Practical Graining, with Description of Colors Employed and Tools Used

The grains of cherry are apparently simple, but they will stand a large amount of study, and good work is seldom done without taking pains to represent the various characteristics of this at present fashionable wood.

Sometimes glue size is used in the color for a distemper binder, but, being of animal matter, it is seldom used by grainers. With the addition of alcohol enough to make it smell strong, it passes for white shellac among some cheap painters, and is used for first coats or stain work. It will be found that the mottlings of cherry invariably run across the grain, and this is the chief reason that stained whitewood makes such a poor imitation, the reverse being the rule for whitewood.

One thing I wish to impress upon beginners: that is to keep the color as nearly as possible like that of the natural wood, and to cater as little as possible to the prevailing fashion of making the color of cherry as dark as that of mahogany. If people want a mahogany color, try and induce them to have also a mahogany grain. I know that frequently some article of furniture made of stained cherry has to be matched in color in graining a room, and in such cases there is no resource but to imitate it. I once went to grain a chamber in imitation of cherry, and the lady of the house requested me to observe the color of her mahogany chamber-set, which color she desired to have on the woodwork of the room. I found the "mahogany" to be cherry and whitewood stained very deep, and so informed her. It was a perfectly new set, and had been sold to her for mahogany by a respectable firm. I should judge it to be worth one hundred dollars, so there is evidently "cheating in all trades but ours."

The piped overgrainer for use in oil color will be found an excellent help, both for continuing the lines of the pencilled work, and for doing the straight or mottled combing so often observed in the natural wood.

Plate 34.

CHERRY WIPED OUT AND PENCILLED IN OIL.

Plate 35.

WALNUT STIPPLE.

Plate 36.

BLACK WALNUT PENCILLED.

Plate 37.

WALNUT WIPED OUT AND PENCILLED.

CHAPTER IX.

BLACK WALNUT

This wood was very fashionable as an interior finish not very long ago, but its place is now largely occupied by cherry, mahogany and oak, and I think the change is for the better; for unless a room is well lighted, the effect of the deep color of walnut is rather sombre and the grains have less light and shade and less variety than those of oak or cherry. It can be imitated in either oil or distemper. The same tools are used as for ash. The piped bristle overgrainer is an excellent help for both oil and water color. The graining color is composed mostly of burnt umber, Vandyke brown being added for the darker portions of the work.

In my opinion, the best way to imitate walnut is first to stipple it with a thin mixture of Vandyke brown in distemper, using nothing but beer for thinner. When this is dry, rub in the oil color and wipe out the hearts with the rag in the same way as for oak and ash. Care must be taken not to add much water to the stippling color, or the stippling will be wiped off when the rag is used over it. When the hearts have been wiped out, the fitch tool may be used to sharpen up the edges of the growths and the whole lightly blended with the dry flat brush. The hearts can also be put in by using the fitch tool, or by mottling or wiping off the color slightly with the rag and then using the fitch tool as directed, the edges of the color being slightly lifted with the dry flat brush.

Some grainers prefer to use water color rather than oil, and do their work wholly in distemper. The same kit of tools is used as for cherry in distemper—viz., sponge, flat brush, sash tool, fitch tool, blender and overgrainer, either piped or plain. First stipple in the work slightly darker than if it were to be gone over in oil, and then put in the grains with a fitch tool and the overgrainer. Care must be taken in blending the hearts after pencilling, or the graining-color will lift off and show the ground-color. Oil color is sometimes used to pencil in the hearts, as it will not lift the stippling, no matter how much it is blended. A camel's-hair pencil is sometimes used to finish the points of the hearts. Care should be taken to have all the mitres and joints cleanly cut, and slightly to vary the color of the different portions of the work, so as to avoid sameness. The work may be shaded or overgrained after it is dry, but it is generally finished at once. For a quick job, done wholly in oil, rub in the work rather dry and stipple with the flat brush; then put in the hearts with the fitch tool and blend. Use the bristle piped overgrainer for portions of the work. By using the finer steel combs covered with cotton rag and stippling the work, when combed, with the dry brush, a very fair imitation is obtained.

CHAPTER X.

FRENCH WALNUT BURL

This variety of walnut comes from France, although fair burls come from Spain and Italy. A large portion of the alleged French walnut is merely the root of the American walnut, but the best specimens of burl come from France and have not as yet been grown in this country. The finest burl is cut from the excrescences or bunches which appear on the trunk of the tree, and is quite expensive. It is most frequently used for small panels on furniture, and is not generally used for house-work. Gunstocks are sometimes made from it, and such are very beautiful.

Plate 38.

CURLY WALNUT.

Plate 39.

FRENCH WALNUT BURL.

