hello, i’m a painter (like fine artist) I use 1*2 poplar for the sides and Baltic birch plywood to create panels. On these panels I put several layers of Gesso (a heavy bodied acrylic paint) and sand down to a mirror like surface (up to 1500 grit) . Once i have the surface to this point I put several thin layers of various blue oil paint mixed with a medium of 20/80 stand/linseed oil to create a glowing blue surface.
For a gloss finish I have been using Minwax Finishing Paste, which I absolutely love b/c it integrates into the surface and does not sit on top like polys do.
So, I would like to find a product that will create a satin finish that will integrate into the surface not sit on top as a seperate layer.
Any suggestions would be much appreciated. Thank you very much.
Replies
Can't you wax like the Gloss method but then buff it with a scotch brite pad to make it satin?
I don't think the wax is really integrating into the paint, I suspect it just looks that way because the layer is so thin.
You can achieve a satin sheen without an additional top coat by rubbing that out with fine steel wool (the real kind works better in this case) or with fine pumice lubricated with parafin oil. For this to work well you should give the paint at least a month to cure beforehand. Your media make this a bit of a challenge since they will cure pretty soft, and harder is better for rubbing out. You might try a harder drying media with the paint--resin based, not oil or polymerized (stand) oil.
You could also experiment with a top coat of a satin finish. If your blue can stand a bit of ambering, one coat of a satin wipe on varnish with a traditional resin, not polyurethane, might work nicely. Waterlox Satin would be a good choice to try--it is a varnish based on tung oil modified with phenolic resin. For less color change a soya based varnish might be tried. Pratt & Lambert 38 comes in a satin version. This would need to be thinned to work well as a wipe on varnish to keep the coating thin.
Steve,
Thank you for your recommendations. Perhaps I should have mentioned this but as of right now (until May, when I graduate) i'm a bit pressed for time as we have mid-term crits 12.mar and final crits about 1.5 months after that. So I'm unable to wait one month for drying time, but I will def. keep this in mind for the future. Also with the topcoats you have recommended, I am wondering if they are indeed fatter than my 20/80 mixture. I'm not sure if you are familar with the concept of fat over lean, like leaner mixtures on the beggining surfaces and fatter on the outer, for some sort of archival reasons or what have you (thats my guess) The reason i mention this is b./c I see the Pratt & Lambart is alkyd based and have spoken with Gamblin about their Galkyd and they said I should not use it on top of my 20/80 mix as it is inherently leaner than that mixture. Also, I am a little worried about the amber color thinking that it may turn my blue panels greenish. Considering this is a final layer I'm not sure if fatter and leaner matters. what do you think? Can you recommend some non-yellowing resin mediums for oil paint? Thank you very much for your help.
rad,
Shellac in an ultra-blonde or "platinum" grade would impart no color and would not itself yellow. You could rub the finish surface to whatever degree of matte appearance you want.
Rich
I suspect the difficulties begin with using oil as the medium to extend your paint (I presume the purpose is to make it translucent so it will glow over the gesso.) With so much oil you have a very soft, slow curing finish. A satin finish is created by creating a roughness in the surface that defracts the light. It comes from either evenly scratching the surface, or from applying a finish that contains a flatting agent that "floats" creating a slightly rougher surface. Creating an even scratch pattern is challenging with a soft surface--that's why a long curing time is recommended. However, as you point out, harder, faster curing materials that rub out (scratch) well are not so durable if placed over soft finishes.
Therefore, you may need to go back a step, and think in terms of using media that yield a harder paint surface that can be rubbed out well, or that will accept a harder topcoat. In other words, use lean paint, not fat. Perhaps you might mix pigment with shellac to create your translucent paint. As Rich points out a light shellac super blonde or ultra blonde has very little yellowing effect, both up front and over time. This would probably have much less yellowing over time than linseed oil which darkens considerably. It would apply quite a bit differently than a oily paint. You do not have time do go back and brush it out. For evenness you would use a small amount of pigment and use many light coats building to the level of darkness that you want so that missed spots and overlaps average themselves out.
There are colorless resins you could use over the oil paint. However, it is really key to let the paint fully cure before doing so. Typically, three to six months were normal, especially if your coating is fat. Look into the possibility of advancing the cure with ultra violet lights.
Two books that will be of great assistance are;
Formulas for Painters by Robert Massey (Watson-Gupthill Publications)
Page 142 Mastic Resin. Mastic is versatile because it dissolves in alcohol and aromatics such as toluene. It will partially dissolve in turpentine.
Page 107, Mastic and balsam. A fast drying medium for oil paints.
The Painters Handbook, Mark David Gottesgen, (Watson-Guptill)
Page 67 discusses acrylic resins such as B72, which dissolves in toluene and B67 which dissolves in the more benign aliphatic VM&P Naptha. They are also colorless.
As with any coating be sure and test it on the same surface. Both of these are reversible also.
Good Luck
Peter
This forum post is now archived. Commenting has been disabled