Removing paint from plaster
Jerry Fisher
I just recently purchased a Caproni & Bros reproduction of the Venus of
Milo. It is in pretty good shape for its age, aside from some abrasions
and the unfortunate flattening of the nose from a fall. The nose I can
probably fix, but there is a bigger problem plaguing me: at some point
an idiot slapped a really disfiguring, thick coat of white paint over
much of the statue. This paint was applied in such a sloppy fashion
that I can see the brushstrokes criss-crossing the abdomen and other
places. I've lucked out somewhat since the paint is flaking off in
spots, and with a dulled toothpick, I can gently flake off the paint
here and there. I've never removed paint from a plaster statue before.
Is there a safe way to do it without damaging the plaster beneath?
Any advice is welcome.
Thanks,
Jerry Fisher
Gary Waller
"Jerry Fisher" = wrote in message
I've never removed paint from a plaster statue before.
> Is there a safe way to do it without damaging the plaster beneath?
>
paint used - some paint soaks right into the plaster, and there is no way
you are going to remove it without careful sanding/scraping at some point.
From what you describe, it is probably latex paint, and you have two
techniques to help you remove it. Firstly you can soak the piece in warm
water, even overnight is OK- the plaster will not be damaged, and some or a
lot of the paint might come loose. Secondly, alcohol (sold cheaply up here
as Methyl Hydrate) will budge latex but not damage the plaster. If these
don't work, then you have to get into the messy business of paint removers
and heat guns. Unlike concrete or lime plaster, you can pretty well use any
strong remover - gypsum plaster is calcium sulphate - so it is pretty
neutral chemically.
Once you have cleaned your venus, seal the surface with a light coat of
shellac, and then make up some whitewash (I can give you some formulas) and
paint it. As it gets dirty, you can soak it in water, the whitewash comes
off easily, and you can recoat with fresh whitewash. This way it can always
look like pristine plaster but without the buildup. If you are real lucky,
the coat on the statue is already whitewash, it will come off with the
soaking. This whitewash over varnish/shellac is a very old technique.
Battersby
> I've never removed paint from a plaster statue before. Is
> there a safe way to do it without damaging the plaster beneath?
I agree with the advice Gary has given, for the most part. I would change "a
light coat of
shellac" to a light coat of "thinned" shellac.
A major point that I would make is - proceed slowly at first, and with much
caution. Do some trials on a small inconspicuous area.
Be careful soaking your statue. This is not an incorrect procedure, but the
plaster will reach a saturation point after awhile, and soften the plaster,
significantly. Depending on the type of plaster that Venus is cast in, this
point could be sooner, or later.
I have found that in many cases compressed air is all that is necessary to
remove the paint. Blowing at an angle parallel to the surface plane, start
in an area that is already lifted. Sometimes the paint will leave in sheets.
As Gary said "It would depend on the paint used".
> The nose I can probably fix
Cut in just a little, to remove the crust on the surface of the damaged
area, a thinned coat of shellac, then repair with plaster mixed with Elmer's
glue, instead of water. Scarify the surface before applying the shellac and
your new plaster, and then apply a thin layer first, pressing it in tightly
for an intimate bond. Then build up from there.
> I just recently purchased a Caproni & Bros reproduction of the Venus
How about a picture Jerry. There are several versions of the Caproni Venus,
and I am curious to which one you have. What is the size??
Gary Waller" <ga...@TELUS.NET> wrote
> make up some whitewash (I can give you some formulas)
How about posting your formulas Gary.
--
Battersby.
T. M. Battersby, stuccoist.
http://www.battersbyornamental.com
tbatt...@satx.rr.com
> Jerry Fisher wrote
> Hello all,
>
> I just recently purchased a Caproni & Bros reproduction of the Venus of
> Milo. It is in pretty good shape for its age, aside from some abrasions
> and the unfortunate flattening of the nose from a fall. The nose I can
> probably fix, but there is a bigger problem plaguing me: at some point
> an idiot slapped a really disfiguring, thick coat of white paint over
> much of the statue. This paint was applied in such a sloppy fashion
> that I can see the brushstrokes criss-crossing the abdomen and other
> places. I've lucked out somewhat since the paint is flaking off in
> spots, and with a dulled toothpick, I can gently flake off the paint
> here and there. I've never removed paint from a plaster statue before.
> Is there a safe way to do it without damaging the plaster beneath?
>
> Any advice is welcome.
>
> Thanks,
> Jerry Fisher
"Gary Waller" <ga...@TELUS.NET> wrote in message
news:NfJN9.27901$Zv4.1...@news2.telusplanet.net...
Gary Waller
"> How about posting your formulas Gary.
>
I finally was able to convert the limewash recipes into 'acrobat' pdf
format. It takes up a file of just under 2 meg. Could you handle a file like
that on your website, or wherever? This is a scan of a pamphlet published by
the Lime Assocation sometime in the 1950's.
Have lots of new stuff to post if you want to host. I have decided that this
eurocentric notion of " Teaching, Talking & Technique" is precisely what is
killing off the fresco, sgraffito and the fine plaster arts. If I see one
more 'venetian plaster' over drywall I think I will hurl. I am finding that
those doing the teaching, passing on these so called ancient secrets, are
really just over complicating things to hide their lack of talent - or more
particularly, lack of production. It is a lot easier to talk, teach and
criticise than actually knuckle down to a day's hard work in the pits (lime
pits that is!).
What has finally convinced me was this last trip to Mexico -acres of true
fresco, wonderful work in plaster, concrete and stone - and yet all the
'schools' over here are importing all this stuff from Italy, as if it was
the center of the universe. Paying $10 for a one lb tub of lime putty, etc.
