the imitation of wood is based. An opaque body graining paint which shall give the appearance of oak, without necessitating the two distinct grounding and graining processes, is impossible. As soon as white-lead is mixed with the pigments from which the graining color is made, the transparency and richness of the latter are decreased, whilst the graining color alone, being only a stain, lacks the preservative qualities of a white-lead or body preparation.
The graining colors should be purchased in bulk, and if to be used merely for practice, obtain such cheap grainers and stainers as burnt umber, burnt sienna, Vandyke brown, Venetian reds, Italian ochre, and after a little experience the madder lakes, scarlets and Prussian blues may be procured. Graining colors should be of the best, and in every case be ground very fine, since they are always used as transparent colors.
The following remarks apply to grounds and colors for oak graining. The basis of all oil ground colors for oak graining should be white-lead ground in linseed oil. Any colored pigments that may be added to obtain a dark ground can be considered only as stains, as none of them furnishes the opacity, solidity, or durability, for all of which qualities white-lead is so noted. Of course, if a very dark ground, such as that for antique oak, is required, not so much white-lead is used in its composition as for light or medium grounds. It may not be out of place to say that the grainer who relies on the use of white-lead to obtain a good ground seldom produces those unnaturally bright and garish grounds that always offend the trained eye. As a general rule, in making grounding paint, sufficient white-lead for the purpose, together with one-tenth the quantity of patent driers, should be broken up in linseed oil, and the staining pigments added and well mixed in. The paint should be strained through a mesh, and then thinned to a working consistency with about two parts of linseed oil to one part turpentine. This gives a good gloss, but if a ground is required
