The Project Gutenberg eBook, Practical Graining, by William E. (William Edmund) Wall This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org Title: Practical Graining With Description of Colors Employed and Tools Used Author: William E. (William Edmund) Wall Release Date: December 31, 2012 [eBook #41749] Language: English Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 ***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK PRACTICAL GRAINING*** E-text prepared by Chris Curnow, Diane Monico, and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team (http://www.pgdp.net) from page images generously made available by Internet Archive (http://archive.org) Note: Images of the original pages are available through Internet Archive. See http://archive.org/details/practicalgrainin00wall Practical Graining WITH DESCRIPTION OF COLORS EMPLOYED AND TOOLS USED ILLUSTRATED BY FORTY-SEVEN COLORED PLATES REPRESENTING THE VARIOUS WOODS USED IN INTERIOR FINISHING BY WILLIAM E. WALL GRAINER TO THE TRADE. PHILADELPHIA: HOUSE PAINTING AND DECORATING PUBLISHING CO. EIGHTEEN-NINETY-ONE. Entered according to act of Congress in the year 1890 by The House Painting and Decorating Publishing Co. in the office of the Librarian of Congress at Washington, D. C. All Rights Reserved. CONTENTS. Page Chapter I. Groundworks for graining; graining compared with plain painted work; removing old paint; mixing ground colors 5 Chapter II. The graining color; imitating simple woods; graining color for light oak; mixing graining color; applying the color; representing champs or lights of oak 9 Chapter III. Quartered oak; overgraining; heart of oak; use of the check roller 13 Chapter IV. Graining oak in distemper; the light veins in oak; graining ash; putting in heart work; over-graining ash; ash in distemper; matching white ash 16 Chapter V. Hungarian ash; burl ash in water color and in oil 19 Chapter VI. Chestnut; colors for graining chestnut; wiping the hearts and blending; chestnut in water color; bird's-eye maple; putting in lights and shades; putting in the curly or rock maple; silver maple 21 Chapter VII. Satinwood; groundwork for satinwood; putting in the mottling 26 Chapter VIII. Pollard oak; cherry; cherry in distemper; glue size for distemper binder 27 Chapter IX. Black walnut in oil; black walnut in distemper 31 Chapter X. French walnut burl in distemper 32 Chapter XI. Mahogany; Honduras feathered mahogany; stippling in mahogany; feathered mahogany 35 Chapter XII. Rosewood; the use of the bamboo brush; imitating rosewood in water color; cypress wood 37 Chapter XIII. Hard pine; white wood 40 Chapter XIV. Varnishing over grained work; cracking of varnish on inside work 42 Chapter XV. Graining considered as a fine art; graining sometimes condemned; the artistic merit of graining 46 Chapter XVI. The tools used by grainers; combs; overgrainers; badger blenders; castellated overgrainers; mottlers; cutters; stipplers; check roller; fresco bristle liners 48 Chapter XVII. Patent graining machines; patent roller process; the Mason pad; objections to machine graining; stencil plates; gransorbian transfer process; transfer paper 54 Chapter XVIII. The imitation of carved work, mouldings, etc. 59 Index i Index to Colored Plates ix LIST OF COLORED ILLUSTRATIONS. 1. Grounds for Graining Hungarian Ash, Maple, Light Ash and Light Oak. 2. Grounds for Graining Chestnut, Dark or Pollard Oak, Black or French Walnut, Stained Cherry, Mahogany and Rosewood. 3. Plain or Wainscot Oak, Light. 4. Flaked Oak, Light. 5. Flaked Oak, Light. 6. Heart Growth Oak, Light. 7. Heart Growth Oak, Pencilled. 8. Flaked Oak, Light, Shaded. 9. Heart of Oak, Checked and Shaded. 10. Flaked Oak, Light Shaded. 11. Flaked or Quartered Dark Oak, Shaded. 12. Heart of Light Ash, Wiped Out. 13. Heart of Light Ash Wiped Out and Shaded. 14. Heart of Ash, Dark, Pencilled. 15. Hungarian Ash, Wiped Out and Pencilled. 16. Burl Ash in Water Colors. 17. Dark Ash, Pencilled and Combed. 18. Hungarian Ash, Wiped Out. 19. Bird's-Eye Maple, Overgrained. 20. Chestnut. 21. Bird's-Eye Maple, Mottled Ready for the Eyes. 22. Bird's-Eye Maple with the Eyes. 23. Chestnut. 24. Satinwood Mottled. 25. Satinwood Mottled and Overgrained. 26. Curly Maple Mottled to Overgrain. 27. Curly Maple Overgrained. 28. Pollard Oak. 29. Pollard Oak. 30. Cherry Mottled in Oil before being Overgrained. 31. Cherry Mottled and Pencilled in Oil. 32. Cherry Mottled and Pencilled in Oil. 33. Cherry Mottled and Pencilled in Oil as Finished. 34. Cherry Wiped Out and Pencilled in Oil. 35. Walnut Stipple. 36. Black Walnut Pencilled. 37. Walnut Wiped Out and Pencilled. 38. Curly Walnut. 39. French Walnut Burl. 40. Mahogany Straight 41. Mahogany Mottled. 42. Mahogany Feathered. 43. Rosewood as Outlined to Overgrain. 44. Rosewood as Finished. 