PERFECTION IN POLISHING
 

We'll do it together ... I'll be at your elbow and we'll take it step by step. We'll never get a flat finish unless we make a flat start ... so let's use a toothing plane or teeth of a fine saw on the baseboard to get it flat and form a "key" for the glue. Use a special veneering glue like CALBAR. Why? What's that got to do with polishing? Quite a lot . . .

In the old days, they used to "flatten" the veneers by coating them with glue size; this aided the glueing and polishing stages because when the veneers were first hammered, then ironed on with damp heat, the glue would be drawn right up into the veneer fibres forming a glue barrier and preventing grain filler "linkage" in polishing. Calbar, will give excellent absorption without penetration; will not stain delicate veneers; will re-heat if you get a blister and is fast setting. Also, if you take the picture out of the press after an hour, it will "cure" or harden off equally well outside the press!

On removal from the press, leave the picture for a day to dry out. Then lightly damp the extra thin, double gummed special veneering tapes, and remove. Do not use a cork sanding block and Garnet paper yet!

First of all, reduce all veneers to the same thickness and save a lot of hard rubbing (which may cause you to rub right through the softer veneers) by first of all working over the entire picture with a cabinet maker's scraper, deftly removing shavings from the thicker woods. Watch you don't dig in! Now you can see the importance of toothing the baseboard first.

Now, using 4/0 and then 6/0 Garnet Polishing paper, wrapped around the cork sanding block, lightly render the surface smooth. Remember that abrasives actually impair the grain and figure of the wood, so remove all dust as it forms with a dry, clean cloth in firm strokes.

Now watch it! Here comes trouble. If we were not making a marquetry picture we would actually dampen the panel down to deliberately raise the grain, then paper smooth and leave it overnight to dry before starting the finishing process. But with Marquetry, it is vitally important to work DRY at all times. Many veneers contain natural pigments which will immediately stain other veneers if moisture in any form is carried from one to the other.

If you try to sandpaper across Bombay Rosewood or Rosa Peroba, and Obeche or Sycamore, you will rub red dust into the grain of the lighter woods. The moment any moisture comes in contact with that dust, you will ruin your picture, because the dust will turn to dye.

So you see that you must completely seal the grain of every different veneer before we go any further. With a clean, dry cloth, briskly wipe the surface of the picture along the predominating grain direction to revive the grain lustre, lost by the light papering. Have a dry duster or dry brush or air line handy (the wrong end of a vacuum cleaner will do!)

Now let us look at your polishes. What's this? Polish in tins? Of course, your polish may arrive through the post to you in tins for safety's sake, but immediately remove it and keep it in glass or earthenware. Otherwise it will probably turn a bad colour as chemical action takes place. For best results keep it in glass.

Start with SEALACOTE sanding sealer. This is a cellulose lacquer with a plaster filler. Carefully brush over the border mount with the Sealer taking care not to touch the sky or any other part of the picture. A good tip is to use cotton wool to daub over the border with sealer, then discard the cotton wool. Do not use the same piece for the next veneer. After a few minutes, carefully seal the sky veneer, throw the wool away, and then with another piece, seal the next part of your picture and so on until every part has been sealed. Allow time to elapse between each part.

An excellent tip is to seal the veneer even before you tape it into your picture!

Now let us leave this until to-morrow, allowing the SEALACOTE to form a tough elastic skin over the veneer.

When we return to the picture and examine it against a good light we may find that several parts of the picture reveal open grain. This must be filled.

Mix a transparent paste WOODFILLER with a little white spirit, or turps substitute, into a thin paste. Then carefully brush over the veneers requiring to be sealed. In the case of dark or vivid coloured veneers, this may show up as white specks in which case we should mix a little oil colour to match the veneer being filled. After an hour this will set. Now with hessian or clean rag, rub this filler hard into the grain. The prior coat of SEALACOTE will prevent the surplus filler entering the grain of other veneers, and enable you to wipe the surface clean. Leave it overnight.

Next day, we lightly paper the filled surface with 9/0 Garnet. (Remember that abrasives actually impair the grain causing slight fuzziness, so dust off and then wipe with fresh dry rag to revive).

Now you can brush a coat of Sanding Sealer right across your picture, making a perfectly sealed surface. After four hours lightly paper with 9/0 and dust off. Now brush on 1 coat of LUSTASHINE and leave overnight.

Let's have a chat about Lustashine. It's as well to know a bit about it. First of all, it's a Cellulose Lacquer and it works by depositing a cellulose film on the prepared base of SEALACOTE by the evaporation of the solvent. In fact, whether a lacquer is sprayed on, brushed on, or rubbed on by fad depends entirely on the type of solvent (thinners) used. As you know, in French polishing, the Shellac is lubricated to get it to flow, in the case of LUSTASHINE, no lubricant is used at all. You simply rub it on with a fad for best results and the friction generates the heat to evaporate the solvent and leave behind the Cellulose film.

The beauty of LUSTASHINE is that it also contains the wonder chemical ingredient UVINUL 490. This forms a barrier against the penetration of ultra-violet light rays which are present in both natural and artificial light, and which cause the discolouration of your veneers by chemical action. The makers do not claim that UVINUL 490 protects all veneers. It doesn't. But those that it can protect it does. Anyway let's get on with it.

We now "flat" the picture with grade 0000 wirewool in firm straight strokes in the predominating grain direction. Then "Pull-over" another coat, this time diluted with 50% LUSTASHINE THINNERS. This extra solvent enables slower evaporation and a greater bodying. Leave overnight, during which time the surface will harden.

Now comes the big decision. Do you want a semi-matt finish which will not show room lighting and detract from the picture? Or do you want a brilliant gloss which only a beautifully finished panel dare boast? (A high gloss reveals all blemishes).

Well, let's assume you want a high gloss anyway, after all you can practice on the back of the picture!

Now the special LUSTASHINE BURNISHER is actually an abrasive! It works something like jeweller's rouge. It cuts minutely into the cellulose film, making it sparkle. Before putting BURNISHER anywhere near the picture, you must leave it at least two days.

Then rub on the Burnisher, allow it to "frost" and then rub hard with a soft, clean duster for a brilliant gloss. It will remove all the tiny "fad" marks you left in the polish!

Your picture is now stain and heat resistant (not heatproof). However, if you want the semi-matt finish ignore the Burnisher. After the two coats of Lustashine, dip 0000 grade wirewool in Clear White SILICONISED Wax polish, (which has water-repellent and anti-adherent qualities and low surface tension which enables a smooth easier spread) and work this in straight strokes across your picture. Dirt and dust will not cling to a siliconised surface, and any thumbmarks can be easily removed!