French Polishing and Enamelling | Page 7

of no little importance--so much so, that the early polishers who had perfected themselves
used to work in a shop with closed doors, lest the secret of their success should be
discovered. From that time polishing became a separate branch of the cabinet business.
The following original recipe as first invented has been extracted from a French work, the
Dictionnaire Technologique, not, however, for its usefulness (it having gone into disuse
many years ago), but as a matter of curiosity:--
"French Polish."
Gum sandarach 14 ounces 2 drachms Gum mastic in drops 7 " 2 " Shellac (the yellower
the better) 14 " 2 " Alcohol of 0.8295 specific gravity 3 quarts and 1 pint.
"Pound the resinous gums, and effect their solution by continued agitation, without the
aid of heat; if the woods are porous, add seven ounces one drachm of Venice turpentine.
If an equal weight of ground glass be added, the solution is more quickly made, and is
also otherwise benefited by it. Before using, the wood should be made to imbibe a little
linseed-oil, the excess of which should be removed by an old flannel."
Notwithstanding the improvement made upon the old processes by this new method, it
was by no means considered to be perfect, for the polish was found to impart its brown
tinge to the light-coloured woods, especially in marqueterie work, and to deteriorate their
appearance. It will be readily seen that it was a great desideratum among polishers to
render shellac colourless, as, with the exception of its dark-brown hue, it possesses all the
properties essential to a good polish or spirit varnish in a higher degree than any of the
other resins.
In 1827 the Society of Arts came forward with its valuable aid and offered a premium of
a gold medal, or thirty guineas, "for a polish or varnish made from shell or seed-lac,
equally hard, and as fit for use in the arts as that at present prepared from the above
substance, but deprived of its colouring matter." After numerous experiments, this
long-felt want was perfectly attained by Dr. Hare, who was awarded the premium. His
method was as follows: "Dissolve in an iron kettle one part of pearlash in about eight
parts of water; add one part of shell or seed-lac, and heat the whole to ebullition. When
the lac is dissolved, cool the solution, and impregnate it with chlorine till the lac is all
precipitated. The precipitate is white, but its colour deepens by washing and
consolidation; dissolved in alcohol, lac, bleached by the process above mentioned, yields
a polish or varnish which is as free from colour as any copal varnish." At the present time

shellac is bleached by filtration over animal charcoal.
Numerous experiments were afterwards made in the manufacture of polishes; several
chemists devoted their attention to its manufacture, and an improved polish was soon
produced which was used for a number of years. The following are its proportions:--
Shellac 14 ounces. Sandarach 3/4 ounce. White resin 3/4 " Benzoin 3/4 " Gum thus 3/4 "
O.P. finishing spirit 1/2 a gallon.
The "filling-in" processes also began to be used, which effected a considerable saving in
the quantity of polish usually required, and in consequence of the expensiveness of spirits
of wine rectified spirits of naphtha was used as a substitute for the making of polishes,
etc.; but it was discovered that its continued use soon affected the eyesight of the
workmen, and it had to be abandoned, the methylic alcohol, pyroxylic spirit, or wood
spirit, as it has been differently called, taking its place. This was first discovered by Mr.
Philip Taylor in 1812, and is obtained by distilling wood. Messrs. Dumas & Peligot, after
analysing it, determined that it contained 37·5 per cent. of carbon, 12·5 per cent. of
hydrogen, and 50 per cent. of oxygen. When pure, it remains clear in the atmosphere; but
for the sake of economy it is often employed in the manufacture of other compounds
called methylated. This spirit began to be much used in the manufacture of polishes and
varnishes in the year 1848, and has continued to be much used ever since.
The wonderful improvements which have been effected in polishes since their first
introduction obviously prove that they have now arrived at a very high point of perfection,
and polishing is now justly acknowledged, both by skilled artisans and connoisseurs, to
be an important decorative art. French polish or varnish at the present time can easily be
obtained at most chemists or oil shops, or direct from the manufacturers, amongst whom
may be mentioned Mr. W. Urquhart, 327, Edgware-road, W.; Messrs. Turner & Sons, 7
to 9, Broad-street, Bloomsbury, W.C.; Messrs. William Fox & Son, Bethnal Green-road,
E.; Mr. G. Purdom, 49, Commercial-road, E.
The