Highlighting is the term usually applied to the operation of wiping the glaze °r antique smudge to simulate the wear of long usage. In pr.ictice, a wiping stain 336 FURNITURE MAKING AND CABINET WORK of a fairly deep shade is applied in the usual manner and wiped immediately in the light areas that are to be "highlighted." This operation requires skill and practice, for the wiping cloth should be lifted at the end of its stroke in order to feather or blend the light area into the surrounding shadows of unwiped stain. The rule of natural wear should be followed and those areas wiped that would normally receive the most handling or contact, such as the edges of a table top or drawers, panel centers, and the raised parts of turnings, headings, and carvings, as indicated in Figure 5.10. A study of old museum pieces or authentic antiques Fig. 5.10. Diagrammatic representation of highlighting. and reproductions will aid the beginner. If the first efforts are unsatisfactory, the wiping stain can be entirely cleaned off with a cloth dampened in naphtha or benzine, and a fresh start made. Extra clean highlights can be obtained in the same manner. Shading is another term for the basic glazing process. This process is often applied over the final coat of opaque varnish or lacquer enamel to tone down its bright color and afford relief from plainness. The glaze is mixed and applied in the usual manner after a harmonizing shade has been selected. The Honeytone Maple shade looks well when highlighted over ivory, while Pilgrim Maple blends well with a green surface, and the Vandyke brown of the Old World mahogany or walnut glaze will warm up a gray enamel. The shading operation can be speeded up by skillful application with a spray gun adjusted to throw a fine round spray. In spraying, the diluted stain is misted on, with the gun held at about twice the normal distance. By decreasing the distance the darker areas can be blended in, or wiping can be combined with spraying to further speed up the job. The shading operation can also be used for uniforming different woods that L FURNITURE FINISHING 337 have been used in the same piece of furniture. After a light NGR stain is sprayed over the entire piece, a warm wiping stain is applied to the lighter sections and wiped with varying degrees of lightness until a matching tone is obtained. The same effect could be secured by skillful spraying. In either case a shading lacquer between coats is recommended for final toning. Bone White is the name of a typical shaded enamel finish. It can be purchased as a readymixed color or made up by adding a little brown or a touch of black to white varnish or lacquer enamel. After a single coat of the bone white has dried, a wash glaze of raw umber is brushed or sprayed on and wiped off in highlights, which can be blended out with the grain by means of a badger hair blending brush. When the shading stain is dry, a protective coat of shellac, varnish, or lacquer should be applied.