CHAP. VI.
Of ftaining wood, ivory, bone, horn, alabafter, marble, and other ftones, of various colours.
S E C T. I. Of flaming wood*
Of flaining ’woodyellow.
TAKE any white wood j and brulh it over feveral times with the tincture of turmeric root, made by putting an ounce of the turmeric ground to powder to a pint of fpiritj and, after they have flood fome days, {training off the tindhire. If the yellow colour be defired to have a redder call, a little dragon’s blood mufl be added, in the propor-tion that will produce the teint required.
A cheaper, but leaft ftrong and bright yellow, may be given to wood by rubbing it over feveral times with the tindture of the French berries, prepared as in p. 102, and made boiling hot. After the wood is again dry, it fhould be brufhed over with a weak alum water ufed cold.
Leffer pieces of wood, inftead of brufhed over with them, may be ioaked in the decoctions or tindtures.
Wood may be alfo ftained yellow by means of aqua fortis; which will fometimes produce a very beautiful yellow colour, but at other times a browner. The wood fhould be warm, when the aqua fortis is laid on; and be held to the fire immediately afterwards; and care muft be taken, that either the aqua fortis be not too ftrong-, or that it be fparingly ufed; otherwife a brown, lbmetimes even blackilh, may be the refult.
In order to render any of thefe ftains more beautiful and durable, the wood fhould be rufhed after it is coloured 5 and then varniftied by the feed-dac varnifh; or, when defired to be very ftrong, and to take a high polifh, with three or fbur coats of {hell-lac varnifh, and as many of that of feed-lac.
Ofjlaining ‘wood red.
For a bright red ftain for wood, make a . ftrong infufion of Brazil in' ftale urine, or water impregnated with pearl afhes in the proportion of an ounce to a gallon ; to a gallon of either of which, the proportion of Brafil wood muft be a pound: which being put to them, they muit iland together two or three days, often ftirring the mixture. With this infufion • (trained, and made boiling hot, bruih over the wood to be ilained, till it appear ftrongly coloured : then, while yet wet, bruih it over with alum water made ih the proportion of two ounces of alum to a quart of water.
For a lefs bright red, diflolve an ounce of dragon’s blood in a pint of fpirit of wine; and bruih over the wood with the tinéture, till the ilain appear to be as ilrong as is defined.
For a pink or rofe red, add to a gallon of the above infufion of Brazil wood two additional ounces of the pearl aihes, and ufe it as was before directed: but it is neceflary, in this cafe, to bruih the wood over often with the alum water. By increafing the proportion of pearl aihes, the red may be rendered yet paler: but it is proper, when more than this quantity is added, to make thé alum water ftronger.
Theiè reds, when it is necefiary, may be varniihed as the yellows.
Of Jlatning 'wood blue.
Wood may be ilained blue by means either of copper, or indico: but the firit will afford a brighter colour; and is toore generally practicable than the latter; bccaufe the indico can be uied only in that ilate to which it is brought by the manner of preparation ufed by die dyers: of whom indeed it muil be had, as it cannot be' properly fb prepared but In large quantities, and with a particular apparatus. The method of ftaining blue with the copper is therefore as follows.
“ Take a lolution of copper, made according to the directions given in p. 86 j and ** brulh it while hot feveral times over the ** wood. Then make a folution of pearl ** allies, in the proportion of two ounces to a “ pint of water ; and brufh it hot over the “ wood, ftained with the folution of copper, ** till it be of a perfectly blue colour.”
Wood ftained green as above by verdigrife, may likewife be made blpe, by uung the folution of the pearl alhes in the fame manner.
When indico is ufed for ftaining wood blue, it mult be managed thus.
Take indico prepared with fope-lees as “ when ufed by the dyers; and brulh the wood ** with it boiling hot. Prepare then a folution “ of white tartar or cream of tartar, which is “ to be made by boiling three ounces of the ** tartar, or cream, in a quart of water : and “ with this folution, ufed copioufly, brulh “ over the wood before the moifture of the ** tindture of indico be quite dried out of it.” Thefe blues may be rulhed and varnilhed as the reds where there is occafion.