45. Cypress in Oil. 46. Hard Pine. 47. Whitewood in Oil. MAPLE OR SATIN WOOD. LIGHT ASH. LIGHT OAK. HUNGARIAN ASH. GROUNDS FOR GRAINING.—IN ILLUSTRATION OF ARTICLE BY WM. E. WALL PRACTICAL GRAINING. CHAPTER I. GROUND-WORKS FOR GRAINING following remarks, while not claiming to be anything new or startling, will perhaps be of interest to those who seek to improve themselves in the modern style of imitating the grain of wood. The ideas set forth in these pages are founded on the observation and every-day experience of a grainer to the trade who does not claim to be the best in the world, but who offers his suggestions for the good of the craft. Graining is often overlooked in the rage for stained white wood or olive greens in interior work, but it will always find favor with those who have experienced its wearing qualities as compared with plain painted work; for should the varnish be of good quality and not crack, the work, if properly done, will stand for years and will not fade in the manner that paint does, and where the work is properly done on new wood it cannot be chipped off unless the wood is taken off with it. It can be scoured off, but will not come off otherwise. Where graining is done over old paint or over work that has been previously grained the case is different, as, if knocked or bruised, it will chip off to the coat beneath, and where the work has formerly been white the [Pg 4] [Pg 5] effect is very bad and is hard to remedy; but if care is taken when grounding the work, it may to a great extent be prevented. In preparing old work for graining one of the first things requisite is to have the surface made as smooth as possible; this may be done with sand-paper or—what is better—lump pumice stone. In case the graining is done over old paint that has cracked the best thing to do is to remove the old varnish or paint by the application of a strong solution of washing soda or a weak solution of potash. Some painters use spirits of ammonia or burn off with a burning-lamp. After thoroughly softening or removing the old paint or varnish with either soda or potash, the work should be washed off with a weak solution of vinegar (about a pint of vinegar to a pailful of water), in order to remove all traces of the alkali and prevent its future action on the paint. Some painters think that this is too much trouble and assert that they cannot get paid for doing work in this way, but in the end it will prove to be the best way, as it will greatly add to the appearance and durability of any job so to prepare it. In any case the work should be thoroughly sand-papered and made as smooth as possible before receiving the first coat; this, of course, is for old work. The ground-color should be thinned with about half spirits of turpentine and half oil, with the addition of sufficient drier for old work, and oil, with an extra quantity of drier, for first coat on new work, using some spirits for the second and third coats. The writer has found by experience that on the cheapest jobs (of two-coat work) where the wood is sappy and the work has been rendered rough by the painter using a large quantity of drier in his priming coat, a much better surface is made to grain over by this method. It will not spot or look cloudy when rubbed in to grain, as two-coat work often does on new wood. A little "elbow-grease" and sand-paper between coats make a vast difference in the looks of a job when finished, and the ground-work should always be lightly sand-papered before it is rubbed in by the grainer. CHESTNUT. DARK OR POLLARD OAK. BLACK OR FRENCH WALNUT. STAINED CHERRY. MAHOGANY. ROSEWOOD. GROUNDS FOR GRAINING.—IN ILLUSTRATION OF ARTICLE BY WM. E. WALL In mixing the ground-color for graining never use dry colors where it can be avoided, as the work will be more or less gritty, and there is really no saving in their use. A pound of color ground in oil will go much further than one of dry color, is more easily applied and is much better to grain over. Of course much depends on the purity of the colors employed, and the painter will find that the best colors are none too good for his use, as they go further and work better than do [Pg 6] [Pg 7] the cheaper grades. It is a good plan always to strain the color before thinning, whether the colors used be dry or ground. The foregoing may seem superfluous to the good workman, as he himself has probably found out more than this; but it may put some beginner on the right track, and none of us are expert enough to miss learning a point if we can. MIXING OF THE GROUND COLORS. The ground-work for oak is made by adding yellow ochre to lead till the color is deep enough. In matching the real wood a little raw umber will help to bring it to the desired color, but is better without the umber for light work. In matching very light oak chrome yellow may be substituted for ochre. For dark