File puptcrit/puptcrit.0808, message 190


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!






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