TRANSFERRING TO GLASS, WOOD, ETC

1655. The process of transferring consists in causing the ink of a print, engraving, mezzotint, or lithograph, to adhere to the surface of glass, wood, cardboard, ivory, or earthenware, which is effected by cementing the face of the prints to their surface by means of some varnish or glutinous transparent body that will not dissolve in water, and then destroying the texture of the paper, so as to leave the ink upon the varnish and material operated on, in the same manner as if the original impression had been there, but of course reversed.

1656. _Materials._--The body to which the print is to be transferred.

1657. Spirits and oil of turpentine; oil and varnish colors; seed-lac, white and transfer varnishes; oil of almonds; spirit of wine; a flat and a round brush, and a towel.

_The Varnishes._--The _seed-lac_ and _white varnishes_.

1658. _The Transfer Varnish._--Take five ounces of the best spirit of wine, add four ounces of the purified Venice turpentine to it, and an ounce of picked mastic tears; put them into a bottle, shake constantly until the mastic and turpentine dissolve, and in a few hours it will be fit for use, but improves by keeping.

1659. _To Transfer to Glass._--Procure a piece of the best crown-glass, as near as possible in size and shape to the print to be transferred, varnish it over with a mixture of equal parts of spirits and oil of turpentine, and lay the print on the glass, beginning at one end, and pressing it gently down with a towel in every part in proceeding to the other.

1660. If this is not done carefully, vesicles of air will be admitted between the paper and glass, and mar the effect. After pressing the print down with the towel, it is to be set aside to dry, which will take some time, varying according to the state of the atmosphere.

1661. When the turpentine has become perfectly hard, the paper must be moistened with water till it is thoroughly saturated, and the paper entirely removed by rubbing very gently with the forefinger in a circular direction, and then set aside to dry, when the impression will be found perfectly transferred, but reversed.

1662. If it is wished to preserve only the appearance of an engraving, a sheet of white paper or Bristol-board must be placed behind the glass; but if required to be colored, the operation must be completed with oil or varnish colors, in such a manner as may impart to it the semblance of a painting.

1663. _To Transfer to Wood._--Procure a piece of wood of the required form and size; if flat, it should be newly planed, and rubbed down with pumice-stone and fine sand-paper to make it perfectly smooth and free from grease; if rounded or any other shape, it should be scraped with a piece of glass, then pumiced and sand-papered.

1664. Give the wood a coat of transfer varnish previous to transferring, and set aside for twenty-four hours to dry.

1665. This promotes adhesion of the print to the wood, and secures the latter from being soiled.

1666. Cut off the white margin of the print, then damp it by placing it face upward on the surface of some water in a shallow vessel, taking care to keep the face or printed side dry; when properly soaked, pass a sponge over the back, spread a coat of varnish over the whole of the face, and apply immediately to the wood.

1667. Rub down the whole gently with a towel, in the same manner as directed for glass, so that it may adhere properly. When this has been done, and while the back is yet moist, rub it carefully with the forefinger until half the thickness of the paper is removed, then leave it to dry.

1668. Then wet the finger only, and keep rubbing until the remainder of the paper is removed, and there is a thin white film over all, allowing the print to appear clean through; then let it dry, and bring out with a little oil of almonds; after which apply a coat of carriage-varnish, or the seed-lac and animi varnish used for white japan grounds, though we prefer the transfer-varnish ourselves.

1669. Great care and patience must be exercised during the process of rubbing off, to avoid scratching or tearing the print; if, however, any part is destroyed, it must be repaired with the same color.

1670. In this manner plain or colored prints may be transferred from paper to wood.

1671. When colored prints are transferred, they should be laid on vinegar and water (two-thirds of the former and one of the latter), to destroy the size which is in the paper, and remain twice as long as plain prints; then removed and placed between blotting-paper, and when the superfluous moisture has been removed, treated the same as the other prints.

1672. _To Clean the Brushes_ and your hands after using the varnishes, rub with spirit of wine.

1673. _To Transfer to Ivory._--Rub well with pumice-stone, and then transfer in the same manner as directed above.

1674. _To Transfer to Card-board._--Remove the sizing on the surface by immersing in the vinegar and water mentioned above, then transfer as usual.

1675. _To Transfer to Earthenware._--Give the article a thin coating of varnish, then transfer as directed above.

1676. _Etching on Glass._--Mix in a gallipot a little sulphuric acid and lampblack to a thin smooth paste, and spread a layer of it on a piece of glass; upon which trace with a sharp-pointed instrument, (penetrating to the glass,) any design which may suggest itself.

1677. Then dissolve a little fluor-spar, coarsely powdered, in spirit of turpentine, and with a camel's-hair brush lay some of the solution upon the parts so traced; let it remain an hour or two; and you will find, on scraping off the paste, that the glass will be etched with whatever forms you have traced.

1678. Very pleasing drawings may thus be etched upon glass; and they may be rendered more effective by dusting the outline with a little vermilion.