oak use the same colors as for light and add Venetian red and burnt umber; the same color will do for pollard oak. For green oak (á la furniture) do the same as for ordinary work, and when grained shade it over with a thin wash of chrome green or add a little black to the ground color. For ash use the same color as for light oak, but do not get it quite so yellow; a little raw umber will counteract this. A little chrome yellow may be added for Hungarian ash. For chestnut use a similar color to that for ash, but deeper and with a little red. For maple the ground-work should be very light. To an ordinary pot two-thirds full of lead well broken up add about a teaspoonful of chrome yellow and about half that amount of burnt sienna; some grainers prefer a very little Venetian red instead of the burnt sienna. In matching the wood get the ground-work as near the lightest color on the wood as possible, and you cannot go astray. For satin-wood the ground-work is similar to maple, but deeper in color. For burl ash use the same color as for ash, or slightly deeper. The ground-work for cherry is probably mixed differently by every painter—at least, that is my experience—and it is hard work to make any workman believe that his is not the right way. In different parts of the country the popular idea of what "cherry color" is, varies greatly. In the majority of cases what has been called "the color of the fruit" is wanted, so we must make the ground-work to suit the demand. Cherry in its natural color is but little darker than ash, and the ground-work may be made in the same way or by adding raw sienna to the lead instead of yellow ochre and umber. The cherry that grainers have to match is often finished by furniture-makers, and is as dark as mahogany; in such cases the ground-work must be made with yellow ochre for the basis of the color and darkened by Venetian red. It will want little if any lead for the darker kinds of stained cherry, but will stand some for the lighter shades. In priming new work add considerable lead for first coat, as it gives more body. Three thin coats are none too many for new work, and they should be applied without leaving brush-marks. There is nothing more aggravating to the grainer than to find that a job is full of streaks of thick paint, as it is almost impossible to do a good job on such a ground-work. The foregoing remarks apply to priming coats on new wood for graining any kind of wood. The ground-work for walnut is made by taking yellow ochre for the base of the color and adding a small quantity of Venetian red and a little burnt umber; for very light work a little lead may be added. The same ground will do for French walnut. For mahogany the ground-work is made of yellow ochre, Venetian red and red lead. For rosewood chrome yellow, red lead and a small quantity of Venetian red. The foregoing are about all the woods that a grainer in New England is called upon to imitate; and if I mistake not, it is so elsewhere. Of course all painters or grainers may not agree with me in using the colors named for preparing the ground-work, but good work can be done on such grounds. One thing I wish to say is, Never use Indian red in a ground-color, as it is not transparent and makes the work look muddy. In grounding work for cherry or walnut, where the old paint is not removed, it is well to add some red lead to the color, which should be frequently stirred, or the red lead will deposit on the bottom of the pot. CHAPTER II. THE GRAINING COLOR. mixing the graining-color for any wood just as much difference of opinion exists among grainers as to the proper way of mixing the color as there is among painters as to the proper way of mixing the ground-color, and although different grainers have their own method of preparing and mixing their graining-color, and often use different materials and colors, still, good workmen will often obtain the same effects, but by a different process. Such being the case, it is impossible to lay down any cast-iron rule for the materials to be used in the representation of any wood or for the proper way to imitate any wood. In imitating the color of certain woods the colors used are quite simple, while for other woods considerable pains must be taken and a number of colors used if the color of the wood is to be matched. I think the most common fault of graining is that the color is made darker than it should be; still, the grainer is not always to blame for this, as such a fault cannot be laid to his charge if the painters insist on keeping the ground-color itself as dark as or darker than the work should be when [Pg 8] [Pg 9] [Pg 10] grained. Many a time in the experience of grainers is this the case, and I have on more than one occasion mixed a proper ground-color to match wood after being called upon by some alleged painter (who thought the ground-color he had put on was correct) to grain the job, but in most cases it is said, "Do the best you can with it and let it go, as the folks want to move in," or, "I want to get my money," etc., and so grainers do the job if the color is not too far off from what it should be. Let us suppose that we are going to grain a job of light oak in oil. First lightly sand-paper the ground-work with a piece of fine or an old piece of sand-paper, and dust off. The ground-color should be quite hard, and not tacky, before the graining-color is applied, and two or three days is none too long a time to stand before being grained. Where a good job is to be done and finished at one impression, as we might call it, the manner of working can be reversed—that is, the work can be shaded or over-grained, as it were, on the ground-color in distemper before being rubbed in oil. The check roller can be used to good advantage, and the panels and stiles of doors streaked or mottled. The distemper color must not be diluted with much water, or it will rub off when the oil-color is being applied over it. This way of working is an advantage in matching stained oak, as all that remains to be done after it is grained is to stain it to the desired depth or color. On ordinary work this shading is done on the graining-color when dry. The colors necessary for graining oak will be raw sienna and burnt umber, with a very little black to be added in case it is needed. It is impossible to specify the exact amount of each color to be used, and the judgment of the workman must be exercised in all cases. The ordinary way is to mix about two-thirds raw sienna and one-third burnt umber, adding the black if necessity should require to match wood. Do not get the color too yellow, but rather on the gray shade, as that is most frequently the color of the wood. The color should be thoroughly mixed in a clean pot, and, if in oil, thinned with the following mixture, or sufficient of it to bring the color to the desired shade: Half a gallon of spirits of turpentine; two and a half pints of linseed oil (boiled is to be preferred); half a pint japan drier. It is better not to use too much drier, and, as the drying qualities of each maker's japans, etc., vary greatly, the workman's judgment must guide him as to the exact amount to be used. It is a matter of doubt as to what is the best article with which to thicken the color without altering the shade; a little bolted whiting is very good. Some grainers prefer melted beeswax or soap dissolved in hot water and added to the color while hot, or even cold water stirred into the color. As a rule, the less of these added to the color, the better. After thinning to the desired consistency, a good brush is the next requisite for applying the color. Do not use stubby brushes, as in so doing you lose more time than you gain by making them last longer. By general consent the flat brush has superseded the round brush in the eastern states of America for grainers' use, as it requires no binding and is a much better blender, when used as such, than any round brush, and it is more quickly broken in for use. It is better to use a medium size rather than one too large; one about three and a half inches across the butt will be found the most serviceable. An oval or a flat sash tool and a No. 2 flat fresco bristle liner, to be used as a fitch tool in putting in hearts, etc., will be all the brushes required. A set of steel combs, or even two, a coarse and a fine steel comb and one or two of good rubber, are all the tools that are required. The rubber combs should be coarse and fine—that is, the spaces between the teeth of the fine rubber comb should measure from one-sixteenth to one-eighth of an inch and the coarse one from one-eighth to one-quarter of an inch. Sometimes a rubber comb with the teeth cut graduated looks well introduced among the other work. Where the work is to be shaded or over-grained it is better to cover the teeth of the rubber combs with a thin cotton rag before using, taking a clean place on the rag for every time the comb is used, but on cheap work this may be omitted. When a piece of work is rubbed in, if it is desired to represent "champs," or "lights of oak"—better known as quartered oak—the rubber combs are first used and carefully drawn through the color—not necessarily in a straight line—and the coarse or finer, or both the steel combs, are drawn lightly over the track of the rubber comb; the work is then blended lengthwise with the flat brush, which has previously been rubbed out clean, and the champs or veins are put in across the grains previously made by the rubber and steel combs. The other implements necessary are a piece of soft rag and the thumb-nail. Many substitutes have been invented for the thumb-nail, but it is as yet unsurpassed