Page:Cyclopedia of Painting-Armstrong, George D (1908).djvu/425

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USEFUL INFORMATION
417

form ground surrounded by a rich pattern. Again, certain colors are better suited for some places than for others, and the brighter and more transparent for higher positions, and if the hangings of a room are scarlet, crimson with gold has a richer and better effect for chairs than scarlet and gold. A carpet may be darker than the general tone of the draperies, and some of its colors may be carried up by the walls or the curtains, but if the carpet is dark, the furniture shows better by being of a lighter hue. Red, or a light color, is better than blue for table covers, and though green is not recommended for daylight, it lights up well at night, when blue does not, and this then often appears black, or when of a light tone is scarcely to be distinguished from green. Much, however, may be done to give blue its proper effect, even by artificial light, either by placing a light tone of blue close to the darker one, or by interspersing it with white, which will often lead the eye to see the darker blue, and prevent its appearing black. This may be seen in some Persian carpets where two blues are used. And if some of these have too much green for daylight, they have a good effect at night, except when in excess. Dark green, like dark blue, looks darker by artificial light.

How to Use Glue. For glue to be properly effective it requires to penetrate the pores of the wood, and the more a body of glue penetrates the wood the more substantial the joint will remain. Glues that take the longest to dry are to be preferred to those that dry quickly, the slow drying being always the strongest, other things being equal. For general use, no method gives such good results as the following: Break the glue up small, put it into an iron kettle, cover the glue with water, and allow it to soak twelve hours. After soaking boil until done. Then pour it into an air-tight box, leave the cover off until cold, then cover up tight. As glue is required, cut out a portion and melt in the usual way. Expose no more of the made glue to the atmosphere for any length of time than is necessary,