From:
Norman Watts <Norman_Watts@zzzzzzz>
Date:
Thu, 9 Dec 2004 07:52:27 -0500
Subject:
drying linseed oil/turpentine finish
On Dec 8, 2004, at 11:47 PM, Don Dougan wrote:
Quoted text begins.I have never used the turp-oil mixture on slate or any other stone (I
have used it on iron and steel tools, and on wood), so I am not sure
what
I have to say will apply.
End of quote.
Don,
Thanks for the beta. Actually, the problem was the surface finish just
wouldn't dry (polymerize) in some areas, especially at one edge. If I
so much as ran a soft cloth across the surface it would dull, and if I
buffed it it would turn gummy and rub off. I couldn't harden it with
low heat from a 100 watt bulb either. I was hesitant to sand it again
because the piece has both gilding in v-cuts and some surface painting.
Also, I recently found that my gilding looked very dull after sanding,
but that was before I discovered it was surface contamination (stone
dust and water spots) and I could actually wipe the gold surfaces clean
with a small, damp piece of tissue. This time I was concerned that
sanding down the oil layer would produce a sticky material that would
be much harder to clean of the gold than simple stone dust.
Well, last night I bit the bullet. The stuff was not getting any
better. So I carefully sanded it down again under running water, rinsed
it off well (easier if you get in a warm shower with it than work in
the yard with a cold hose), cleaned the gilded surfaces as above, dried
it well with a dryer and re-oiled it. It looks fine now. I learned two
things:
1) Gilded surfaces are actually pretty tough. You can clean them by
wiping and they still look good.
2) Clean the slate by sanding (600 grit) just before applying the
oil/turpentine finish. Even though the surface looked clean after I had
gilded, sanded, painted, etc, it had been handled several times and
invisible dirt (no doubt in part body oils) was contaminating the
surface. That must have interfered with the polymerization reaction. Be
fastidious.
BTW, I agree, a flat black finish is desirable over a gloss one in this
situation. That is what I wanted and that is what I have now.
Thanks,
n
Norman Watts, Ph. D.
National Institutes of Health
50 South Drive, Rm. 1509
Bethesda, MD 20892-8025
Phone: (301) 402-3418
Fax: (301) 480-7629
- References
- message 00506: drying linseed oil/turpentine finish - Don Dougan (09 Dec 2004)
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