for this particular purpose, as it is more sensitive than are the bone or horn substitutes sometimes used. [Pg 11] [Pg 12] Plate 3. PLAIN OR WAINSCOT OAK, LIGHT. Plate 4. FLAKED OAK, LIGHT. Plate 4. FLAKED OAK, LIGHT. CHAPTER III. QUARTERED OAK. imitating quartered oak, or any other wood, it should always be borne in mind that it is the wood that we wish to imitate, and not somebody's idea of what it should be —for if we copy others, we become, as Byron says, "degenerate copyists of copies"—and the best thing that any beginner can do is to procure pieces of the real [Pg 13] wood, study the various changes of grain and get the general character of the grains of each wood impressed upon his mind, then endeavor to reproduce them in his work; for the work will be judged by its general appearance, and not by the looks of any particular piece of work. After the champs or veins are wiped out with the rag, the spaces of combed work between the champs must be softened by a piece of rag folded three or four times and drawn over the combed spaces and toward the edges of the work previously wiped out with the rag. The edges of the champs may first be sharpened up by drawing the second joint of the forefinger against them. A fine comb is then waved over the spaces of open work and the whole panel blended lightly crosswise with the flat brush. Quartered oak can be imitated by combing the same as has been described, and letting the work dry before taking out the champs. When the work is dry, mix a weak solution of washing soda, and add a little dry umber to show where you touch the work, put on the champs with a fitch tool, let it stand a few minutes to soften the color, and then rub off with a soft rag, and it will be found that the graining-color is taken off to the ground-work, giving the same effect as if wiped out while the color was wet, only that the work looks cleaner. Work done in this way should be over-grained. The champs may also be put in in dark color over the dry combed work, and left so, as some veins of oak appear dark in certain lights. These dark veins may be imitated by combing the work the same as if going to use the rag to wipe out. Do not blend, but put in the veins with a small fitch tool or fresco liner dipped in some color from the bottom of your pot—not too dark—and immediately blend one way, lifting the edge of the color; after practice it will be found that a very good imitation of dark champs or veins is the result. Heart-work may be done in the same manner, but the combing should be done with a steel comb, the color for putting in the grains being but little darker than that with which the work is rubbed in. It is sometimes necessary to go over the whole with a fine steel comb. An occasional dark piece introduced among wiped work tends to relieve the sameness and looks more like the hardwoods; it also gives a better opportunity (where a job is not to be overgrained) to make distinct mitres and joints. This is very important and should never be forgotten. Be sure and have all joints cleanly cut, as nothing so much offends the eye as wavy or crooked joints. It is always better to make a distinction between the long stiles of a door and the adjoining cross rails. A common fault of the amateur grainer is his inability to make clean-cut divisions. Plate 5. FLAKED OAK, LIGHT. Plate 5. FLAKED OAK, LIGHT. [Pg 14] Plate 6. HEART GROWTH OAK, LIGHT. Plate 6. HEART GROWTH OAK, LIGHT. The heart of oak—or, as it is sometimes called, "slash oak"—is usually done in the wet color, and is not combed previous to being wiped out with a rag. The outline of the work is first wiped out and the inner edges are softened with the rag. The edges of the work toward the side of the panel should be filled out either by hand or with a small rubber or leather comb covered with a thin piece of rag, being careful to follow close to the last line done by hand. This is an operation which if not carefully done will spoil the appearance of any job. When the panel or piece of work is grained, a coarse steel comb may judiciously be used, drawing it lightly over the heart-work and softening the whole lengthwise with the dry brush and toward all knotty places or turns in the wood. In case the work is to be overgrained, care must be taken not to soften the edges too much, as it will present too sunken an appearance. The plain grains are made with the comb; and if this part of the work is properly done, the effect is better than if it were full of strong grains. When the work is to be overgrained (and good work cannot be done without), it may be overgrained when dry, in either oil or water color. If in oil (as we finish most outside doors, etc., in this vicinity instead of varnishing them), the same color may be used as for graining, or with the addition of a little more oil and drier, and