Dictionarium polygraphicum. The method of preparing woods for Japanning.

Dictionarium Polygraphicum:
Or, The Whole Body of Arts Regularly Digested.
Vol II.
London: Printed for C. Hitch and C. Davis in Pater-noster Row, and S. Austen in St. Paul's Church Yard. MDCCXXXV.
1735
1. Take Plaisterer's size, dissolve it over the fire, making it pretty warm; and mix with it whiting finely powdered, 'till it is of a good body, but not too thick.

2. Take a brush of hog's hair, and with it lay your work over with the former mixture; letting it dry very well: and repeat this so often 'till you have hid all the hollownetles, crevices, pores, and grain of the wood, letting it be thoroughly dried between every laying.

3. When it has at last grown thoroughly dry, rub all the work over with a wet rag, 'till you have rendred it as smooth as is possible. N. B. This is called Water-planing.

4. When it is grown thoroughly dry again) rush it even and smooth, and as close to the grain as possibly may be.

5. After this, wash over the work twice with the thickest of seed-Lac Varnish; letting it stand to dry each time, and if it is not smooth, rush it again, to make it so. See SEED-LAC VARNISH in letter V. And RUSH in letter R.

6. In a day or two's time, you may varnish it over with black, or what other colour you design, as is directed; and when it is dry, finish it by polishing it.

7. After the same manner carved figures are to be prim'd; also frames, cabinets, stands, tea-table, &c. Saving that these are not to be polished, and therefore do not require so great a body of varnish.

8. But for the tops ot tables, boxes, sides of cabinets, &c. when the wood is ordinary and rough-grain'd, as deal, ovk,&c. you may use common or Joiner's glue, dissolv'd in water, 'till ds fine and thin; into which put the finest saw-dust, 'till it is indifserently thick.

9. Then with a brush, fit for that purpose, lay your wooderi work over with it; and when it is dry, repeat it so often 'till all the roughness and grain of the wood is sufficiently hidden.

10. After 2 or 3 days let it be scrap'd with a Cabinet-maker's scraper, as pear-tree and olive wood are done, to make it as smooth and even as possibly may be, then varnish it as before directed.
This, if well done, might not come behind any other work, either for beauty or durability.

11. But however those woods, that arc firm and close-grain'd, are chiefly and only to be chosen; ot' all which pear-tree is in the highest esteem.