File:American homes and gardens (1910) (17537445373).jpg

Title: American homes and gardens
Identifier: americanhomesgar71910newy (find matches)
Year: 1905 (1900s)
Authors:
Subjects: Architecture, Domestic; Landscape gardening
Publisher: New York : Munn and Co
Contributing Library: Smithsonian Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: Biodiversity Heritage Library

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N all the finer branches of artistic handi- work, originality, precision and a certain deftness of fingers are indispensable to striking success. With these and with the necessary foundation of talent, it is pos- sible to turn the artistic sense (even moderately possessed) to very good ac- count, and secure a result that will be of good taste. Among the novel, and possibly the least exercised of such crafts, may be classed that of mosaic making with sealing wax. Although the idea is not quite unknown, yet it is not often carried out to its fullest extent. Not only mosaic jewelry may be taken as a pattern, but many kinds of metal work can be effectively copied. Added to this there are plenty of original schemes to be devised with the many shaded wax alone. The first articles attempted by the novice may be the colored beads of various shapes and sizes so often threaded into bracelets and necklaces. The foundation of these beads is made with cork, one-eighth of an inch thick. The cut- ting of the cork is not very easy to an inexperienced hand. The best thing to use is an old, very sharp table knife, in- serted with a sort of sweeping movement that will give a clean unjagged edge. The knife will probably require sharp- ening after every few cuts. The finishing touches should be made with the small blade of a sharp penknife. The sections should be cut rather smaller than is intended for the size of the finished beads. Having thus prepared a center on which to work, take an old hatpin, and stick the cork firmly on the end of it. Select a piece of sealing-wax of the principal color required for the bead, melt it over a clear flame, and cover one side of the cork at a time, allowing this to harden before the other is treated. Now remove the bead from the pin and see that both ends are properly covered. Each bead must be solid and well shaped. Any little irregular- ities can be smoothed over by slightly re- heating the wax in the flame. The bead can be decorated with spangled or metal wax ac- cording to in- dividual taste; any device be- Little pin or trinket boxes i n g carefully
Text Appearing After Image:
picked out in tiny drops of wax, and then melted on to the background by again holding the bead close to the flame. When this is done, and the bead is of course quite cold and firm, heat a hatpin and pierce one or more holes through to the other side of the slab, and in the right position according to the design of the finished article of jewelry. This must be done with the greatest caution, or all the previous work will be spoilt. The holes, if not clean and carefully made at the opening, may block again with the half-melted wax. When the required number of beads are finished, thread them on a piece of wire and dip them one by one into gum Arabic sufficiently thick to coat each well. Wipe off any super- fluous gum and hang them to dry. Then thread them after any fashion selected, interspersed with colored glass or metallic beads. The finishing touch is added by var- nishing them with a picture copal varnish. This will take about two days to harden in a warm atmosphere before the beads are ready to wear. The molding of hatpin heads may now be considered. PVom a plain, many-colored sphere to the most elaborate style which a large hatpin makes possible, there is an endless variety of design at one's disposal. The shape can be made over the round head of an ordinary hatpin. If, however, it is to be flat or after the fashion of a coin, it must be molded like the beads, over cork. In the latter case, the glass head can be broken away with a hammer, and the piece of cork of the required shape and size sub- stituted. A very pretty rainbow effect can be obtained by dropping patches of colored wax on the head, until a rough circle is made, and then holding it close to the flame, turn- ing it rapidly so that the colors run together. Continue this until the surface is quite smooth and glossy, and until the circle is regular. Then let the wax dry for a minute away from the flame, still turning the pin round and round, so that it may not drop one side more than another. Finish it off by dip- ping it first into gum Arabic and then var- nishing it after the same pro- cess used when making the beads. Yet an- other direction in which artis- Piercing a bead with a hatpin

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