French walnut is probably imitated in a different manner in every State in the Union; hence the manner herein described may appear wholly wrong to some grainers. But if we succeed in matching the wood, the manner of doing the work is seldom called in question. There are several "patent" processes for imitating this wood, exclusive of the transfer roller.

I was informed some years ago by an agent who possessed the secret of the best way in which to grain French walnut that after two lessons in his process anybody could perfectly match the wood; he did not succeed in selling me the great (?) secret. Yet there are processes other than the ones here given which for certain kinds of work are excellent, but they are seldom used by grainers to the trade. In England the burl is seldom imitated, English imitations being mostly confined to the curly or wavy portions of the grain.

French walnut may be represented in either oil or distemper by being partially done in oil and finished in distemper, or vice versâ. The tools are the same as those used for black walnut, as are also the colors—burnt umber and Vandyke brown. For the very light portions a little burnt sienna may be added to the color. When the work is to be done in oil, rub in the color rather dry, and with the sash tool dipped in some dark color cover such portions of the work as you wish to appear dark; then take a piece of soft cotton rag and remove the color where the light places are to appear, and work up the dark places with the rag until the desired effect is obtained; then blend lightly with the dry brush, and with the fitch tool add lines and curves, or knots if desired, constantly keeping the grain of the wood in mind and striving to represent it. Blend lightly with the dry brush and stipple the light places with the flat brush (or the stippling may be done in distemper on the ground-work before the oil color is applied). When the oil color is dry, the work may be shaded or overgrained in either oil or water color.

The other method in ordinary use among grainers is to do the work wholly in distemper, and for work that is not too complicated this method is undoubtedly the best. The mode of procedure is much the same as for oil color, using the sponge to make the lighter parts, and darkening the work with the sash tool, making the settled places preparatory to overgraining. If done in this manner, the work will be gone over two or three times in an hour, which is quite an advantage, as, if the work is first done in oil, it must be allowed time to dry before being shaded; but for intricate work the grain may be done equally well in oil color if it is overgrained when dry.

This wood is not of sufficient size to be used on large surfaces without being jointed; hence it is not in good taste to imitate it on a very large scale. Its use is more properly confined to small panels and to interior rather than to exterior work. It is a very rare occurrence to find a specimen of the real wood exposed to the weather as, being but a thin veneer, it would be quickly affected by the extreme changes of temperature to which it would be subjected.

In conclusion, the only way to become expert in imitating French walnut is to strive to copy the grains of the real wood; and no wood is more often misrepresented than is French walnut.

Plate 40.

MAHOGANY STRAIGHT.

Plate 41.

MAHOGANY MOTTLED.

CHAPTER XI.

MAHOGANY

This wood was a great favorite with the grainers of the last generation, and it is at present coming back to old-time popularity. The old Honduras "feathered" mahogany is rarely seen except in old furniture, and this kind of graining is seldom called for nowadays. The modern mahogany is more straight-grained, and is generally much lighter in color, but the furniture manufacturers do not hesitate to stain the wood to any depth of color, and thus they set the pattern which the grainer must follow as regards the color. It is represented in both oil and water color, or by being partly done both ways, as in the case of walnut. The colors used are burnt sienna, burnt umber and Vandyke brown, with crimson lake for overgraining on particularly bright work. The tools used are the same as those for walnut. No better way to imitate it will be found than first to stipple it with a thin wash of Vandyke brown in beer, much the same as for walnut, but using the flat side of the stippler or blender more than the tip, as the pores of the wood are generally longer than those of walnut. After the stippling is dry rub in the oil color, which is composed of about three-fourths burnt sienna to one-fourth burnt umber, or a little Vandyke brown may be added to the color. The dark veins are put in with the sash tool dipped in a little clear Vandyke brown, which should be mixed in a separate vessel and thinned mostly with driers, as Vandyke brown is a very slow drier. The work is then gone over with a soft cotton rag, and the color is removed where the lighter grains are to appear; the rag is also used to soften the edges of the darker streaks and to blend them into the lighter grains. The lights and shadows are made, and the whole is then lightly blended crosswise. The bristle overgrainer of the fitch tool is used to put in the finer grains, or this may be done when the oil color is dry. This is the manner in which the modern straight mahogany is most frequently imitated, but it can wholly be done in water color, using the sponge for the same purpose as the rag is used in oil.

