To French Polish

The wood must be placed level, and sand-papered until it is quite smooth, otherwise it will not polish. Then provide a rubber of cloth, list, or sponge, wrap it in a soft rag, so as to leave a handle at the back for your hand, shake the bottle against the rubber, and in the middle of the varnish on the rag place with your finger a little raw linseed oil. Now commence rubbing, in small circular strokes, and continue until the pores are filled, charging the rubber with varnish and oil as required, until the whole wood has had one coat. When dry repeat the process once or twice until the surface appears even and fine, between each coat using fine sandpaper to smooth down all irregularities. Lastly, use a clean rubber with a little strong alcohol only, which will remove the oil and the cloudiness it causes; when the work will be complete.

Furniture Polishes

New wood is often French-polished. Or the following may be tried:

Melt three or four pieces of sandarach, each the size of a walnut, add one pint of boiled oil, and boil together for one hour. While cooling add one drachm of venice turpentine, and if to thick a little oil of turpentine also. Apply this all over the furniture, and after some hours rub it off; rub the furniture daily, without applying fresh varnish, except about once in two months. Water does not injure this polish, and any stain or scratch may be again covered, which cannot be done with French-polish.

Furniture Gloss

To give a gloss to household furniture, various compositions are used, known as wax, polish, creams, pastes, oils, etc. the following are some of the forms used.

Furniture Cream

Bees-wax one pound, soap four ounces, pearlash two ounces, soft water one gallon; boil together until mixed.

Furniture Oils

1. Acetic acid two drachms, oil of lavender one-half drachm, rectified spirit one drachm, linseed oil four ounces. 2. Linseed oil" one pint, alkanet root two ounces; heat, strain, and add lac varnish one ounce. 3. Linseed oil one pint, rectified spirit two ounces, butter of antimony four ounces.

Furniture Pastes

1. Bees-wax, spirit of turpentine, and linseed oil, equal parts; melt and cool. 2. Bees-wax four ounces, turpentine ten ounces, alkanet root to color; melt and strain. 3. Bees-wax one pound, linseed oil five ounces, alkanet root one-half ounce; melt, add five ounces of turpentine, strain and cool. 4. Bees-wax four ounces, resin one ounce, oil of turpentine two ounces, Venetian red to color.