Composed of an inferior grade of varnish with a small amount of silex, these liquid fillers are frequently employed in cheap furniture finishing. Sealers. Prior to applying the filler the wood was protected from discoloration by a sealer consisting of a wash coat of diluted white shellac. Professional finishers of highgrade furniture prefer to seal the filler also, using white shellac for light finishes and orange shellac for the darker browns and reds in the proportion of 1 part shellac to 4 parts of denatured alcohol. A more durable sealer, which has FURNITURE FINISHING 321 grown in popularity, is shellac mixing lacquer. This can be mixed by first reducing the proper shellac with alcohol as previously mentioned (1 to 6 for bare wood or stain sealer and 1 to 4 for filler sealer), then pouring it slowly into an equal or less amount of mixing lacquer. The resulting mixture not only brushes on easier than shellac, but also is moistureresistant and dries within 2 hours. In applying a sealer coat of shellac for a natural finish, absolute cleanliness must be preserved. This is important because the shellac is to become a part of the transparent finish that serves as a final protective film. When dry it should be sanded with 5 or 60 paper and thoroughly dusted in readiness for its additional shellac coats, or its wax or varnish finish. Natural Finish. Applied to fine cabinet woods without benefit of stain, a natural finish is the most transparent of furniture coatings. Except for the use of matching or darker colored fillers, or orange shellac on mahogany and dark woods, the natural finish seeks to protect the wood's surface with a minimum of discoloration, bringing out its natural beauty of color and grain while providing an attractive sheen. Shellac. A wash coat of shellac having been applied to the bare surface of a closegrained wood, or under and over the sealer in wood having open pores, succeeding coats of shellac should be increased in strength until the third or fourth coat is brushed on at almost can consistency. Shellac applied without thinning at all is likely to form bubbles that will require more than the usual light sanding accorded each coat. A 4lb cut shellac is commonly u,sed, indicating the number of pounds of flake shellac that have been dissolved in a gallon of denatured alcohol. In reality a spirit varnish, waterwhite shellac is a bleached form of natural orange shellac. When shellac is applied by brush, the bristles should be well loaded and the surface covered as rapidly as possible. Wax Finish. In order to protect the insufficient wearing qualities of shellac, either a wax or varnish finish will be required. The traditional wax finish is easy to apply and produces a pleasing eggshell gloss, but will not withstand excessive heat or liquids, and requires periodic renewal. There are available prepared paste and liquid turpentine waxes that may be placed between the folds of a clean cheesecloth pad.