darkened with umber if necessary. The check roller may first be used in water color, the work having previously been dampened, and, when the checks are dry, the whole gone over in oil. Or the checks may be put in in oil color after first overgraining in water color; this will necessitate oiling or varnishing when dry. The check roller is used to good advantage on hearts of oak, and the work should then be lightly blended lengthwise. In shading the champs the brush may be drawn through the shading-color, leaving the work streaked; then wipe off where the color covers the champs too deep. A similar effect is obtained by using a medium fine comb covered with a rag, the color being taken off in this way; this is for oil color. The blender drawn through water color, or a common oak overgrainer, gives the same effect for water color. It is better to go all over the work with a thin coat of color, as it looks raw without, and shading it in this way gives the depth that is otherwise unobtainable. Shadows are put in around knarly places, and touches added where needed, and the job is finished. CHAPTER IV. GRAINING OAK. may be overgrained by using a very thin coating of asphaltum for the shading color; thin with oil and spirits. Oak may be grained in distemper—that is, using beer or alcohol for a vehicle with the color, instead of oil. Good work can be done in this way, but not so quickly as in oil. A little sugar added to the beer makes it dry slower and work better than without it. If a tablespoonful of alcohol be added to a pint of beer, the work can be combed while wet almost as well as if in oil. First dampen the ground with a sponge wrung out in clean water, and then rub on the color the same as in oil; comb while [Pg 15] [Pg 16] wet (or use an overgrainer when dry) and blend lightly with a badger blender; then wipe out the veins or champs with a wet rag before the color dries, or afterward, as desired. A similar effect for light veins is obtained by using the fitch tool to put on the veins or champs and lifting off the color with the blender, thus leaving the champs light. For dark veins the work is put on with a fitch and left as put on. The heart-work may be done in the same manner, both for light and for dark pieces, but it cannot be done so successfully as if done in oil. Of all the woods we have to imitate, I think oak is the most difficult, hence I have tried to explain the different ways in ordinary use of imitating it; and in closing I would say, Do not overdo your work. Most grainers put in more work—that is, showy grains—than would appear in the natural wood unless it were all selected. And remember that a nice piece of combed work is just as good a representation of oak as the majority of the heart-work often seen. Plate 7. HEART GROWTH OAK, PENCILLED. Plate 8. FLAKED OAK, LIGHT, SHADED. Plate 8. FLAKED OAK, LIGHT, SHADED. Plate 9. HEART OF OAK, CHECKED AND SHADED. Plate 10. FLAKED OAK, LIGHT, SHADED. Plate 10. FLAKED OAK, LIGHT, SHADED. ASH. In graining ash in oil the colors necessary will be raw umber and raw sienna and a little Vandyke brown or black. Mix the color much the same as for oak, and the same tools can be used. After the color is rubbed in comb the places intended to be plain, and with the fitch tool or sash tool add lines, streaks, etc., if desired, using some color darkened with Vandyke brown or black, and blend lightly lengthwise with the dry brush. The heart-work or growth is represented by wiping out the color with a soft rag, the same way as for the heart of oak, but in ash the hearts are less complicated, and the points of the growth will be found to run more regular, and generally with a rounding edge instead of being [Pg 17] serrated, as are the majority of oak-growths. The hearts of ash are also more narrow in proportion to the width of the board than are those of oak, and their imitation is much less difficult. Lightly stipple all wiped-out hearts with the dry brush. I think ash is one of the easiest of woods to imitate, as oak is one of the most difficult. A very good imitation of a dark piece of heart-work may be done with a small fitch tool when the color is partially set. Sometimes the work is outlined roughly by lightly wiping off some of the color with a folded rag and describing the general direction of the grain to be followed by the fitch. The work is then put in with the fitch tool, and the edge of the color so put in is lifted with the blender, showing one edge light, and if carefully done, it looks well. The fitch tool is also employed to brighten the effects of the wiped-out hearts and to blend slightly. Where both means are used—that is, the fitch tool and the rag—in doing hearts of ash, the work presents a very woody appearance, and looks much better, if carefully done, than either method of doing heart-work