Mexican plaster and concrete masons, working for $10 a day, far more skilled
than any of the " fine European craftsmen" in my town. They were painting
and sculpting lime stucco in China, India and Mexico while the Europeans
were still herding goats.
Any way - your question didn't deserve a mini-rant - it just that I know
that you are like minded in the plaster arts - and now I would like to bring
exposure to some of these techniques. Demystify, debunk, build confidence. I
am also learning dreamweaver mx and can help with scripts and perls etc.
Lots of new pictures. Lots of old books. I also have full digital video
production and editing.
Battersby
> Hey Tom! Merry Christmas.
Hope you and your family are having a real nice holiday season Gary. And the
same goes for the rest of the altsculpt gang.
> I finally was able to convert the limewash recipes into 'acrobat' pdf
> format. It takes up a file of just under 2 meg.
Zip it and send it to me.
> They were painting and sculpting lime stucco
> in China, India and Mexico while the Europeans
> were still herding goats.
You sure about this??
> Any way - your question didn't deserve a mini-rant -
> I would like to bring exposure to some of these techniques.
> Demystify, debunk, build confidence.
Good luck Gary.
--
Battersby.
T. M. Battersby, stuccoist.
http://www.battersbyornamental.com
tbatt...@satx.rr.com
"Gary Waller" <ga...@TELUS.NET> wrote in message
news:GfNN9.29432$Zv4.1...@news2.telusplanet.net...
Battersby
> > I finally was able to convert the limewash recipes into 'acrobat' pdf
> > format. It takes up a file of just under 2 meg.
Thanks Gary. I uploaded the info to my website as a series of pages.
Downsized the file from 2200 KB to 880 KB. What is the reasoning behind the
pdf format?? I did away with it.
Brings back memories from the 1950's. Same formula. My dad had me
whitewashing the house, and when I got tired of brushing I started mixing up
bucketsful and just throwing it on the wall. Nobody was impressed but me.
http://www.battersbyornamental.com/wallerlime.htm
--
Battersby.
T. M. Battersby, stuccoist.
http://www.battersbyornamental.com
tbatt...@satx.rr.com
"Battersby" <tbatt...@satx.rr.com> wrote in message
news:pC7O9.50727$Nz5.1...@twister.austin.rr.com...
> Gary Waller wrote
> > Hey Tom! Merry Christmas.
> Hope you and your family are having a real nice holiday season Gary. And
the
> same goes for the rest of the altsculpt gang.
> > I finally was able to convert the limewash recipes into 'acrobat' pdf
> > format. It takes up a file of just under 2 meg.
> Zip it and send it to me.
> > They were painting and sculpting lime stucco
> > in China, India and Mexico while the Europeans
> > were still herding goats.
> You sure about this??
> > Any way - your question didn't deserve a mini-rant -
> > I would like to bring exposure to some of these techniques.
> > Demystify, debunk, build confidence.
> Good luck Gary.
> --
> Battersby.
Gary Waller
these paints right now, I will send people to the site.
I am glad this brought back memories for you. I think of you when I read the
'California Plasterer' articles from 1931 - 1937, I told you about this
before. I am taking this conversation public (to alt. sculpt and you)
because I would like to see if there is any interest in the electronic
publishing of this remarkable series. It was written by a trade school
instructor in Los Angeles and it is an extremely interesting account of the
history of plaster - this may sound boring, but many sculpture, painting and
architectural techniques are covered that I have seen nowhere else - and I
have a lot of books and sources.
I will send you a scan of one or two of the articles, and the master index.
What I need to know is what resolution you would like the scan, and then
winzip, or winrar, rather than pdf? Then I would think the easiest way to
handle it time and resource wise for the both of us would be for me to send
you a chapter a week - and maybe someway to handle an email list - the
weekly chapter could be sent out to subscribers as an email w attachment?
They could subscribe off your website? Just an idea. That way you wouldn't
have to keep a huge data file - and the articles could be more easily
digested, people could save the bits they wanted. The copyright has
obviously expired on this document, the journal is long gone and the
writer's dream was to publish these articles as a book. The full set of
chapters is over 700 pages, so this material has only been distributed to
very few people.
As this information is sent out into the world, we will see if there is any
further interest in exploring the techniques and topics that Alex C.
Macdonald very capably reveals.
Battersby
> 'California Plasterer' articles from 1931 - 1937
> I will send you a scan of one or two of the articles, and the master
index.
> As this information is sent out into the world, we will see if there is
any
> further interest in exploring the techniques and topics that Alex C.
> Macdonald very capably reveals.
Good idea Gary.
I've read some of Macdonald's work. Plenty of details. He says Vignola was
the master of perspective, and Palladio produced works of art from
commonplace building materials, brick faced with stucco.
Interesting to me, the first white gypsum cement was made using pearl ash
and sulphuric acid in the early 1800s. And the dating of early use of
fibrous plaster - the Egyptians and their mummies wrapped in gypsum steeped
canvas. The first form of sheetrock went out to the masses in 1875.
Michelangelo preferred wax for his molds while his contemporaries were using
plaster.
Macdonald notes that in 1862 the first Plasterers union was formed.
And in a parody of the bylaws -
the Ethics Committee will be controlled by the Committee on Finance. Also a
convention to be held once a year, or whenever the members accumulate a
sufficient stock of good liquor to insure proper enthusiasm.
--
Battersby.
T. M. Battersby, stuccoist.
http://www.battersbyornamental.com
tbatt...@satx.rr.com
"Gary Waller" <ga...@mozaya.com> wrote in message
news:XIRO9.51512$k13.1...@news0.telusplanet.net...
Dan S
all over the surface, lifting the paint off as it goes.
I'd like to see the piece as well.
--
Dan Spector
Patriots 27
Dolphins 24
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In article <jerry7171-0AD6D...@corp.supernews.com>, Jerry