Every carriage part should have at least two coats of _clear_ varnish. The first coat of varnish to be applied over the colour and varnish; the second, a good finishing coat, possessing body, and good wearing qualities. Ground pumice and water must be used to cut down the varnish, otherwise the finishing coat will be robbed of its beauty. In laying on the finishing coat, avoid the extremes of putting it on too thick or too thin. Lay on a medium coat. A thin one will appear gritty and rough; and one too heavy will sink in and grow dim. From the above description, it will be seen that painting a coach is a tedious operation, and one which consumes a great deal of time in its execution; but, if well done, the result will certainly be very satisfactory. In no case should the painting be hurried, for by allowing each coat of paint or varnish sufficient time to dry its durability is insured. A considerable amount of time is generally spent by the painter in work which does not really belong to him—that of mixing and grinding his colours. Where the muller and slab are used, they occasion a great deal of labour, and the tones of the colours are liable to be injured by the heat generated in the process; and even where the hand mills are used, the process is by no means so cleanly as it ought to be. And under the heading of waste, this must always be a source of loss to the manufacturer, for the painter, for fear of not mixing up sufficient colour for his use, generally prepares too great a quantity, and as a rule, the surplus is waste, for it is no use to employ stale colours in painting vehicles, however well it may do in house painting. What we want is to have the colours ready ground for the painter’s hand, and against this has been urged the objection, that the delicate colours would lose their purity, and all colours be more or less affected by it. That this is utterly fallacious is seen by the fact that paints and colours ready ground and prepared are the rule in America. The invention of the machinery, &c., for this purpose, is due to Mr. J. W. Masury, of New York, and he grinds pigments of the hardest description to the most impalpable fineness without injuring the tones of the most delicate; and by a process of his own preserves them, so that the painter has nothing to do but to reduce them to the consistency he may require for the work in hand. He says they effect a saving of from 20 to 50 per cent. both of labour and material. It is difficult to understand why so valuable an invention is not more general in this country. _Irregularities in Varnish._ Varnish is subject to various changes after having been applied to a body or carriage part. It crawls, runs, enamels, pits, blotches, smokes or clouds over, and in the carriage parts gathers up and hangs in heavy beads along the centre of the spokes, &c.