CHAPTER XVI.

THE TOOLS USED BY GRAINERS.

Steel combs (Fig. 1) are four or five inches wide, with teeth of three regular sizes--course, medium and fine. They may be used for all woods where the grain is strongly marked, whether the work is done in oil or in distemper; there is also a four-inch steel comb with teeth graduated from coarse to fine (Fig. 2) that is often useful; a few one- or two-inch steel combs are handy for use on mouldings or on odd corners.

Leather combs (Fig. 3) can be purchased from most of the large dealers in painters' materials, but they are inferior to combs cut from the best sheet rubber. In making the latter choose a piece of rubber measuring about two by four inches and not over a quarter of an inch. Cut the teeth on each of the four inch sides, making those on one side coarse and those on the other side fine, thus you have two combs in one, and by turning over the comb different lines can be made; do not cut the notches of the comb too deep, and leave considerable space for the face of the teeth. A rubber comb can be often used, especially on rough work, without covering the teeth with a rag, as being soft it conforms to the inequalities of the surface, and leaves a more distinct pattern than does a leather comb.

In representing the grain of oak, the tracks of the steel comb should cross or interlock so as to make a series of disconnected lines similar to the pores of the wood; for ash and other straight-grained woods, the grains should never interlock but appear clean and sharp in regular order from the side of the hearts to the edges of the board.

The piped bristle or fitch hair overgrainer (Fig. 4) may be used in oil or in distemper for representing ash, walnut, cherry, mahogany, etc.; for maple it may be used as an overgrainer. For overgraining any wood in distemper there is no better tool than the plain bristle overgrainer (Fig. 5) the bristles being separated into clusters with a bone comb after charging the brush with color.

The badger blender (Fig. 6) is used for all graining done in distemper and is sometimes used for oil work, a similar brush made of bristles is sometimes used for marbling. The flat bristle brush used for applying the graining color is the only blender necessary for oil work.

The castellated or knotted overgrainer (Figs. 7, 8 and 9) is used for graining in distemper work, which has previously been grained in oil.

The plain overgrainer (Figs. 10, 11 and 12) may be used for shading in distemper or for graining maple.

Mottlers or cutters made of bristles (Figs. 13, 14, 15, 16, 17) are for use for distemper color in graining maple, mahogany, etc.

The angular cutter (Fig. 17) is used for taking out the high lights in mahogany.

The waved mottler (Fig. 18) is used for representing maple, mahogany or satinwood in distemper.

Camel's-hair mottlers or cutters (Figs. 19 and 20) are used for very fine work on maple, etc., but the bristle brushes answer all practical purposes.

The serrated mottler or marbler (Fig. 21) is used for maple or satinwood in distemper or for marbling.

For applying distemper color a tin bound bristle graining brush (Fig. 22) is excellent, it should be about 1/2 an inch thick.

The bristle stippler (Fig. 23) is used for walnut or for mahogany in distemper.

The fitch or sable piped overgrainer (Fig. 24) is used in distemper for maple, satinwood or other delicate work.

The check roller is used for putting in the pores of oak and the dark streaks or lines in the hearts, and is used to best advantage in distemper. A well charged mottler supplies the color. The mottler is laid against the edges of the wheels, and by revolving the roller the color is transferred to the work. A guard of tin may be soldered to the mottler so that it fits the handle of the roller, being held in place by the thumb.

One or two flat fresco bristle liners (Figs. 25 and 26) No. 1 and 2 for putting in hearts, veins, etc., and one or two tin bound sash tools complete the list of all tools necessary for use, and any wood that grows may be represented by using the tools mentioned.