The "feather" mahogany is best represented in water color. The centre of the feather is darkened with Vandyke brown, and the mottler or sponge is used to make the darker curves which radiate from the centre of the "feather;" then with a thin piece of stick or a piece of cardboard make the bright blaze marks that are usually seen through the centre of the feather. A small mottler or cut tool may be used for this purpose. The markings radiate from the centre outward in a curved line and across the darker veins; allow this to dry, and then lightly overgrain to bring out the effect, touching up the parts that are to appear very dark. After this is dry the hand should lightly be passed over the work to remove any surplus color, as one coat of varnish sometimes fails to lay out on water-color work where the graining-color has freely been used. This applies to walnut and rosewood in distemper as well as to mahogany. The wood is sometimes represented in oil without first stippling, but it never looks so well. Of course the stippling may be done after the work is dry, but it makes a better appearance if done before the rubbing with oil. If it is desired to overgrain, the work, if done in oil, should be shaded in distemper, and vice versâ. For depth and brightness, add crimson lake with a little Vandyke brown.

Plate 42.

MAHOGANY FEATHERED.

Plate 43.

ROSEWOOD AS OUTLINED TO OVERGRAIN.

CHAPTER XII.

ROSEWOOD

This wood is seldom imitated in this country except on piano-legs and caskets or coffins, and then it is done in stain on the wood without first being painted. Whitewood is given two coats of logwood stain, and after that is dry the grains are put in with a bamboo brush, which is made by beating the pulp out of the ends of short strips of bamboo, leaving the harder portions of the wood, which act as bristles for applying the graining-color. Four or five strips of bamboo an inch or more wide are fastened together with wire, so that their edges interlock at the point of the brush; the brush is then dipped in the graining color, which consists of iron-filings dissolved in vinegar. The surplus color is shaken out of the brush, and the grains are put in in the same manner as that in which an overgrainer is used in water-color. The darker veins are added with a sponge after the finer grains are put in, and the work after being grained is generally filled with rose-pink. This process can be used only on new surfaces, and is of little value to the grainer to the trade.

The ordinary way of imitating rosewood is to do it in water color, although it may be done in oil. I prefer to do it in distemper, as the work can more quickly be finished in this way. The colors used are Vandyke brown, ivory black and rose pink. The basis of the color is Vandyke brown and a little black added to it. The ivory black and the rose pink are mixed separately, and applied to the work as desired while the color is wet, carefully blending where necessary. The rose-pink is first streaked through the color and blended; then the sponge is used to remove the color and make the lighter shades. The black veins are then put in, and after the whole is dry the overgrainer and the fitch tool are used to put in the fine grains. Last of all, the edges of the dark veins are sharpened with the fitch tool, using thin black for this purpose; this final application of black may be done in oil. Care must be taken not to take too much black, or the effect will be too sombre. The natural wood is almost invariably darkened by being stained as we see it on pianos, and its beauties are obscured by so doing. When the water color is finished and dry, the hand should be lightly passed across the work to remove any surplus color that may not thoroughly adhere, as, if not removed, it works up into the varnish, or the varnish strikes in where the graining-color is thick; and for this reason two coats of varnish are better than one coat on any dark wood that has been done wholly in water color.

In operating entirely with oil the tools are much the same as those used for water color; the bristle piped overgrainer is best for oil color. The work is done in much the same manner as with water color, using the rag where the color is to be lightened, with a little more spirits of turpentine and japan in the color than ordinarily.

The grains of rosewood are not easily copied. The wood exhibits a variety of grain second only to oak, and I think that, after oak, it is the most difficult wood to imitate, as to do it justice requires the free treatment which can be given only by a trained hand and a correct eye. The average veins are free and graceful without being set or constrained, and the grains are constantly interlocking and branching off from the main hearts.

CYPRESS-WOOD

has but recently appeared in this country as an interior finish. It is a very soft and porous wood, and is a good kind to keep out of a house, owing to its liability to shrink and swell, but occasionally we find rooms finished with it, with the exception of the doors, which the grainer is called upon to match. I am informed that cypress trees have to be girdled in the spring and killed, so that they contain but little sap when cut in the fall, as, if cut green, they would sink in the water before they could be floated to the mill. This shows how ill suited this wood is for an interior finish.

Plate 44.

ROSEWOOD AS FINISHED.

Plate 45.

CYPRESS IN OIL.

The grain of cypress somewhat resembles that of hard pine, but is broader in the heart and finer-grained; it also presents more contrast between the light and dark portions of the growth. The ground is slightly darker and more yellow than that used for oak. The graining-color is made of raw and burnt sienna and burnt umber, and is mixed in oil. When the color is rubbed in, the hearts are wiped out in the usual manner. A rubber comb can be used to make portions of the heart by occasionally using it in the finer portions of the wiped-out hearts, taking care that the lines made by the comb closely follow those made by hand, and that they are equally distinct, or the places where the comb has been used can readily be distinguished from the rest of the work, and they look very bad. There is but little use for the fitch tool in matching cypress; the combing is mostly fine and rather straight. The steel combs should never be used over the lines made by the rubber comb. The work may be shaded with some of the graining-color to which some black has been added, and the whole thinned with spirits. It needs but a very thin glaze, and is ordinarily finished without shading.

