[MR] Re: spiff factor

[tom at his.com]

> I wanted to pass along a tip I picked up from one of
> our laurel's for getting a more period look on painted
> furniture: use milk paint!

Milk paint is great for period furniture. While I haven't been able to find 
documentation for milk paint in medieval Europe, it's one of the few modern 
paints made with natural earth pigments, so I figure the colors are probably 
closer to period than other modern paints. 

A couple of tips on using milk paint:

 - Don't seal the wood before painting. Milk paint needs a semi-pourous surface 
to adhere to, so raw wood is best. If there is an existing finish or its a very 
hard, tight-grained wood, you can purchase a bonding undercoat that helps with 
adhesion.

 - Don't mix up more than you need. Milk paint doesn't keep well. Stir 
frequently.

 - Don't get discouraged by the first coat. It will look streaky and kinda sad, 
but it will improve greatly with the second coat.

 - I've found that a topcoat of linseed oil helps mellow the color and gives a 
less chalky surface. It also provides a little protection against water stains.

Mike Dunbar has an excellent article on milk paint:

http://www.milkpaint.com/articles2.htm#Fine%20Woodworking

Some additional info/comments on finishing period furniture at:

http://www.his.com/~tom/sca/finishes.html
http://www.medievalwoodworking.com/articles/finishing2.htm

And an example:

http://www.his.com/~tom/sca/projects/6boardchest2.html

Your servant,

Fin




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