The Golden State: Where & How to Live, Secure, Visit, Enjoy and Thrive in California
Furniture Finishing
Turned objects: candle sticks, lamp based and smoker stands
THE most economical production finishing method for turnings in a stain finish calls for a dip tank and a lathe. The first step is to examine the pieces for porous end grain, which if encountered, should first be sealed to prevent the stain taking dark at these points. If oil stain is used, the sealer may be one part raw linseed oil to sixteen parts benzine; for water stain a thin glue size, applied with either a brush or sponge to the end wood only. "When dry the turning is then mounted on the lathe and sanded with the paper cupped in hand while revolving at a good rate of speed, first with coarse paper against the grain, then with finer paper with the grain.
Staining.—If it is to be water-stained, the wood should first be sponged with warm water in which a little glue has been dissolved to stiffen the raised fibers, then sanded down again on the lathe with fine paper as soon as dry, after which it is dipped in the stain and set up to dry. If it is desired to high-light, the piece is placed on the lathe and lightly sanded on raised parts; in the case of oil stain, a cloth is held against the wet stain. Water stain is naturally preferable to oil stain, particularly "where a mahogany color is concerned, but oil stain is often made to serve for cheaper work.
Scaling.—When dry either water or oil stain should be sealed and this is done by dipping, brushing or spraying on a thin coat of lacquer sealer or shellac, about one pound-cut over water stain and two pounds over oil stain. The shellac should be lightly sanded on the lathe in the case of water stain, using fine paper and taking care not to cut through to the bare wood on edges. Fine excelsior will serve satisfactorily in place of sandpaper if the shellac is over oil stain. On very cheap work filler is applied directly over the water stain, but this should not be done with oil stain.
Filling.—Mahogany, walnut or oak require at this point a paste wood filler, reduced for dipping about eight pounds to the gallon of benzine, for brushing, twelve or fourteen pounds.
As soon as the filler has flatted, in fifteen or twenty minutes, the piece is placed on the lathe and the surplus wiped off by holding burlap or sea-moss against the grain while the lathe revolves slowly, so as to pack the filler well into the pores.
