apes, sizes, and forms, a knowledge of which can only be
acquired by study of the real wood. The figure may be wiped out with
a piece of soft rag, held tight over the thumb nail. This should have
two or three folds over the nail, the superfluous rag being held by
the other hand to prevent it hanging down and smearing the grain; and
every time a figure is wiped, the rag should be moved slightly, so
that the same part of the rag will not be used twice, thus insuring
clean work. It will often happen that the thumb-nail will get broken,
or is too weak to stand the work; in these cases, or, in fact, in
any case, a good substitute or artificial thumb-nail may be made of
gutta-percha, thus: A piece of thin sheet gutta-percha is put into
warm water, and, while soft, is wrapped around the end of the thumb up
to the first joint. It is then pressed with the hand, so as to fit
and take the shape of the thumb and nail. This cannot be done at one
heating, but will have to be put into the hot water again, and the end
pinched and squeezed into form to the shape of the nail, and to fit
easily upon the thumb. When this gets hard, it may be trimmed into
perfect form with a penknife. This artificial nail will answer the
purpose admirably if properly made; and even when the natural nail
is good, the gutta-percha will serve to save it from injury. Good
figuring may also be done by using the blank end of the steel
comb with a rag folded over its edge. We have also used a piece of
gutta-percha to take out the lights. This should be square-ended,
about one inch wide, and three or four inches long, and will do
successful work of a certain class, but not of the best. Many grainers
use a piece of thin horn, in shape something like a spatula, about
three or four inches long and three quarters of an inch wide, with
rounded ends, and quite flexible. With this tool the figure is cut
or scooped out--a sort of quick, side-long motion, very difficult to
describe, and requiring a very considerable amount of practice
before it can be worked with any success. There is, however, the same
objection to this tool as may be urged against the gutta-percha for
figuring, namely, that neither of them take the color clean away, but
leave an accumulation of color on the edge of the figure, which is
fatal to good work; and therefore we cannot honestly recommend the
use of any method but the wiping out with the thumb-nail or its
substitute. When the figure is wiped out i