continued heat. There is very little to be said
against it for small repairs, the degree of heat required for the
desired tint is insufficient to damage the wood but enough to harden
it, and if not too hastily done the colouring will go quite through.

Among other methods is tinting the wood by any of the various stains
sold for the purpose. Few of them are of any good to the violin repairer,
some choking the softer parts and leaving the harder ones or threads
standing out lighter when they should be darker. Their colour, if it
were not for this drawback, is sometimes good. Some of the
manufacturers of new musical instruments on the continent lower the
colour of the wood before varnishing by staining it with a solution
of bichromate of potash. Sometimes when dexterously applied the colour
is very good, but the stain is liable to make itself too evident in
parts where the wood may be a little more spongy than at others. Most
of the instruments treated in this way may be recognised at a glance,
the curl of the maple is brought out strongly, in fact overdone. With
small portions of wood for repairing this stain may, with much caution,
be used to advantage. It has the property of throwing up the threads
of the pine and the nutmeggy parts of the maple without impairing
seriously the clearness of the grain under the varnish. The preparation
of the solution is as follows--some pieces of bichromate of potash can
be put into any ordinary bottle of a convenient size and water poured
on to them. The water will take up a certain quantity in solution which
will be too strong for the repairer's use; some of it, say a gill, can
be put into an equal quantity of clear water, and then painted over
the wood to be coloured down. There will not be any perceptible
colouring for half-an-hour or so, but further exposure to good or
strong sunlight will gradually bring about a change from the slight
orange tint to the dull light brown approaching that produced by the
slow secret process adopted by "Old Father Time." It must be kept in
mind that bichromate of potash is a poison. There are other stains that
will bring a good colour to the surface of the wood, but are likely
to change colour when the varnish is applied. The whole work of careful
restoration may thus be upset in a moment. All stains should be
carefully and repeatedly tested before being applied to any work of
importance. Some repairers use a hastily made solution of powdered
colour