ADVICE AND INFORMATION Cupboard XVIth. century (detail before the restoration) THE GRAIN OF WOOD One of the most important sign is the grain of wood. As time passes by the pores tightens more and more until they reach (depending on the habitat-climatic conditions)a bony compactness (dry and too much ventilated habitat). Moreover, the loss of the internal humidity causes the fragility of soft woods ( poplar, fir, alder etc.), used for internal structure, up to the limit of the pulverization. Besides the treatment with bees-wax or alcohol and shellack of the antique furnishings, shows a warm tonality, do to the time, which it is difficult to obtain with a non seasoned wood and painted for ageing. Cupboard XVIth. century (detail before the restoration) THE PATINA Another characteristic of old wood is the patina which is not, like everyone thinks, the superficial layer of dust, wax and coal residue of candels or lanterns (that we can define impurity), that during time has formed on opened surfaces a sort of dark thickness and easy to remove; this one is even easier to imitate by talented craftsman with the fraudolent purpose. The patina is the progressive ageing of the tonality of wood's natural colour : the various tonalities of grey and rosy brown of the walnut-wood, in oak-wood and rosy ebony, the mature rosy of the mahogany, the reddish orange of cherry and beech-wood, the mature yellowish of the cedar of Lebanon for hard woods the straw-coloured of the alder and the poplar, fir's lean veins becoming darker emphasizing the fat ones, as besides for other soft woods.