JAPANNING, the art of varnishing and drawing figures on wood, after the manner of the Japanese, from whom it takes its name. The substances which admit of being japanned are almost every kind that are dry and rigid, or not too flexible; as wood, metals, leather, and prepared paper. The practice of japanning goods has varied from time to time. The following are some of the methods practised at present.
Japanning of cast and sheet iron black.
Mix up some vegetable black with naphtha or spirit of turpentine, and let it sour for a night; then add as much japan as will not take away the body of the black. After the article has been freed from rust, coat it with this, and put it into the stove. When dry, let it be coated with japan; two coats are sufficient if the japan be rich or old. If the article is intended to be polished, another coat or two may be given, according to the surface of the article; and let it be gently cooled between each coat. To polish the above, take a piece of close-grained pumice-stone, ground down to a smooth and perfectly level surface, and with this slightly rub down all the knots. When this is effect-
ed, put the article into the stove till the parts which have been rubbed are hardened. Then take a piece of woolen cloth, stuffed with something of the same description, to the size of a small hand mallet, which japanners call a polishing bob; wet it through with water, then dip it amongst pumice-stone which has been sifted through muslin, and rub the whole surface till it is smooth. Sponge it clean with water when dry. The surface is then made perfectly smooth and fine by being rubbed with a piece of cloth similar to that just mentioned, and ground rotten-stone moistened with water. It is then wiped clean with soft silk; and, when dry, hard powdered rotten-stone is rubbed upon it with the points of the fingers, lengthways, when it receives a beautiful gloss. To preserve the lustre, sprinkle a small quantity of sweet oil and water over the whole, then smartly with both hands clean off the oil and water. This will produce a permanent and brilliant glossy black. If the cast or sheet iron is not ground, there is no use for the first coat of black, as the same coats of japan answer the purpose perfectly well.
In japanning tin, care must be taken to deprive the article of any rosin or grease. It then receives one coat of black and two coats of japan, as in the case of cast or sheet iron. If it has to be polished previously to being coated, it is rubbed smooth lengthways with a piece of wool-comber's card, or coarse sand-paper. This will greatly aid the polisher, and in some instances may save a coat of japan. The article is then polished and oiled as before described.
Clean the tin as before mentioned, and give it one coat of japan. Let it then be put into the stove, and when dry give it another. If a dark brown is required, it is subjected to a strong heat; and if a light brown, a coating and a gentle heat only is necessary. Care must be taken that each coat is well settled or stiffened in the air, by turning it upside down to keep it from flowing all one way, before putting it in the stove.
Grind some Venetian red in spirit of turpentine very fine, to which add three parts of mixing varnish with one part of japan, that is, as much as will not take away the body of the red. Coat the article, and put it into the stove till it dry. Then give it one coat of japan pretty fluid, and let it settle in the air, as mentioned above. Put it again into the stove, and when dry it will appear of a fine brown colour. All metals may be japanned in this way, especially old tin ware. If a polish is required, use common vermilion instead of Venetian red, as it will require more coats. Another brown, commonly called chocolate, may be produced by using purple brown in the same way.
In japanning wood in the same way as metal, it ought to be dried or seasoned well in the stove before coating. A black is obtained by using the same black as that already mentioned. After the article has been dried in the stove and taken out, it is coated with japan; and this is repeated until the surface becomes smooth. Care must be taken not to let the article cool between the periods of each successive application of the japan, else the air may insinuate itself into the pores of the wood, and cause it to blister when put into the stove again. The article made or turned must be in one piece.
In japanning table tops, the best Spanish mahogany, planed and smoothed with sand-paper, must be used. First put it in the stove between two plates of iron, with a sufficient weight on it to keep it from casting or warping, till it be properly seasoned. Take it out and coat it with black as above mentioned. Afterwards put it into the stove to dry. Then coat it with japan until it has a flowing appearance. Should it blister between the coatings, rub the blisters down with fine sand or glass-paper. After the last coat has been applied, allow it to become perfectly hardened, and then polish it in the same way as metal is polished. This method is not generally known or practised, a prejudice existing that it will not stand the heat; but Spanish mahogany, three fourths of an inch thick, will stand the same heat as tin.
Small fire-screens made of plain-tree and other kinds of wood may be japanned in the same manner; but as they are done on both sides, it requires a frame made of tin, tapered inwards, so that the screen may rest gently on the edges of it. Flat articles, which cannot stand the necessary temperature, are japanned in the following manner. Grind fine some ivory-black with turpentine, then add two parts of japan and two parts of drying copal varnish; and after the wood has been well dried, coat it over three times. When it is dry, smooth it down with wet rag and ground pumice-stone. The smoothing being finished, take extra quick copal varnish, tinged with ivory-black, and give the article two coats. When these are hardened it may be polished. If great care be taken in laying on the varnish, polishing may not be necessary.
