painting

[rljohn56]

i've started painting some of my projects and yes they suck!  I'm brush painting and no matter how hard i try to keep the stroke smooth it comes out like this. I'm thinking that if i just spray paint the whole piece (the angel) first then come back and do the intricate areas afterwards it wouldn't look as bad? on the second one the same thing with the fire place part? needless to say i'm not going to win any awards for my painting prowess. lol thanks again gang for all your feed back, Ray  

[Wilson142]

I would suggest trying aniline wood dye. You can mix it with water, keeping in mind it may raise the grain a bit. You can mix it with alcohol which shouldn't mess with the grain. I mix it with 70% water and 30% alcohol. Still raises the grain a bit, but not a big problem. You can mix any color you like and the dye goes into the wood instead of sitting on top and obscuring the wood. No clumping or brush strokes. You can go light or build up the intensity as you like. Needs a clear coat to finish. I use a paper bag or occasionally a coffee filter to knock down any nubs before the clear coat.   

[Rockytime]

Spray can.

[Dee]

It looks like you are loading your brush too full. If you want to try to salvage your pieces,  try sanding the paint smooth and touch up the needed places with a light touch.  I am not a painter either and my painted items look like a first grader did it.  But my hubby does paint and that is his advise.   Good luck.

[Bill WIlson]

When using acrylic craft paint, I like to seal the wood with a coat of shellac first.  This gives you a smoother base to lay the paint on and no raising of the grain.  That way you can thin the paint a bit and make it easier to flow out.

[crupiea]

Spray paint for me all the way. Too much frustration otherwise. I would rather spend time taping stuff off than redoing a nice piece like this. 

[lawson56]

I do paint, not to often. I like it when I do,I have learned to to overload my brush. and keep my paint a little thin.

[oldhudson]

I use paint and think it's fine. I personally think it can help pw projects where the wood surface isn't super nice. For scroll type projects, as suggested already, use a rattle can and spray. But you can brush on paint successfully. Mix thoroughly and thin as needed. I'll add up to 10% solvent in thinning.  

[new2woodwrk]

I recently began working in a paint store and have learned so much about finishes...

A few suggestions:

• Use spray paint instead of brushing - either in a can or with a spray gun if you have a compressor - this is how I paint my furniture projects.
• The poor paint quality can often "clump" on wood - try using a sealer first or primer and/or a better paint
• Instead of paint try food coloring/ dyes - they maintain the  wood grain and promote very nice and bright colorings

I'm not really a fan of painting wood myself, and much prefer to use stains - however, there are some pieces that just scream for color and which I prefer to use food coloring and dyes.

Hope it works out for you

Edited September 17, 2018 by new2woodwrk

[woodduck]

I use an air brush I find it gives a better finish than the spray cans & gets into all those small openings better.

[MrsN]

Brushing paint onto delicate scrollwork is difficult. Your attempt is not really that bad.

When I want the edges painted I spray paint. Leave the pattern on to try and protect the front side. Then use something for a sealer coat on the front side, I use Rustoleum 2x clear. I use it as a sealer and a top coat for most of my projects. I use Deco Art Americana acrylic paint (I buy mine at Michaels locally). Get a decent flat or angled brush, 1/4" or smaller. I noticed a big difference in quality when I jumped up from the cheapest brushes, not the most expensive just not the cheapest.

[meflick]

My husband had an Aunt who did decorative pieces that she painted - she was a master at it.  Most were pieces that her husband cut for her on the scroll saw (and where I got my first introduction to the scroll saw oh so many years ago now.) Most would refer to the type of painting she did as "decorative painting" or "tole painting."  While "tole painting" is using lots of decorative strokes, the work they do at first to prepare the wood for painting is the same we would all want to follow even for doing simple painting of wooden pieces.  Because of her and her beautiful work, I took some painting classes many, many years ago.  One of the first things they teach you is that it is usually best to seal your wood before applying acrylic paints.  After applying the sealer, check to see if you have raised the wood grain and if so, do a light sanding.  Also, as already noted by others, you do not want to overload your brush, nor put too much paint on as your base coat.  Too much paint and it will not dry smoothly.

