All straw hat varnishes are required to dry in a few minutes and form a, firm, pliant, and elastic cover, though a high lustre is not essential. Hence spirit varnish is particularly suitable; any desired colour is gained by the addition of pigments soluble in alcohol, the coal tar (aniline) colours being best adapted for this purpose. Generally, the manufacturer of straw hat varnish prepares two or three colourless stock varnishes which may be coloured as occasion requires. Shellac is the indispensable gum for every spirit varnish, but it cannot, owing to its brown colour, furnish a white or pale varnish, so it is suitable only for dark coloured varnish. A good stock varnish from which black, brown, dark green, deep blue, and similar tones may be made is obtained from 180 grammes of shellac, 45 grammes of soft Manila copal, 45 grammes of sandarach or resin, 1 gramme of castor oil, and sufficient methylic alcohol to form a suitable solution. To produce coloured varnishes from this the respective alcohol soluble aniline colour alone need be added. Ivory black, spirit blue, Bismarck brown, aniline yellow, brilliant green, safranine, and crystal scarlet are among the colours suitable lor this purpose, and by their mixture the most varying tints can be produced.

The purest and best of these colours should be used; then only a little colour will be necessary. Straw hat varnish making is throughout a cold process, only careful intermixing, slow digestion to complete the solution, stirring from time to time, and perhaps filtration, being necessary. To the above stock varnish add, to obtain black, 55 grammes of spirit-soluble ivory black per 9 litres of varnish; the shade may be varied beautifully by a slight addition of spirit blue or malachite green. For olive brown, add 15 grammes of brilliant green, 55 grammes of Bismarck brown, and 8 grammes of spirit blue. For olive green, add 28 grammes of brilliant green and 28 grammes of Bismarck brown. For nut brown, add 55 grammes of Bismarck brown and 15 grammes of nicrosine. For mahogany brown, add 2i grammes of Bismarck brown; the colour may be deepened by a little nicrosine. For peacock blue, add 55 grammes of spirit blue and 28 grammes of induliue. The above are mostly dark coloui-ed varnishes, for the preparation of which shellac is only suitable. Some lighter coloured solutions will now be given.

A white stock varnish suitable for the preparation of light-coloured straw hat varnish is a solution of 27 grammes of sandarach, 9 grammes of elemi-resin, 9 grammes of pine resin, and 2 1/5 grammes of castor oil in 18 centilitres of methylic alcohol. To produce a golden yellow colour, add to 9 litres of this varnish 55 grammes of chrysoidiue and 55 grammes of aniline yellow. For pale green, add 55 grammes of brilliant green and 7 grammes of aniline yellow. For medium blue, add 55 grammes of spirit blue. For deep blue, add 55 grammes of spirit blue and 55 grammes of induline. Vary the proportions of these two pigments to obtain other blue tones. For peacock blue, add 5'3 grammes of spirit blue, 28 grammes of induline, and a little brilliant green. For violet, add 28 grammes of methyl violet. For crimson, add 55 grammes of safranine. For chestnut brown, add 55 grammes of safranine and 15 grammes of induline.