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Furniture Finishing

"Water spots vary as to age, and the longer water is allowed to stand on a surface, the deeper will be the white, opaque film. and of course the more difficult to remove. Small spots can be frenched out with the rubber and suitable material. Large spots can usually be removed by spraying over the spot with a material recommended for this use. Do not confuse water marks with a cloudy finish, such as is seen so much on lacquer finishes. Lacquer finishes, if correct, are not affected by water, but are frequently gray, or nearly white, for several reasons as explained below.

CLOUDY OR GRAYISH FINISHES

Many things can cause a cloudy finish, such as bleeding of stain through the finish, pigment stain, instead of a clear transparent aniline, fading of the coloring matter in filler, or improper balance of solvents in lacquer. The bleeding of stain in filler and the unbalanced formulas in lacquers are the most common causes.

Unbalanced Lacquer Formula.—The manufacture of nitrocellulose or pyroxylin lacquers are of only a few years' standing, with constant changes, chiefly to make a cheaper product, to meet competition and yet come within the field properly called pyroxylin lacquers. Some of these changes, while making a cheaper product, are not conducive to a lasting finish, and by substituting new solvents for old ones, cause blushing. Most of this blushing is caused by the addition of too much alcohol to the formula. This will also cause the cotton film to be thrown out of solution, and show a cloudy or cracked appearance.

Cloudy Surface from Filler.—A cloudy or grayish finish is very common in lacquer. Only one thing can happen to filler under lacquer to produce a cloudy surface and that is the bleaching out, OF bleeding, of the coloring matter in the filler, leaving the filler gray in the pores. Filler containing stain has been used for shading and the lacquer applied over this. The result is that the stain in the filler bleeds into the lacquer and leaves the filler gray in the pores. This can be avoided by using a spirit stain for shading over the filler and after it is thoroughly dry. The best method of shading is to use water stain and then do the high-lighting afterward.

Removing Cloudy Surface.—Frequently a cloudy surface can be eliminated on lacquer finished surfaces by spraying a solution of thinner, blush retarder and lacquer in equal proportions over the surface. Lacquer shading stains can be used to advantage over clouded surfaces if a quick job is necessary, but of course this method will change the finish to some extent. It has been proved that, regardless of the reason for a cloudy surface, grayish appearing spots on finishes can be restored to a clear finish by using amalgamates or a material recommended for water marks and varnish checks. The first operation is to sand the surface with 3/0 waterproof garnet.