CHAPTER XIII.

HARD PINE

This wood is seldom imitated, and, although its grains are simple, they cannot be matched without taking pains. The grain of hard pine is in some respects different from that of any other wood; the growths are generally quite narrow, and are not complicated, without having many knots, and are decidedly straight, as is also the combed work. The groundwork is much the same as that for oak, being slightly more yellow. The graining-color—which is mixed in oil—is composed of raw and burnt sienna, and a little burnt umber is added. The grains are put in by first using the rag to wipe out the hearts and then pencilling in the grain, or for the lighter parts of the grain the pencilling may be omitted. The combing is done with moderately fine combs. Never go over the same place twice, as the grains of pine are always straight and never interlock, like those of oak. The work should lightly be blended lengthwise. The color used to pencil in the growths should be darker than that with which the work is rubbed in, and the blending should always be done toward the outside edge of the grain. When the work is dry it may lightly be shaded to give it depth, or slightly mottled. Some pieces of hard pine are profusely mottled, and I have seen specimens that had the appearance of fine Hungarian ash.

Plate 46.

HARD PINE.

WHITEWOOD

It is seldom necessary to imitate whitewood, as the original is so cheap, and because there is as much difficulty in matching the color of the wood as that of the grains. The ground-color is about the same as that for light ash, and the graining-color can be mixed with raw sienna and raw umber, adding black or blue; or yellow ochre can be used for the basis of the color, adding raw umber and a little black for the dark streaks. The work is then put in with a fitch tool and blended softly, or a piece of pointed wood like a pencil may be used, the point being covered with a thin cotton rag, and the heart grains put in with this, taking care to have the grains subdued and not appearing prominent. The grains of whitewood generally appear sunken; they are simply outlined, and not softened with the rag.

Plate 47.

WHITEWOOD IN OIL.

Whitewood sometimes assumes a blistered appearance peculiar to itself and somewhat like the grain of Hungarian ash. This kind of whitewood is very difficult to imitate, as the high lights are so strong and brilliant as to require touching up with the ground-color after the work is dry. This kind is seldom imitated.

CHAPTER XIV.

VARNISHING OVER GRAINED WORK

When a job of graining is finished; if it is deemed necessary to varnish it, the question arises, "What kind of varnish shall be used?" and this is a subject on which widely different opinions prevail. Almost every master painter has his favorite kind of varnish and is slow to accept anything contrary to his own idea of what should be used; and right here I will say that if you have something that, like the joke of the clown in the circus, has withstood the test of time, do not look farther, but "hold fast to that which is good."

There are many kinds of varnishes and finishes made especially for application to exposed work, outside doors, etc., but my experience with many of them has been anything but satisfactory. There may be some particular kind of varnish that will stand exposure in this climate without cracking or turning white, but I have never seen any such. I would like to find some article that will withstand the changes of temperature to which it would be subjected in the New England climate—say one hundred and twenty to one hundred and thirty degrees annually—and I do not expect ever to find any such, as, when the varnish has been applied to exposed work and the gum has become thoroughly hardened, cracking will of necessity ensue, for the reason that heat causes the expansion of the material to which the varnish is applied, and, the varnish being thoroughly hardened, so that it cannot expand, it must crack in obedience to the law of nature that heat expands. Cracking may result from inability to contract after having expanded from heat. This is allowing for no internal complications in the varnish, and what is written above wholly applies to varnish that is exposed to the weather, and is based on what seems to be practical experience.

I am living in a house that is grained in oil on the outside; the clapboards and trimmings on the southwest side were chosen for testing the varnish. To prevent any misunderstanding, I will state the manner in which the work was done. The clapboards are No. 1 spruce, the trimmings are pine and cypress. The carpentry work was done in July, 1886, and stood three days before being primed. The priming color was mixed as follows:—One hundred pounds of white lead, to which were added about twenty-five pounds of yellow ochre, a small quantity of japan drier, and thinned with best raw linseed oil. After being primed for two weeks, the work was grounded, using the priming color that was left, with enough lead added to make a groundwork for oak. The trimmings are done in cherry. The work was not grained until October, 1886, and neither wax nor anything else was used for megilp. The varnishes were nearly all applied on the tenth day after the work was grained; the day was warm and bright, and each varnish was put on just as it came from the factory, without thinners of any kind. Each was poured into a clean vessel and a new brush was used, so as to give each kind of varnish an even chance; and the result is below stated.