Of Jlaining ‘wood of colour.
Mahogony colour is the moft ufeful of any ftain for. wood (elpecially fince the fineering F f 3 with with different colours is out of faftiion) as it is much pradtifed at prelent for chairs and other furniture made in imitation of mahogony j which, when well managed, may be brought to have a very near refemblance.
This {lain may be of different hues* as the natural wood varies greatly, being of all the intermediate teints betwixt the red brown, and purple brown, according to the age, or fome- times the original nature of different pieces.
For the light red brown, ufe a decodtion of madder, or fuftic wood, ground in water j the proportion may be half a pound of madder, and a quarter of a pound of fuftic, to a gallon: or in default of fuftic an ounce of the yellow berries may be ufed, This muft be brufhed over the wood to be ftained, while boiling hot, till the due colour be obtained: and, if the wood be kindly grained, it will have greatly the appearance of new mahogony.
The fame effedt nearly may be produced by the tindture of dragon’s blood, and turmeric root, in fpirit of wine: by increafir.g or dimi- nifhing the proportion of each of which ingredients, the brown ftain may be varied to a more red or yellow caft at pleafure. This fucceeds better upon wood which has already fome tinge of brown, than upon whiter.
For the dark mahogony take the infufion of madder made as above, except the exchanging the fuftic for two ounces of logwood: and when the wood to be ftained has been'feveral times bruihed over, and is again dry, it muft be llightly brufhed over with water in which pearl alhes have been diflolved, in the proportion of about a quarter of an ounce to a quart. ,
Any ftains of the intermediate colours may be made by mixing thefe ingredients, or varying the proportion of them.
Where thefe ftains are ufed for better kind of work, the wood Ihould be afterwards var- nifhed with three or four coats of feed-lac var- riilh ; but for coarfe work, the varnilh of refin and feed-lac may be employed, or they may be only well rubbed over with drying oil.
Of faming green.
DifToIve verdigrife in vinegar, or chryftals of verdigrife in water j and, with the hot folution, brufh over the wood till it be duly ftained.
This may be rufhed and varnifhed as the above. ,
. Of f aining wood purple.
Brufh the wood to be ftained feveral times with a ftrong decodtion of logwood and Brafil, made in the proportion of one pound of the logwood, and a quarter of a pound of the Brazil, to a gallon of water; and boiled for an hour or more. When the wood has been brufh - ed over till there be a fufficient body of colour, let it dry; and then be llightly palled over by a folution of one dram of pearl alhes in a quart F f 4 of water. This foliation mull be catefblly uled, as it will gradually change the colour from a brown red, which it will be originally found to be, to a dark blue purple ; and therefore its effect mull be rellrained to the due point for producing the colour defired. .
This may be varnilhed as the reft.
Of Jlatrting wood black.
Brulh the wood feveral times .with the hot decodtion of logwood made as above; but without the Brafil : then, having prepared an in- fufion of galls, by putting a quarter of a pound of powdered galls to two quarts, of water, and letting them in the fun-fhine, or any other gentle heat, for three or four days, brulh the wood three or four times over with it: and then pafs over it again, while yet wet, with a fohition of green vitriol in water, in the proportion of two ounces to a quart.
The above is the cheapell method : but a very fine black may be produced, by brulhing the wood feveral times over with a folution of copper in aqua fortis; and afterwards with the decodlipn of logwood, which mull be repeated til] the colour be of fufficient forte; and the greennefs, produced by the folution of the copper, wholly overcome*
Thel'e blacks may be varnilhed as the other colours.
Where die ftains are defired to be very ftrong, as in the cafe of wood intended to be ufed for fineering, it is in general neceflary^ they fhould be foaked, and not brufhed; to render which the more practicable the wood may be previoufly flit, or fawed, into pieces of a proper thicknefs for inlaying.
It is to be underftood alfb, that when the . wood is above ordered to be brufhed feveral times over with the tinging fubftances, it fhould be fuffered to dry betwixt each time.