Turpentine Varnish

Take of black resin one pound and a half, oil of turpentine two pints. Melt the resin, and after having removed it from the fire, mix in, gradually, the turpentine. Strain if necessary.

Varnish For Furniture

Melt one part of virgin's white wax, with eight parts of petroleum; by a slight coat of this mixture on the wood with a fine brush while warm, the oil will then evaporate, and leave a thin coat of wax, which should afterwards be polished with a coarse woollen cloth.

An Excellent Varnish For Cabinet Work

Take shell-lac one ounce and a half, gum mastic and gum sandarac of each half an ounce, spirits of wine twenty ounces. The gums to be first dissolved in the spirit, and lastly the shell-lac; this may be performed by putting the mixture into a bottle loosely corked, and placing it in a vessel of warm water, which must not boil, keeping the bottle in the warm water until the gums are dissolved. Should evaporation take place, an equal quantity of spirits of wine so lost, must be replaced in the bottle; let the whole settle, and pour off the clear liquid for use, leaving the sediment behind, but do not filter it.

To Varnish A Piece Of Furniture

First make the work quite clean; then fill up all knots or blemishes with cement of the same colour; see that your brush is clean, and free from loose hairs; then dip your brush in the varnish, stroke it along the wire raised across the top of your varnish pot, and give the work a thin and regular coat; soon after that another, and another, always taking care not to pass the brush twice in the same place; let it stand to dry in a moderately warm place, that the varnish may not chill.

When you have given your work about six or seven coats, let it get quite hard (which you will prove by pressing your knuckles on it; if it leave a mark, it is not hard enough); then with the three first fingers of your hand rub the varnish till it chafes, and proceed over that part of the work you mean to polish, in order to take out all the streaks, or partial lumps made by the brush; then give it another coat, and let it stand a day or two to harden.

To Polish Varnish

Put two ounces of powdered Tripoli into an earthen pot or basin, with water sufficient to cover it; then with a piece of fine flannel four times doubled, laid over a piece of cork rubber, proceed to polish your varnish, always wetting it well with the Tripoli and water; you will know when the process is complete, by wiping a part of the work with a sponge, and observing whether there is a fair and even gloss; clean off with a bit of mutton suet and fine flour.

To Keep Brushes In Order

It is necessary to be very careful in cleaning them after being used, for if laid by with the varnish in them, they are soon spoiled; therefore, after using, wash them well in spirits of wine or turpentine, according to the nature of your varnish; after which you may wash them out with hot water and soap, and they will be as good as new, and the spirits that are used for cleaning, may be used to mix with varnish for the more common purposes, or the brushes may be cleaned, merely with boiling water and 6trong yellow soap.