There are several places you can find information on the basics of tole painting.  Sheila Landry, who sells a lot of scroll saw patterns used by many, also has a painting site.  She has Youtube videos she has done on decorative painting.   I took a quick glance there and didn't see any real "basic" information though.  Decoart paint, is one of the acrylic paints used by many decorative painters.  They have some good basic information on their site that can be found here: Videos and other info.:  https://decoart.com/comepaintwithus/ - mainly look at the information they share in regards to base coating unless you want to learn more about decorative strokes.   Then they have a PDF you can download over on the right side of that page called "Come Paint with Us An Introduction" that can be found here: https://decoart.com/comepaintwithus/DecoArt_Come_Paint_With_Us.pdf . Page 3 provides the basics in regard to brush care, sealing, and base coating.  Here is what it says in regards to "base coating":

"Basecoating is the application of smooth coats of paint done with long brush strokes to create opaque, complete coverage. Use the foam brush included in your kit to apply one to two thin coats. Wash the brush immediately and set aside to dry.

When basecoating, use the largest brush available to t the design area. As the paint dries, it feels cool to the touch. When it returns to room temperature, you can proceed."

[Tomanydogs]

I have the same problem with brush strokes showing. Sealing the wood sounds like a great idea, I have not tried that. I will next time. I use acrylic paint on some projects and use a rag to wipe it on instead of a brush. Works good that way.

[tomsteve]

something you can do if you want the edges one color and the face another:

spray the edges. angle the  spray can and go over the entire surface. light coats just enough to cover. typically  have to angle many different ways. once edges are done sand the surface a bit,then use a foam roller to to the faces.  dont load a lot of paint on the roller-  have some scrap ply to roll the loaded roller over a couple times to get excess off.

and light pressure on the roller-just enough paint to cover. it gives a pretty nice effect to scrollwork

[JTTHECLOCKMAN]

Question??

 

While we are on the subject of painting projects for those that do paint, do you glue the pieces together before you paint or do you paint and then glue the pieces together??> If you do the second then what type glue are you using and do you find it to work well and not have items break free???  Does it matter if the paint is one kind or another when gluing?? Thanks in advance. 

[MrsN]

I usually paint then glue.  usually Aleene's Tacky Glue. It dries clear, so any squeeze out is better hidden.  If I can't find the bottle of Tacky Glue, I will sometimes use super glue. I also use a high-temp hot glue gun for some projects.

If the paint is dry the glue holds well enough for decorative pieces. 

 

[Dave Monk]

4 hours ago, JTTHECLOCKMAN said:

Question??

 

While we are on the subject of painting projects for those that do paint, do you glue the pieces together before you paint or do you paint and then glue the pieces together??> If you do the second then what type glue are you using and do you find it to work well and not have items break free???  Does it matter if the paint is one kind or another when gluing?? Thanks in advance. 

I always paint my stuff and then glue together with Weldbond glue. I have tried them all and this holds the best for me. After it is glued I spray the whole thing with clear lacquer. 

[JTTHECLOCKMAN]

9 hours ago, Dave Monk said:

I always paint my stuff and then glue together with Weldbond glue. I have tried them all and this holds the best for me. After it is glued I spray the whole thing with clear lacquer. 

Dave any particular type???

[kdparker]

I agree with Dave Monk.  I paint all of my backerboards first then use Weldbond glue.

The Weldbond dries very clear and bonds well.  I have never had any joints to separate.  It has become my go to glue for scrollsaw projects.

Check Amazon for different size containers of Weldbond. 

[Dave Monk]

7 hours ago, JTTHECLOCKMAN said:

Dave any particular type???

Hobby Lobby carries it. 

[Tomanydogs]

I also use that same Weldbond, I like it very much. I've tried Gorilla super glue and was not very impressed.

However, the black Gorilla black tape, I think it holds better then the grey regular duct tape.- Not that I'm duct taping my projects together.

Edited October 19, 2018 by Tomanydogs

[amazingkevin]

I've the same problem.

[Frank Pellow]

I use stain on some part of most my projects and the satin of choice is Saman water based stain.  One good feature of Saman is that it does not raise the wood.

Sometimes, I also use paint, either acrylic which I brush on or "rattle can" spray paint.  If brushing on acrylic, I usually treat the wood with either shellac or stain first.

I always paint before gluing the foreground to the backer board.

[Tomanydogs]

I read “rattle can” spray paint a lot on the Village forum. Can someone tell me what that is? Is it different from just a can of spray paint?

[Scrappile]

Nope.  When you shake the can it rattles..... just the spray paint that you buy at the store.  Be sure and save the marbles.....!