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Furniture Finishing

MATERIAL FORMULAS

Paint stipple paste, or "gesso," for any considerable amount of work is best purchased ready made; for small jobs it may be shop-mixed in various ways of which the following are examples:

(1) 2 lbs. plaster of paris, 2 lbs. whiting, 1 lb. dry white lead, 1 lb. glue, 1 gal. water, thickened if desired with additional whiting, thinned with more water and colored as desired with dry colors.
(2) Chinese red clay mixed stiff with glue and water.
(3) White lead in oil. whiting, rubbing varnish and japan drier, mixed to a putty and thinned if desired with benzine.
(4) Calcimine, plaster of paris and water.
(5) Mix whiting and water to cream consistency and pour into a double boiler containing 1 part varnish, 4 parts boiled linseed oil and 6 parts liquid glue, stir and cook ten minutes over a slow fire, then pour into a milk bottle and cork tightly.

Any of the patent plastic wall finishes or patching plasters such as are used by painters. It will be seen that there is not only a wide choice of materials but that many of the formulas shown are general. This is due to the fact that stipple paste, or "gesso" as it is often called, should vary in consistency according to the work and manner in which it is to be applied. If done with a knife or modeling tool, the paste should be thick and fairly stiff; if with a brush more fluid; if with a spray, considerably thinner and finer. Similarly the drying should be controlled.

On large work to be hand-stippled the paste should remain plastic long enough to get all over; on small work it can be allowed to stiffen as quickly as desired. Again, some of the formulas are oil base, others waterglue—the former are naturally more elastic and better suited to metal than the latter which are more widely used on wood, glass, plaster and compo. With all tight adhesion is of course of primary importance.

ART BELIEF

Border mouldings are built up by tacking or glueing on straight mitred or bent basswood strips, the lines kept straight with the fingers or a bit of wood; figure designs are first traced or pounced and then built up, coat on coat, to the desired height. (See Chapter X.) A flat bristle brush may be used for these operations.