I'm not a great finisher.
I suspect I never will be and I plan on getting the technics down so I can go "low tech, sandblasted, burned and bullet hole destroyed, looking dragged through a decade of barn stomping!"
But I was thinking..
The plastic type of paints and coatings that are available these days.. Can't they be applied and then melted? Couldn't a coating be applied and then melted flat to produce a flat shine? Hairdryers, ovens, heat guns.. Couldn't these be used to heat the surface just enough to melt the coat perfectly flat and produce a great sheen?
This is a bit too technical for me to try but for you guys..
Replies
Sap is meltable could we use it as varnish?
Lots of old varnishes contain tree resin with the most popular being shellac. There are lots of different tree saps used in lots of wsys by themselves or mixed with oils and things or used like shellac just disolved in alcohol. Kauri pine gum was once a major export from New zealand for this purpose and a lot of Australian acacias were used in the old days as well with one type called varnish wattle because it was particularly good at providing nice sap.
Find youself a likely looking tree and see what you can find. Look up tree sap varnish recipies on the web and go for it.
I don't know how well this would work, but I've done a little reading on Encaustic paints. I've only seen articles on actually painting with this method, but it does use heat to melt down and smooth out the paints.
I'm not an expert and haven't tried it yet, but go here for more info and see if anyone thinks this might be a viable option.http://www.rfpaints.com/resources/encaustic/34-what-is-encaustic-paint
Not sure how durable a coating it would make, but just a thought.
http://www.encaustic.com/techniq/fineart/fineart_recipes/fineart_re...
The writer points out that using the skillet to heat wax and add resin is potentially dangerous and suggests the betrer alternative of a double boiler. If a double boiler is not available you can float a stainless steel bowl in a large saucepan. Instead of pouring the wax/resin/pigment blend into plastic containers use milk cartons instead. The lined milk carton is easy to pull away from the cooled and solid block and the impurities will settle at the bottom of the block and can be cut away.
Jonno,
It was your mention of parafin wax that reminded me of the encaustic paints. I see you were eluding to the same.
Great minds think alike.......
That's getting very close to my thinking.
It says that the paint can be heated after application with a heat gun but does not talk about the durability of these substances.
With this being wax based I think it might scratch easily.
Slightly of topic, but i thought i'd add, the really great finishes they used to get on m/cycles/ cars etc, was done with enamel paint, heated and brushed on, how it would go on wood, i've no idea, but someone might want to try it
Trouble is wood outgasses when it gets hot. End result, when you heat the finish enoulgh to soften it, the moisture in the wood underneath boils out, literally blowing bubbles out of the finish. I use this method for paint stripping.
Might be great for a distressed look finish.
I do occasionally try to speed up drying on solvent finishes like shellac by hitting them with the blow dryer, and cross linking finishes like polyurethane by hitting it with uv (Sunlight or bathroom heat lamp). I sometimes finish up with bubbles for my troubles.
Ahh..
See I've never tried this, and I don't think I ever would. It was just a thought.
Are you sure that instead of doing this fast like paint stripping, there's no type of finish that could be applied and used like this? It would make a great hack to produce a nice finish.
Maybe if it was done slowly?
Not something that you see a lot of talk about. Maybe someone who has experience with powder coating will comment.