004r - - - - - Varnish of spike lavender oil
One needs to heat lavender spike oil and as it begins to simmer, put in powdered sandarac gum so that it soon melts. And over a charcoal fire stir continuously until the sandarac is well melted, which you will know by taking a little of the said varnish on a plate. And if it is fatty when you handle it with a finger, it is ready. And for one lb of lavender spike oil, you will put five ounces of pulverized sandarac, although some only put in four ounces, but this is not so good nor so fatty. This one is promptly dry. Framemakers, to avoid the trouble of polishing their ebony, varnish it with this, as do guitarmakers. This is not as appropriate for panels as that of fine turpentine, though it is good for the moldings of panels. One did not used to varnish the landscape of a panel when linseed varnish was in use, because it would have yellowed the landscape. But with that of turpentine, one varnishes everything. You can put in pulverized mastic extracted in tears or otherwise, and it will be more dessicative in place of sandarac.
If you want to varnish on plaster or a wall, first put on your very hot colle de retaille, because if cold it would not penetrate the wall, & when you would put your varnish on, it would come off.
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Varnish of spike lavender oil is not as appropriate for colors as that of turpentine, for spike lavender oil makes them die eats away at the colors since it is too penetrating.
To remove varnish from an old panel that has yellowed & varnish it anew
Take white soap & sieved ashes, & soak both in water. And with a sponge, take the said ashes & soap & rub the panel with them. And as you see that the old varnish is removed, throw a bucket of water against the panel to clean it. Next put it for a quarter of an hour in the sun to make it dry and to revive the colors. Next, once the panel dries, you can apply your turpentine varnish.
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Make sure the colors do not come off.