From: =?iso-8859-1?Q?Mathieu_Ren=E9?= <creaturiste-AT-primus.ca> To: <puptcrit-AT-puptcrit.org> Date: Thu, 14 Aug 2008 00:44:42 -0400 Subject: [Puptcrit] Oil paint as a wood stain? Hi All. I'm making a medieval utility knife (good for everything, from defending oneself to using as a ustensil). I started from a butter knife because it had the right size and thickness, and used a grinder and a Dremel to reshape it. The blade still needs more polising, but it's already pretty good. I carved a new handle out of hardwood. I needed to stain it black or dark brown with something durable, and all I had was some shoe polish, some acrylic paint, and some oil paint. I don't like the plastic-like finish of acrylics, and know it will scratch and chip easily. The shoe polish tests were too pale, and I know over time, the black polish gets on your hands. Remembering that a lot of people just paint their wooden puppets directly with oil paint, I decided to try. I just rubbed some oil paint straight from the tube, using a rag. It looks beautiful and natural, very rich, like a piece of charcoal that has been oiled. I hope it dries fast enough for me to work some more on it tomorrow, as I need to install the blade in it, and add the copper wire around both. QUESTion: Once the oil paint "dries", will it be strong enough to be relatively durable, or do I need to add a specific varnish on top? If so, which one do you recommend? I know oil paint becomes harder over time, as the linseed oil is a siccative, but I don't know how hard, and if it is suitable for objects that will be manipulated a lot. It's a prop for my medieval costume, to attend some friend's wedding, but I want to use it more often than that. Thanks for any pointers! _______________________________________________ List address: puptcrit-AT-puptcrit.org Admin interface: http://lists.puptcrit.org/mailman/listinfo/puptcrit Archives: http://www.driftline.org
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