screw at the end to accept an extension. This allows you to paint further away than your arm can reach. The covers come in differing widths as well. They also come in different materials from wool, to synthetic version of wool, to microfiber. Differing surfaces include smooth, semi-smooth, semi-rough, rough, and extra rough. Textures can include any- thing from generalized texture to carpet stip- ple, and custom-cut rollers. The sky is the limit with the custom rollers. You can even cut these yourself to make a design specifi- cally for your show. Sponges, plastic wrap, rags, and anything else that will hold paint and create a pat- tern are all viable choices for texturing the paint. Most of these are a messier technique than brushes or rollers, so be aware and use gloves. These "tools" are easy to use. Load them with paint by dunking, dipping, or whatever. The way you apply the paint to the wall will control the final look. Flame retarding is an important step in the paint shop. There are a variety of products you can use depending on the scenic element that needs to be treated. These chemicals require caution when using and you must fol- low the instructions that come with the prod- ucts. Someone certified in flame testing will come in to check your scenery once every- thing is ready. This certification process is very important as it is the only way to know whether you have applied the product prop- erly and the product is working the way it was intended. Your flame certificate should be kept on file for as long as you use the scenery. Useless Factoid: Church Key Church key--the monks made their own ale. In order to keep the recipes secret the monasteries were locked. Since the new bottle opener looked a bit like a skeleton key, it was referred to as a church key. There are a number of other general sup- plies that the paint shop will need. These can include blue painter's tape in a couple of sizes, and frisket. The painter's tape you may have seen and used at home. It is good for covering molding when you are paint- ing a wall. Frisket is a plastic sheet with an adhesive back. It is used when you need to mask a specific part of a design. You lay it down and cut a design out to reveal the por- tion you need to work on, leaving everything else masked. Another very handy tool is the Hudson® sprayer. The brand name Hudson has become synonymous with the canister type of com- pression sprayer. The Floretta® is a smaller, handheld version of the compression sprayer. These are the most popular brands. A sprayer allows you to put paint into a canister, put the top on, and then pump air into the paint. A nozzle allows you to release the paint/air mixture. This is a great tool for many, many uses. PAINTS ANd GlAzES Fig. 9.10 Various lengths of bamboo at Hudson Scenic. 228 A Little Dab Will Do Ya OK, let me give a generic disclaimer for this chapter. Whenever I say paint, I mean anything