Staining the Woodwork...
Today I went about staining the woodwork for the cottage exterior set. This included all of the windows, the door frame and the door itself. I had a tin of satin clear varnish which I wished to try out, but I actually wanted to give the wood a brown stain. I had thought about using brown paint to tint the varnish, but I couldn't find any for the life of me. So, I chose the next best thing to hand... Good old java.
I mix a large amount of instant coffee with a tiny amount of boiling water to form a dark brown paste.
Now - Whenever I use a coffee paste in my work, I just have to make myself a nice cuppa joe! Two sugars and milk in my Vortex42 coffee mug!
I hadn't used the varnish in a LONG time, so when I opened it I found it had formed a thick leathery skin on top (it must have been about 5mm thick!). So I broke that down and moved it to the side and gave the varnish a quick mix. I'll dispose of that horrible looking skin at a later date (it's still in the tin).
I moved some of the varnish over to a small mixing jar. The mixing jar comes from a pizza kit I got at the supermarket. The little jar comes with Italian tomato sauce in it. The jars are really handy for this kind of stuff, and the pizzas aren't bad either!
I then tried using the varnish on it's own as I wasn't sure how it would look, and I'd wondered if I might get a surprise and find that it worked just fine on it's own. I used a scrap of balsa to test it, as that is the material all of the woodwork pieces are made of.
I could see right away that the varnish alone wasn't going to work, so I stirred the coffee paste into the mixing jar. Then I tried it out on the scrap of balsa. I was very happy with the results.
Using the varnish/coffee mixture I went ahead and stained the door and the rest of the woodwork for the cottage exterior.
I think they came out very nicely indeed. This should prove a good base to start with when it comes to distressing and ageing the cottage (should be on to that stage pretty soon!).
And, of course, I got to enjoy that great cup of coffee!
...However - No rest for the wicked - I am thinking I may get some work done on the "glass" for the windows tonight. Then it should be about time to put all of the pieces together and start ageing it and distressing it so it looks like it's been around for a while. So, there may be more action later tonight.
I watched JFK while I worked. It really is a remarkable and powerful piece of cinema. I had forgotten just how much I loved that film. I reckon I'll watch NIXON while I work tonight!
I mix a large amount of instant coffee with a tiny amount of boiling water to form a dark brown paste.
Now - Whenever I use a coffee paste in my work, I just have to make myself a nice cuppa joe! Two sugars and milk in my Vortex42 coffee mug!
I hadn't used the varnish in a LONG time, so when I opened it I found it had formed a thick leathery skin on top (it must have been about 5mm thick!). So I broke that down and moved it to the side and gave the varnish a quick mix. I'll dispose of that horrible looking skin at a later date (it's still in the tin).
I moved some of the varnish over to a small mixing jar. The mixing jar comes from a pizza kit I got at the supermarket. The little jar comes with Italian tomato sauce in it. The jars are really handy for this kind of stuff, and the pizzas aren't bad either!
I then tried using the varnish on it's own as I wasn't sure how it would look, and I'd wondered if I might get a surprise and find that it worked just fine on it's own. I used a scrap of balsa to test it, as that is the material all of the woodwork pieces are made of.
I could see right away that the varnish alone wasn't going to work, so I stirred the coffee paste into the mixing jar. Then I tried it out on the scrap of balsa. I was very happy with the results.
Using the varnish/coffee mixture I went ahead and stained the door and the rest of the woodwork for the cottage exterior.
I think they came out very nicely indeed. This should prove a good base to start with when it comes to distressing and ageing the cottage (should be on to that stage pretty soon!).
And, of course, I got to enjoy that great cup of coffee!
...However - No rest for the wicked - I am thinking I may get some work done on the "glass" for the windows tonight. Then it should be about time to put all of the pieces together and start ageing it and distressing it so it looks like it's been around for a while. So, there may be more action later tonight.
I watched JFK while I worked. It really is a remarkable and powerful piece of cinema. I had forgotten just how much I loved that film. I reckon I'll watch NIXON while I work tonight!
posted by Paul (Vortex42) at
2:07 PM
7 Comments:
Geez and I though *I* was resourceful.....never woulda' thought to use coffee as a colorant! Sure enough, looks beautiful!! That wood grain on the door...nice work!
Loving the detail so much. Those frames and door look perfectly perfect! Wow! Fantastic job! Plus, you're pretty! You look like a saint in Byzantine art...
Like this, only prettier:
http://www.ikonart.gr/layout/pantokrator-1.jpg
Tell me I'm wrong, people!
Hi Michael - Thanks! :) - The Balsa wood has a very light texture already, but I scored down it with my craft knife along the length of the door, and at the ends to give some deeper grooves that the coffee/varnish mix could sink into.
Hi Shelley - I have a feeling I might be going a bit red - It's hard enough letting people see my mugshot, but now I have to contend with receiving compliments for it as well! ;) (however will I cope!?) :)
Trying to get myself a bit more used to being comfortable in front of a lens. I really like the videos Mark Spess is doing and would have liked to do something similar for Fidget, but this is as close as I presently can bring myself.
I'm really glad you like everything so far. In honesty I have so much still to do, I am worried about not quite making my Oct31st Halloween Deadline. Doing my best and making progress anyway - That's the main thing... And I'd rather take the time to get it looking special than rushing through - so your compliments help me know I'm going in the right direction. Millions of thanks! :D
(^ coffee is a grand trade secret.
(^ the mug can be used
(^ to block "mug shots" as well.
(^ just remember to drink the coffee that has NOT had the varnish paintbrush soaking in it.
(^ ..i did that once.
(^ glad I wasn't gulping.
(^I'll admit I take great glee in using edible matterials for stains and colorants, ranging from mustard seed and curry powder
mixed and boiled into paste
to drawing using chocolate covered espresso beans like they were waxy pastels.
(^ why?
(^ because I had a 2 year old child on my hip at the time.
the difficulty in that was it was great for camera, but had a spoilage rate . good for temp work tho.
(^keep it up! I LOVE the spiral shape on the mugshot!
Hi Brian - LoL - Luckily I managed to avoid quothing the coffee/varnish mix! ;)
Hey Paul -- great to see you blogging again!
I really appreciate the combo of attention to detail while fabricating AND doing write-ups.
The house is looking gorgeous. :)
Hi Sven - Great to hear from you. Yep - It's been a while. I've been hugley busy with various things, so I had no chance to work on Fidget. Now I have time and respite, so it's back to the happy grindstone! :)
Thanks so much for the compliments.
I reckon there's a chance, however small, that someone coming along might find it useful to read how I did this.
I'm learning loads as I go along, and I've learned so much from the SMA community too, that I feel I want to make some kind of contribution of my own. And most of what I've learned came from watching other people working through their own projects. Hence the detail in the posts.
Hope you've been well!
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