To a white lead ground in turpentine add one part of
drying copal varnish, and mix them together. Coat the wood till the pores be filled up, and then rub it down as before described. Then take flake-white ground in turpentine, and add to it three parts of fine dial varnish; strain it through fine muslin, and let it stand for five or six hours; after which, coat the wood over twice, and let the first coat be properly hard before the other is applied. When sufficiently hardened, take a piece of fine flannel dipped in rotten-stone ground in water, and rub it till smooth, when it is rendered fit for working on. But if it is to be finished in the white, let it be rubbed all over with a mixture of sweet oil and flour, and then dusted with dry flour, which is afterwards wiped clean off with both hands, leaving a fine glossy surface.
The yellow ground may be filled up in the same way as the above with the lead. When it is filled up, take chrome-yellow ground in turpentine, and add three parts of fine drying copal varnish; strain this, and coat the article with it, as in the above case, and varnish and polish it in a similar manner.
Take common vermilion ground in turpentine, to which add one part of quick-mixing varnish. Fill up the ground with this, and then take Chinese vermilion ground in fine drying oil, thick, adding to it a small quantity of fine mixing varnish, to make it free in working. With this preparation the article is twice thinly coated, which method is preferable to laying on only one thick coat. When dry, it will be fit for working on. But if it is intended to be polished, give it two coats of fine quick-polishing varnish, and let the first coat be very hard before it receives the second. After it is properly hardened, take a woollen rag dipped in ground pumice-stone and water, and rub the ground all over. When it is smooth, take a flannel rag dipped in ground rotten-stone, and finish it, as in the case of the white.
Fill up the blue ground in the same manner as the white is filled up; and a little Prussian blue may be added to it. When filled up, Prussian blue and white lead are ground by themselves upon the same stone, and afterwards mixed together in proportions varying according to the shade required. The after-process for polishing is the same as that already described.
Fill the green ground as in the case of the white, adding lamp-black to make it of a lead colour, the quantity employed being in proportion to the shade required. When filled up and smoothed, take emerald-green ground in turpentine, and add a small quantity of mixing varnish to it, so that the green may be flat, for it will require three coats, as the green has a very little body. It is then smoothed and rendered fit for working on. If a dark hue is wanted, take Brunswick green, which may be made lighter by adding a little chrome-yellow; or darker, by adding Prussian blue and black. This green is more easily produced than any other. Varnish and polish the article as before described.
Take white lead ground in turpentine, and add crimson-lake and Prussian blue, according to the shade wanted. The article is then coated, varnished, and polished, in the same way as the red. All the above grounds may be enriched by giving each a coat of thin primitive colours ground in turpentine, and mixed up with fine clear mixing varnish. These are crimson-lake for red, yellow-lake for yellow, Prussian blue for blue, verdigris for green, and lake and blue for purple.
To produce damask grounds for white, when the ground is fit for working on, take fine dial varnish for size, so that it may not discolour the ground, and size the device. Let it stand till it slightly attaches itself to the finger; then take a piece of shamoy leather, dip it in silver powder, and shade the device with it, when it will appear like damask.
Japanning. For obtaining red or crimson, after the ground has been smoothed with the common vermilion, take japanners' gold size, thin, and size the device; when it adheres to the finger, take orange-bronze and shade it as above. This being dry, coat it with crimson-lake ground in turpentine and mixed with fine polishing varnish; polish it as usual, and a rich damask ground will appear.
Yellow damask. This ground must be a very light yellow. Use size and silver powder, the same as in the case of the white; coat it with yellow-lake ground in turpentine and mixed with polishing varnish; coating, varnishing, and polishing it as usual.
Blue. Make the ground a very light blue, almost approaching to white; use the size and silver as in the above case; take Prussian blue ground in turpentine and mixed with polishing varnish, and coat it to the shade required, then varnish and polish it as usual.
Green. Make a light bluish-green with verdigris and white lead ground, use size and silver as in the case of the white, then take verdigris ground in turpentine, and mix it with slow-drying varnish, to prevent it from cracking, as the verdigris is very brittle; coat it to the shade wanted, and varnish and polish it as usual.
Purple. Make a ground of crimson lake and Prussian blue mixed with white lead, very light; then take lake and blue ground in turpentine and mixed with polishing varnish; coat it to the shade required, size and silver it as in the case of white, and varnish and polish it as usual.
