A professional who controls equipment to melt, cook, and mix ingredients, such as gums, oils, turpentine, and naphtha, for use in manufacture of varnishes. Respnsibilities include:

• Weighs gum and dumps it into gum pot or agitator tank over burner.
• Pours in oil, as gum becomes liquid, and adjusts burner controls to regulate heat.
• Controls burners to cook mixture for specified time.
• Starts pump to transfer varnish base and thinner into reducing tank.
• Starts agitator to mix base and thinner for specified time.
• Fills test tube with varnish and compares viscosity with standard sample, or delivers test tube to laboratory for test.
• Pumps varnish through filter press to remove sediment from varnish.