The Golden State: Where & How to Live, Secure, Visit, Enjoy and Thrive in California
Furniture Finishing
Liquid bronze may be brushed, sprayed or wiped on with a pouch, may be antique glazed exactly as for metal leaf, and the finer grades of powder may also be burnished with an agate tool. If desired dry colors may be added according to the novelty effect desired. Like metal leaf, bronzes are best protected with a coat of clear lacquer or pale varnish and should be applied over a sealer coat of shellac, clay or "gesso." (See Chapters X, XI and XV, also Book V.)
Bronzing Over Size.—If desired fine bronze powder may be applied over size very much as leaf. A good size for this purpose is made up of a tablespoonful of raw linseed oil in a half pint of floor varnish, thinned slightly with turpentine. This is applied smoothly and when "tacky," gilded by rubbing over with a ball of velvet tied around cotton waste and dipped in the powder. The work is done gently but quickly with a circular motion keeping the pouch well covered with powder so as not to stick in the varnish. It is also possible to blow or sift the powder on the size while it is wet and completely flowed out rather than tacky, but a burnished effect is not obtained like the method above given. Different bronze colors may be used, or the gold may be antique glazed when dry for a novelty or aged effect.
A VERXIS MARTIN FINISH
The Vernis Martin finish originated in France during the eighteenth century; "vernis" is French for varnish and Martin is the name of a leading coach painter who was the originator of the system. In this country the finish many years later was adapted to production methods and extensively used for metal objects, but is not so popular now as some twenty or thirty years ago. As a metal finish, however, it will always have use owing to the agreeable metallic lustre produced and the variety of effects obtainable with it.
Small Work.—On small work the first coat consists of a flat primer specially made for use on metal to be sprayed, brushed or dipped on and sanded lightly when dry to assure smoothness. Over this is applied varnish to act as a size which should be made for the purpose to air-dry or to bake. When this varnish has been applied and has flowed out smoothly, one or more bronze powders of extra fineness are blown on so as to cover the work uniformly. The powder should embed itself into the size so as to form a smooth finish, which when dry is protected with clear, pale varnish and rubbed dull or rubbed and polished.
Large Work.—On large work, such as metal bedsteads, the primer is dipped on and baked at the temperature and for the time appropriate to it. The varnish size is also dipped on whereupon the beds are removed by racks to a bronzing chamber where bronze powder is blown in through tubes to be whirled about and distributed evenly and thoroughly on the work by special fans. The size must be sticky enough to hold the powder but soft enough to permit the flakes to lie flat.
