ch toil and patience, and has therefore been given
up by furniture finishers. The best fillers, (such as "Wheeler's Wood
filler"),[14] are made of silex in needle-shaped particles mixed with
raw linseed oil, japan and turpentine. When applied to wood it should
be thinned with turpentine or benzine, and applied with a brush along
the grain. As it dries, the color becomes grayish and it should then
be rubbed off across the grain with fine shavings or cotton waste.
It is best to have fillers of several colors on hand, such as light,
black, mahogany, and "golden oak" to be used according to the stain
applied. The filler should be applied after staining the wood and
should be allowed to dry thoroly, say forty-eight hours, before it
is covered with shellac or varnish. Its use is more necessary on open
grained woods, like oak, chestnut, and mahogany, than on close grained
woods, like whitewood, maple, and pine, but it is best to use it on
all woods that are to be highly polished.

[Footnote 14: Made by the Bridgeport Wood Finishing Co., 155
Fulton St., N. Y.]

Cans should be kept tightly covered when not in use. Since oil darkens
wood, if wood is to be kept light, a filler without oil, as whiting
and turpentine, should be used.

POLISHES

There are three principal forms of wood polishes, each of which
has its virtues and defects. They are: (a) oil, (b) wax, (c) the
varnishes.

(a) _Oil._ The great advantage of oil polishing is its permanence. It
will stand both wetting and warmth and gives a dull, glossy finish. In
some woods, as sweet gum and mahogany, it brings up the figure.

Process. Apply either raw or boiled linseed oil diluted with five
parts of benzine or turpentine. The advantages of dilution are that
the mixture penetrates the wood better, leaves a thinner film on the
surface and is more economical. Then rub, rub, rub, day after day.
Little and often with unlimited friction, is the best rule. This makes
a nice finish for well-fumed chestnut, turning the color to a rich
brown.

(b) _Wax._ Wax is an old English polish, commonly used before French
polish and varnish were introduced, especially for hard woods like
oak. Its advantages are that it is cheap, easily prepared, easily
applied, and easily repaired. Its disadvantages are that it will not
stand wetting, is easily marred, requires constant care, is not so
hard and dry as varnish, turns slightly sticky with warmth, and is
likely to turn white in