Coiled hanks of reed may be immersed in the solution, immediately withdrawn and hung to drain dry above the receptacle, thus permitting surplus stain to drain back into it. The stain may be used repeatedly, and as it is very volatile it should be kept in a tightly corked red can when not in use. It is also highly inflammable, and should be used in a room in which there is free circulation of air. If colors have been mixed properly and thinned to the right consistency, the reed will dry rapidly and the color will be sharp and clear, free from muddy effects.
A woven article such as a basket or woven top footstool may be dipped, or the color poured over and allowed to drip dry. In some instances it is good policy to wipe surplus stain off lightly. Then, in the case of the footstool or similar project, if the worker so desires he may stain the wood a darker shade than the top with a prepared stain. Reed is very effective without stain; many of the stools shown herewith are left natural. Reed may be shellacked or varnished. Because of its porosity it soils very easily unless some finishing agent is used, and a good grade of elastic varnish is recommended as a finish, especially when the woven article is subject to severe use.
=Other Materials.=--Reed is not the only good medium adapted to weaving, either in correlation with wood or when used alone. On the stools illustrated several other materials have been used, as inner hickory bark and Indian splints and fiber. Binding cane, rope, and even willow may be utilized with success. Paper fiber was discussed in detail in Chapter V and needs no elaboration. Fig. 60 shows a stool partly woven with this serviceable material. Sufficient to say that this fiber adapts itself admirably to almost all work where reed is commonly employed, and in many instances is, commercially, supplanting reed.
Inner hickory bark may be obtained of manufacturers of rustic furniture either directly or indirectly. They may be obtained first hand if hickory trees grow in the locality, thus enhancing the educational value of weaving. In the spring or early summer when the sap is up and the bark slips easily, a hickory tree may be cut down, and the rough outer bark shaved with a draw knife from the top of the log the full length of the trunk, leaving a surface from 8 in. to 10 in. wide. With a heavy knife split the inner bark on either side of the shaved strip; then beginning at one end peel back the inner bark the full length of the log. This process may be repeated until the log is stripped. The thickness of the inner bark depends upon the size of the tree and the species. Manufacturers of hickory furniture claim that the pignut possesses a thicker bark than any other species, the bark running from ¼ in. to ¾ in. in thickness, and they accordingly use this tree in preference to others when available. The rolls of thick inner bark are allowed to dry for several weeks. Then they are placed in water, to remain until pliable. They are then split into strips of proper thickness and width. Factories use a very simple motor driven machine for making the strips, and any manual training shop can devise some scheme for accomplishing this work. These strips cut in indefinite lengths must be made pliant by a thoro soaking just previous to use. In weaving they should be pressed close together with the fingers or with the aid of a hammer, as there is an appreciable shrinkage especially in their width upon drying. Such strips are used mainly by builders of rustic outdoor and porch furniture for the weaving of the backs, arms and seats of chairs, and have at present no general use in school shops. Their use here should be encouraged. If bought of the manufacturer these strips cost 40 cents per pound, dry. They are put up in coils, and are ¾ in. wide and ¹⁄₁₆ in. thick. They may be stripped into narrower widths by means of a hand stripper, soon to be described.