The Golden State: Where & How to Live, Secure, Visit, Enjoy and Thrive in California

Furniture Finishing

CARVED BASE

An example of the first case would be a moulding of egg and dart design running around the edge of a table, either of carved wood, pressed fibre or plastic "gesso." The first coat acts as a sealer and consists of shellac or a neutral colored primer such as yellow ochre in japan. Next comes gold bronze, either fine lining powder in bronzing liquid or gold leaf laid over japan gold size, and finally colors in japan, the latter wiped off while still wet so as to reveal the gold on the high lights, burnished in the case of gold bronze to show sharper glints on edges or in the center. The "eggs" may be colored in alternate succession medium chrome green, vermillion red and cobalt blue, the "darts" straight gold, but the whole heavily antique glazed and often dusted as well.

Another example will be a leaf, berry and ribband carving applied to a bed or cabinet panel. After sealing with shellac the leaves are painted deep green, the berries deep red, the ribband gold bronze. The whole is then given a thin glaze of equal parts burnt umber and Venetian red dry colors mixed in japan drier and benzine, and wiped from the high lights. After shellacing a heavy slush coat of rotten stone, turps and wax is brushed on all over and wiped off so as to be left showing in crevices only. The same color scheme may be carried out entirely or in part on flutings and beading so as to harmonize.

STIPPLED BASE

Raised stippling is described elsewhere—as a base for polychroming its broken surface suggests a treatment similar to that for carving except that the coloring is variegated rather than fixed by a set design. It is true that a pattern of a certain sort may be produced by twisting the stipple brush to produce repeat swirl and scroll effects, but these run into one another and could hardly be colored separately. It is found chiefly on gift and art objects—on furniture raised stippling is confined largely to overlays and imitation hammered metal effects in a straight pounded design.

If the tips or ridges of the stippling are too sharp and coarse they may readily be made smoother and more uniform with sandpaper. After sealing with shellac a gold or aluminum bronze base coat is applied, followed by white shellac. Thereafter one or more colors may be applied, each wiped off while still wet with varying pressure until the gold or aluminum shows through the high lights only. These japan colors should be mixed very thin so as not to hide one another completely and none should be applied until the previous coat ia dry.