 oz. jet nigrosene crystals to 11/2 gallons water or a natural finish by wash coating with a mixture of 1 part white shellac and 3 parts alcohol; broken stripe 3 oz. walnut crystals, 3 oz. bichromate of potash, 1/2 oz lye, 1/8 oz. mahogany brown in 2 gallons water. Black transparent wood filler is used with all of the above over a washcoat of half orange and white shellac, and all may be shaded with the mixture above mentioned. Brazil Bosewood may be stained with 2 oz. mahogany brown, 2 oz. bichromate of potash, oz. jet nigrosene in 11/2 gallon of water. Satinwood—1 oz. lemon yellow, 4 oz. orange yellow and % oz. jet nigrosene in 51/2 gallons water.
Maple, blistered, 3 oz. walnut crystals, 3 oz. bichromate of potash, 1/2 oz. lye, 1/2 oz. mahogany brown in gallons water; birdseye, shellac half and half orange and white. All but rosewood may be shaded.
STAIN ON VENEER
It must always be remembered that a stain on veneer takes lighter than on solid wood which may be evened by making the veneer stain stronger or cutting the solid wood stain. To prevent a water stain from darkening unduly, as with cross grain, moisten the veneer with water first which will prevent the stain from penetrating too deeply. Filler is sometimes blamed for a streaked veneer finish when the actual fault lies in the checking of the veneer itself. A magnifying glass is the best means of analyzing veneer finish troubles. No successful method has thus far been developed for preventing the raising of the grain by Mater stain and it is therefore best to avoid experiments in this direction lest they end by proving costly.
