Bronzing, Paint Ingredients, and Mixing Paint Professionally

For inside bronzing, decorators often thin a good grade of rubbing varnish with turpentine and add bronze powders until a paint of the proper brushing consistency is prepared. Spar varnish may be substituted for rubbing varnish whenever the bronze paint is to be used outdoors.

A quick drying bronze paint can be prepared by using banana oil or preferably a good nitrocellulose lacquer or even a mixture of brushing lacquer and banana oil, as a vehicle for holding the bronze powder in suspension in the paint and making it possible to spread it with a brush.

Characteristics of Paint Ingredients

Paint consists of pigments, vehicles, driers, and thinners. When mixing paints that a thinner such as turpentine adds penetrating properties and this makes the paint flow more easily over the surface. One part of turpentine will thin about twice as much paint-paste as one part of linseed oil.

It follows that if turpentine be substituted in part for linseed oil; there will be relatively more pigment in a paint film. Turpentine, however, gives a flat effect to a paint if it is added in any considerable amount.

How to Mix Paint Professionally

There is a best procedure or method of putting the ingredients together when mixing paints. If you are inexperienced in painting, it is helpful to have a procedure to follow.

Select a drum or container about twice as large as the bulk of the final mixture and wet the inside with a small amount of linseed oil.
Place the entire amount of one kind of pigment in the container. (Mix different pigments, such as white lead and zinc white, with the drying-oil in separate containers.)
Pour linseed oil into the paste of lead or other pigment, adding only about one-half of a pint at a time.
Stir the paste with each new quantity of oil that is added, until the mixture is free from lumps or thick portions of paste. Use a wooden paddle and add only enough oil to break up the paste thoroughly at this time.
If you need other pigments, such as colors ground in oil, they should be mixed into the pigment and oil mixture until the proper hue is secured. You should add color slowly and cautiously and test samples.
The amount of drier indicated by the formula should be stirred into the paint mixture next. If boiled oil is substituted for raw oil, no drier is needed; and if used it will harm the paint.
Pour the remainder of linseed oil into the paint mixture a little at a time, carefully stirring and mixing the pigments with the oil. (Paint formulas vary greatly in the amount of oil suggested.)
The thinner, such as turpentine or mineral spirits, should be added next. It. Turpentine tends to \"flat\" paints, and should not be used in excess.
In order to remove coarse particles, it is wise to strain the paint thru a fine screen wire. If the paint is to be used inside of a building or if you want a very smooth surface a final straining of the thoroughly mixed paint through a double cheesecloth screen is advisable.

In order to remove coarse particles, strain the paint with a fine screen wire. If the paint is to be used inside of a building or if you want a smooth surface, a final straining of the mixed paint through a double cheesecloth screen is advisable.