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Furniture Finishing

The metal may be painted a verde green with japan color and stippled with a glaze of equal parts burnt sienna and black, or vice versa. The verde green is mixed with equal parts medium chrome green and flake white with a drop or two of burnt sienna and drop black added to dirty the tone. The stippling or mottling may be done with a brush or with a sponge and no protective coat is ordinarily applied, unless a clear flat varnish or lacquer, in order to preserve the essential dull lustre. Where an antique effect is not essential, any desired color of lacquer enamel or color varnish may be applied, the latter ordinarily over a primer coat of oxide, red lead or sublimed blue lead base.

The finish color or colors may be high or low in lustre and be antique glazed, stipple glazed or polychromed as desired. Smoker stands are often finished in black and red or black and green.

BRONZED

Bronze powders mixed in a lacquer or varnish bronzing liquid are a popular one-coat finish, applied all over or in part. Gold leaf may also be used, but except in the very expensive grades, does not ordinarily find preference. Either the bronze powder or leaf may be burnished on high lights according to the design, but both are almost invariably antique glazed. A mixture of bronze powder with dry burnt umber in the bronzing liquid gives an excellent one-coat antique worn effect without the necessity for glazing. Hammered effects with a stipple base, as described elsewhere, are also popular for this class of work.

POLYCHROME

Polychrome work may consist of successive coats of metallic bronzes, sprayed on, so as to overlap one another in a variegated blend effect all over, or of touching up here and there as with heraldic motifs, or fruit and leaf effects. In each case the work is done by hand based on the character of the design and is primarily an artist's job. There is no limit to the number of colors which may be employed or the extent of blending, though the design naturally sets a limit, since an entire piece finished in strong primary colors would naturally be overpowering. The colors are customarily antique glazed (except the metallics) and a clear gloss varnish or lacquer coat acts as a protection. Black is usually the background color and acts as an excellent foil, though dark brown and dull green may also be employed, either paint or lacquer.