Damage repair
Stewart
My hobby is restoring antique radios and this is copied from a post I
did on a radio forum.
Look at the before and after photos first and if you find them
interesting, continue by reading my comments. I'm not trying to jump in
here and tell you how to do music instruments. Since I have learned
from different groups, I like to pass on what I am doing to others for
their consideration, to do with as they choose.
http://tinypic.com/view/?pic=43r5fyd
http://tinypic.com/view/?pic=2qxnc7l
In restoring old radios you run into a lot of problems with nicks,
scrapes and scratches. When a complete refinishing isn't going to be
done, my solution is to use artist's oil paints and do hand painting.
Don't think of "art work" when using them. Think of them as
concentrated oil based stains. You can use them thick or use paint
thinner and thin them as much as you want.
Other benefits of oil paint are;
1- Unlike some coloring agents you can buy, oil paints are permanent.
2 - You don't have to buy top line paints. Student grade paints will do
the job.
3 - Shelf life is super! Keep the caps on and they will last for years
and years.
4 - Color matching isn't that difficult. You will be mixing some
version of brown, so Raw Sienna, Burnt Sienna, and Burnt Umber will do
about 90% of the wood colors.
Mix colors on glass, plastic, or aluminum foil and put a small dab on
the cabinet. If you don't like the color match, wipe it off with a rag
and paint thinner and adjust your color and try it again.
etimes you have to fill in damaged areas before painting. After repairs
are made the first step is to atch the wood color as described above.
Paint in the wood color with a soft bristled brush and then use a
blending brush to smooth it
You need a very soft, long bristled brush for blending. The brushes
women use to blend their make up works fine. I buy them in garage
sales.
Very Important! Use only the very tips of the brush for blending. Use
them in a light flicking manner and wipe the tips often on a rag as you
work to prevent paint buildup on the tips.
Allow this base coat to dry before painting grainlines.
Preparing a fine point brush for painting grainlines;
Andrew Wyeth has done much of his work in a technique called "dry
brush" and this is how he prepares his brush for this type of painting.
1- Thin the paint with paint thinner and stir it thoroughly so it is
well mixed. You want it to be fluid, like soup.
2 - Wrap a tissue around the ferrule and slide it up and absorb some of
the fluid from the heel of the bristles.
3 - Tap the brush point on a tissue to remove some fluid. You now have
a "dry brush and you can paint fine lines. Splay out the bristles and
you can paint multiple textural lines. Splay out the bristles some more
and you can paint lots of little dots.
4 - You can use a straightedge to rest the ferrule on as you move the
brush along. Give the brush some wiggles as you move it if it suits the
grainlines you want.
The brush;
Use a fine point brush. Don't use any brush with bristles less than
3/4" long. 1" is better. You don't see auto pinstripers using short
bristle brushes.
2 - To test a brush, wet it and fold the bristles over. They should
snap back into place when you realease them. If they don't, you have a
mop. Get rid of it. The cheaper synthetic artist's brushes will do the
job.
Oil paints take longer to dry, but that is an advantage if you have
made a mistake or simply wish to wipe off and change something you have
done.
I like to say that anyone who has the motor skills to write their name
can do this painting with a little practice. If you're sure you can't
do this work, look around for someone you know who can.
.Here's a couple more comments about doing large jobs like the radio;
I sanded the entire cabinet lightly with fine sandpaper. Just enough to
remove any grime and corruption. Then I gave the cabinet a very
thinned, weak coat of oil paint thinned with paint thinner- rubbed on
with a rag. This thin toner restored the color and gave me a reference
for matching the color I would paint in the damaged areas.
After painting in the color over the damaged areas and letting it dry,
I rubbed on another very thin toner over the entire cabinet. This
integrated the cabinet color and the color I painted - just in case I
didn't have a perfect match.
After painting the grainlines I gave it all another very thin toner.
This time I wanted to be sure that there was optical integration so the
cabinet would look correct when seen in a glare. These added toners
were so thin that they added no noticeable darkness to the cabinet
color.
The final step was a coat of finish. I have had no problem using
lacquer, polyurethane, or alkyd varnish over oil paint. I haven't tried
shellac or waterborne finishes.
Stewart