This part of the finishing process is that which gives to the varnish when laid upon the wood a degree of smoothness not otherwise attainable; for by the use of the brush alone, minute furrows and ridges are left upon the plastic surface of the varnish; and although good varnish possesses in itself a high gloss, the gloss is not nearly so agreeable to the eye as the brilliant polish, of which rubbing is the preliminary. The reduction of these ridges and furrows is accomplished by means of finely-powdered pumice-stone moistened with raw linseed oil, applied with a piece of hair-cloth or other coarse and fibrous material. For rubbing large flat surfaces the hair-cloth is sometimes folded over a block of convenient size, but this is not practicable for articles of small size or irregular shape. In rubbing considerable force must be used, but the stroke should be steady and as long as possible, and great care should be taken to rub the surface uniformly, as in case it is rubbed unevenly the varnish is liable to be worn away quite to the wood in some places, and the perfect smoothness that is the beauty of a good finish will thus be impossible. The edges especially are liable to be rubbed bare, and should be carefully treated. The crevices and hollows of carvings are rubbed by means of hard pointed sticks of various convenient sizes. The rubbing should be continued until the entire surface appears perfectly smooth and free from marks of any kind. The surplus pumice-stone and oil should all be carefully removed from the surface by means of rags, and the work may then be cleaned up with a little sweet oil well rubbed in, and retouched with a cloth slightly dampened in alcohol, which serves to remove any remaining oil from the surface. If article has veneered panels, they are now ready for the final processes of "polishing" or "flowing."