does without the other. Ash is greatly improved by being overgrained, but a great many of the dark streaks can be put in while the color is wet. Allowance can be made when it is intended to overgrain the work, and the dark places can be done more successfully when the color is dry by overgraining. The same color used to grain the work will do for overgraining it, or by adding a little black and thinning with spirits of turpentine and japan for inside work, and japan and oil for outside work where it is not to be varnished. Ash may be grained in distemper by using stale beer or vinegar for thinners and the colors dry or ground in distemper. The effect of combing may be obtained by using an overgrainer. Where hearts are to be introduced, the work should be lightly stippled with a badger blender; and when dry, the wet rag or sponge may be used to wipe out the color preparatory to putting in the hearts with the fitch tool; this makes a fair job, and is the way followed by many in representing ash. The work looks fully as well, and I think cleaner, if the hearts are put in on the stippling without using a rag or sponge; do not stipple the work too heavily. In matching Western ash a little blue sometimes helps to counteract the redness of the umber, and will be found to match the dull-gray shade often seen better than black, but ash is of so many varieties and colors as to allow the use of a wide range of colors. In matching ash the filling of wood has to be taken into consideration. The filling used by the average painter is often anything but what it should be, and the beauty of many an ash door has been destroyed by the miserable attempts at filling often perpetrated by some ignorant painter. This is applicable also to other woods; but particularly to ash. Plate 11. FLAKED OR QUARTERED DARK OAK, SHADED. [Pg 18] Plate 12. HEART OF LIGHT ASH, WIPED OUT. Plate 13. HEART OF LIGHT ASH, WIPED OUT, SHADED. Plate 14. HEART OF ASH, DARK, PENCILLED. CHAPTER V. HUNGARIAN ASH. wood may be imitated in oil or water color, but the imitation is commonly done in oil. The colors used are raw sienna and raw and burnt umber; a little burnt sienna may be added to the shading color. In oil color the outline of the work is wiped out with a soft cotton rag and softened lightly, or even stippled with the dry brush, and after the color is nearly dry the lines between those wiped out with the rag are gone over with the fitch tool, the color being darkened with umber. The idea is to bring the wiped work into sharper relief. When dry, the shadows may be put in by using either oil or water color and blending softly. A little Vandyke brown will deepen the color, or thin asphaltum may be used in shading or overgraining. Where circumstances require the work to be finished without overgraining, the work may be mottled or shaded in water color on the ground-work before the oil color is applied, and in that case the work must be put in to suit the shadows and the lights that appear through the oil color. Hungarian ash varies from very bold to very fine grains, and the finer varieties may successfully be done in oil color, using the fitch tool to put in the grains and wiping out simply the lights and the shadows with the rag. The work looks better when lightly stippled in water color with the blender. In doing the work wholly in water colors, the lights and the shadows are first put in, and after these are dry the grains are introduced with the small fitch tool, lifting the edge of the color lightly with the blender. An ash door with the panels done in Hungarian ash make a very neat job if nicely performed. BURL ASH. Burl ash, or root of ash, is often used in panels, and can be imitated in either oil color or water color, but water color will be found the best. The colors used are raw sienna, burnt umber and Vandyke brown; a sponge with rather small holes is requisite for use in representing the minute clusters of knots. After the work is rubbed in, the sponge (which has previously been faced square on one side) is dipped in some of the darker color and lightly pressed against the work. It is better to use the color a little darker than that with which the work has been rubbed in, and to put it where you wish the darker portions of the wood to appear. After this is dry go over the whole panel with the sponge and some of the darkest color, lightly pressing the sponge against the work wherever you desire the knots to appear. A little growth is sometimes put in by the use of the fitch tool, and tends to relieve the sameness of the work; it must be done carefully and on a small scale. When the work is dry, carefully pass the hand over it and remove the superfluous color which adheres, and the job is then ready to be varnished. It is sometimes shaded after having one coat of varnish, in which [Pg 19] [Pg 20]