Or when this coating is first applied, it may be followed up with spar varnish. Renewal then requires only revarnishing. The best method of finishing reed or fiber furniture is by spraying, even if only a handpump sprayer is available. Brushing piles up paint in the interstices, wipes thin on wearing surfaces, and fails to reach deep spots. transparent finishes The purpose of all furniture finishes is to provide a protective coating; transparent finishes provide this coating without obscuring the underlying grain Of the wood. For woods such as mahogany, walnut, red gum, and the fancy veneers and inlay woods that possess sufficient natural color and a desirable grain pattern, a natural finish employing no stain but providing a desirable sheen is entirely . appropriate. The present vogue for natural finishes is a normal reaction from a period , when dark stains were used to conceal substitute woods, or piled up in layers to I FURNITURE FINISHING 319 simulate rich depth. Nowadays the native grain and figure of choice hardwoods is appreciated and enhanced by more honest methods. The schedule for any transparent finish must consider the porosity or coarseness of the grain to be covered. Except with mission or weathered oak and Old World finishes, it is common practice to fill all coarsegrained woods so that the pores are flush with the surrounding surface. This builds up a uniform level for succeeding finish coats, free from pockets for dust and dirt deposits. Colored fillers, furthermore, are important aids in emphasizing the grain pattern. Fillers. Readyprepared fillers are entirely satisfactory and easy to apply. They are available in stock shades of light and dark walnut, red and brown mahogany, natural, light and dark golden oak, and other wood colors, as well as white for novelty finishes. The addition of drop black ground in oil will produce the deeper shades, and zinc oxide will lighten the color of a prepared filler until it is suitable for almost any job. For the hobbyist who prefers to mix his own filler or has a special job in mind, it is no difficult matter to make up a natural (transparent) base filler from powdered rock quartz, known to the trade as "silex." A mixture of 2 oz..of turpentine, 2 oz. of japan drier, and 5 oz. of boiled linseed oil is slowly stirred into 2 lb. of fine powdered silex. The resulting mixture is thinned as shown in the table below and can be colored with pigments ground in oil. Vandyke brown shaded with drop black, burnt umber, rose pink, or zinc white will provide a variety of colors. Mixture. Paste (silex) filler is available in halfpint, quart, arfd gallon cans weighing approximately 1 lb., 5 lb. and 15 lb. respectively. Although it is already mixed with linseed oil and japan drier, the paste must be thinned to the consistency of thick varnish so that it can be brushed on. As a thinner, naphtha decreases the drying time while turpentine tends to hold the coat open; the two can be mixed together to moderate the drying period.