If ornamental articles are to be finished in black and gold, woods may be used that are devoid of figure or fancy grain, such as canary wood, light walnut, or mahogany. Other soft woods may be used; but spruce and common deal require a great amount of labour and polish to avoid the grain swelling and a ridgy appearance. Articles likely to receive much handling and wear should first be stained; the chemical stains sold at most druggists' or veneer stores are more cleanly in use than the old-fashioned logwood stain. It will often suffice to brush the articles with black ink or, better still, with a solution of black aniline dye in methylated spirit. Black polish is generally made by mixing a small quantity of spirit aniline black dye in white, that is, transparent, polish. The work is bodied up with this, then finished with transparent polish, the proportions for which are white shellac, 6 oz.; methylated spirit, lpt.; and aniline black spirit dye, 1/4oz. White shellac is not dissolved easily, and may be replaced with white shellac garnet shellac, a dark ruby or liver coloured variety. If skill in polishing is not possessed, use a black varnish made as follows.

Garnet lac, 4oz.; resin, 2oz.; gum benzoin, 2oz.; methylated spirit, lpt.; and black dye,?oz. Dissolve the mixture by gentle heat and frequent agitation, strain it through fine muslin before use, and apply with a camel-hail brush. Before gilding is attempted, the polishing should be complete; if it can stand a couple of days, so much the better. The portion desired to be gilt should be carefully coated with japanners' gold size. The gold, procurable on transfer paper cut into convenient sizes to prevent waste, may be pressed into position when the gold size is tacky that is, nearly dry, or after the lapse of about half an hour. Gold adhering where not desired may be removed by gently rubbing with a piece of cloth slightly moistened with turpentine. As a rule, gilded work is not polished.