Beautiful grounds are produced with the silver powder; and devices on black grounds with either of the above colours, which greatly enrich the appearance of the deep or pale gold ornaments that are wrought upon them.
All the above coloured grounds may be produced on metals in the same way, with the exception of the white. In filling up metals, take Venetian red ground in turpentine or tar spirits, add as much japan as will give it body enough, so as not to crack, and afterwards coat the article till it is filled up; then smooth it down with lump pumice-stone. Put it into the stove till dry every time it is coated, then lay on the ground colour as before mentioned.
With regard to sizing and gilding on japan grounds, take the gloss off the part that is to be worked on, by which means the size will be better seen. In ornamenting any article, as, for instance, a tea-tray, with various golds, bronze, and colour, proceed thus: After tracing or drawing out the ornaments, size the parts for your deep gold first, and then gild them, the parts for the pale gold being also gilt; and care must be taken that the size has but a slight adhesive feel before the gold is put on. If bronze shaded is introduced, size the part first, and then take a hair pencil and dip it into the bronze or gold powder gently; then rub the sized part, and it will produce a soft shade. If it is to be solid bronze, let it be nearly dry; rub the sized part gently over with a piece of shamoy leather dipped in bronze, then warm the tray, and rub the part over smartly, when it will appear solid with a metallic lustre. After all is gilt and bronzed, take a common pen and etch up all the finer parts of the ornament with it; but for the stronger parts take a fine camel-hair pencil dipped in black, to open up the ornament. The gold may be shaded with terre senna, and then put into the stove till dry, when it may be varnished and polished in the usual way.
In putting on raised work, take Chinese vermilion two parts, and white lead two parts; mix them thick together with turpentine, adding a small quantity of japan so as to make it adhere to the ground. Then take a long hair pencil and dip it amongst the raising, keeping the pencil upright so as to feed the point. Although the raising appear flat or dull, it will take a bright polish by rubbing it with the finger, after which it is sized and gilt.
In imitating Japanese or Chinese, this must be done on gloss or polished ground. As this kind of work is not varnished, a little oil-colour may be mixed with the gold size, such as white lead or chrome-yellow, which will enable the fine lines to be better seen, and make the work more closely resemble gilding.
In painting on japan work, either oil or varnish colour may be used. The varnish colour looks clearest, and is most showy, but it requires great practice to blend the colours so as to appear soft; oil-colour is at present that most frequently used.
In varnishing white wood-work, or work covered with paper, take sheep-skin size in a liquid state, dip into it a camel-hair flat brush, and come over the work swiftly with it, so as not to wash up the painting. When this is dry, take hard white spirit varnish and a camel-hair flat brush, and coat the work over smartly. It will appear whitish at first, but it will become clear as it dries. After it has received four coats, let it stand for a day, until small cracks appear all over it. Rub the gloss off the work, or any knots, with the dry fingers, and then wipe it clean; after which give three or four coats more, when the varnish will appear full and flowing. Allow it to stand for a day or two, then take a piece of woollen cloth wet with water, dip it in ground pumice-stone, and smooth down the work with it, and then wipe it clean. After this take a piece of woollen cloth and dip it in rotten-stone ground in sweet oil, with which rub the work till a gloss appears. After wiping it, dip a piece of fine flannel in sweet oil mixed with flour, and rub the work smartly; powder it with dry flour, then rub it quickly off with the palms of the hands, and a brilliant gloss will appear.
In japanning paper after it comes out of the dip-store, it must be coated till a full flowing body of japan is produced. In polishing the above, care must be taken that the ground is not overheated in the rubbing. If it be brought up with amber varnish, it must stand till it be thoroughly cool, otherwise the attraction of the ground will draw the size out of the pencil before the work can be executed. As black japan is generally the colour that paper-grounds are filled up with, it greatly depends on the japan or varnish being rich or old, as either will produce a good gloss to the number of coats given. For any other colour that is required, rub down the above ground smooth; for the first coat let it be white, but tinged a little with the colour wanted, unless it be marone. The first coat must be a light-olive colour smoothed down, thinly coated with crimson lake; if a dark marone, purple-lake is the pigment employed. The best polishing varnish ought to be used in the finishing. Paper trays are brought up in boards, sheet above sheet, with paste, to the thickness required, with the exception of the edges, which are done upon iron moulds, and then taken off, planed, glued, and nailed together, like a piece of wood. With regard to Bristol board, or any other paper, it is japanned in the usual manner, with a first coat of sheep-skin size to make it bear out.