I have a rather plain, but very comfortable, veneered diningroom table. I'd
like to japan it in red. I've looked at the past discussions on this here
and they seem to be more involved with japanning enamel, which apparently
involves ovens.
My version of Encarta describes japanning (at least the Western immiatation
of the oriental art which involves a hundred odd coats of laquer) quite
simply:
- Put down gesso
- Brush over with shellac + pigment dissolved in spirit.
This seems fairly straightforward to me, I've used gesso in preparing boards
for egg tempera painting, for a table I might use commercial plaster and a
good strong glue rather than rabbit skin glue and tempera powder, but it
sounds much the same process.
Applying the shellac sounds like something best done outdoors, but, apart
from that, it doesn't sound very different from simply putting on pigmented
varnish.
Has anybody produced a good result with a matt varnish mixed with red
tempera pigment (or other pigment)?
Is there some difficulty that only emerges when you are half way through the
process?
--
Men don't pay you to sleep with them. They pay you to go home - Philip Roth
'The Human Stain' pg 236
On Sun, 12 Oct 2003 19:20:30 +0200, "Peter H.M. Brooks"
<[email protected]> wrote:
>I have a rather plain, but very comfortable, veneered diningroom table. I'd
>like to japan it in red.
I've recently been working on Japanese-style mounts for small knives.
Some of these are finished in a red lacquer.
http://codesmiths.com/shed/things/knives/#aikuchi
It's red ochre pigment in blonde shellac. The ochre is mined in the
Forest of Dean, so it's local (sic) for both of us.
Dead easy process to use - buy some liquid shellac (try to buy fresh
and reputable), tip in enough ochre to colour it deeply and shake the
jar as you go. Apply by brush (artist's synthetic watercolour brush).
You may like to prime the surface with a half-diluted sealing coat of
plain shellac, diluted with methylated spirit.
Wipe the brush clean, then store it dirty. Soak in meths for a minute
or two before re-using.
Of all my many shellac brews, brushed red-ochre shellac is about the
easiest to handle. Read www.shellac.net for lots more information,
but pigmented red is well behaved. You can polish it with rottenstone
or tripoli, and you can provide a deeper shine by finish-coating it
with plain shellac. With care, you could even apply this coat by
french polishing techniques.
As always, experiment on similar scrap first. The surface colour
depends on the ochre content.
>and they seem to be more involved with japanning enamel, which apparently
>involves ovens.
"Japanning" literally means "faking Western products to look like that
Oriental lacquer we don't understand, can't get the tree sap for, and
can't reproduce". "Japan" is a common term for various paints and
finishes, but it has no real meaning, as to specific types or
processes.
"Stove enamel" like this has a long pedigree. One of the first usable
paints for metal was an 18th century stoved asphalt-based black finish
for ironware, known as Pontypool-ware. These days (after the '60s)
it's much less necessary.
There's an excellent (albeit expensive) book on the subject
"Lacquer: Technology and Conservation"
Marianne Webb
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0750644125/codesmiths
>My version of Encarta describes japanning (at least the Western immiatation
>of the oriental art which involves a hundred odd coats of laquer) quite
>simply:
>
>- Put down gesso
>- Brush over with shellac + pigment dissolved in spirit.
Gesso has no part in japanning. Don't believe everything you read in
Encarta - it's often wildly inaccurate.
>Applying the shellac sounds like something best done outdoors,
Shellac dissolves in alcohol. You cleaner your alcohol, the more
pleasant it is to work with. English "meths" contains pyridine as a
distasteful smell, and that can be unpleasant in a small space, but
there's no major reason to work outdoors.
>Has anybody produced a good result with a matt varnish mixed with red
>tempera pigment (or other pigment)?
What's "varnish" ? That's nearly as broad a term as "japan". Some
wil work, some won't. I'd look for an ochre pigment rather than
tempera though.
--
Die Gotterspammerung - Junkmail of the Gods
"Andy Dingley" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> On Sun, 12 Oct 2003 19:20:30 +0200, "Peter H.M. Brooks"
> <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> >I have a rather plain, but very comfortable, veneered diningroom table.
I'd
> >like to japan it in red.
>
> I've recently been working on Japanese-style mounts for small knives.
> Some of these are finished in a red lacquer.
> http://codesmiths.com/shed/things/knives/#aikuchi
>
> It's red ochre pigment in blonde shellac. The ochre is mined in the
> Forest of Dean, so it's local (sic) for both of us.
>
> Dead easy process to use - buy some liquid shellac (try to buy fresh
> and reputable), tip in enough ochre to colour it deeply and shake the
> jar as you go. Apply by brush (artist's synthetic watercolour brush).
>
> You may like to prime the surface with a half-diluted sealing coat of
> plain shellac, diluted with methylated spirit.
>
> Wipe the brush clean, then store it dirty. Soak in meths for a minute
> or two before re-using.
>
> Of all my many shellac brews, brushed red-ochre shellac is about the
> easiest to handle. Read www.shellac.net for lots more information,
> but pigmented red is well behaved. You can polish it with rottenstone
> or tripoli, and you can provide a deeper shine by finish-coating it
> with plain shellac. With care, you could even apply this coat by
> french polishing techniques.
>
Brilliant! Thank you very much for all that, it sounds as if it is easier
than I thought - I know that getting gesso smooth is a little bit of a pain,
so, with no gesso, the process sounds pretty straight forward!
I have moved from Bristol to Cape Town, so the Forest of Dean is a little
less local to me than it used to be, but I'm sure that I can find a supplier
or red-ochre pigment here.
--
Judges are known for making extreme antediluvian remarks from time to time,
their being dressed as Ark stevedores only encourages this anachronistic
playing to the gallery.- recommendations on judical attire