Painting a Horse-drawn Carriage
George Collins
My wife recently purchased a horse drawn buggy. It was made around
1900 and has been in warehouse storage since about 1925 we are
guessing. It's in very good condition, except for the paint. The
shafts (poles on each side of the horse) and the wheels are 50% bare
wood. The box, or body, and the seat are pretty good. I have been
"asked" to repaint (it in time for an August driving event :) The
buggy has been repaint once, we think in the 20's, but we can't be
sure of the date. The metal work is very smooth, without ANY brush
marks.
It's pretty common for carriage ppl to send a buggy like this "out" to
someone that takes it apart, sprays it with automotive paint and sends
it back with a bill that would be a good start toward a new Camary!
That's not an option for me (for several reasons).
So, how do I paint this thing and come up with a nice, glossy finish,
free of brush marks? Can it be done with a brush? I can spray with a
HVLP sprayer that I have, but don't really have a safe place to spray
with anything but latex paints. And I've never really had very good
luck spraying paints with the HVLP unit. Yes, I do need more practice
with the thing :).
The wood is hickory and oak. It has small checks from age and the
normal open grain pores. One carriage restorer told me that when he
brushes paint, he warms the paint in a pan of water on a hot plate. I
had from a Latex Enamel (Benjamin Moore High Gloss Metal&Wood Enamel)
that's the right color. Would there be any problem using this paint?
Any suggestions are very welcomed.
tia,
George
GGW
> Hello,
>
> My wife recently purchased a horse drawn buggy. It was made around
> 1900 and has been in warehouse storage since about 1925 we are
> guessing. It's in very good condition, except for the paint. The
> shafts (poles on each side of the horse) and the wheels are 50% bare
> wood. The box, or body, and the seat are pretty good. I have been
> "asked" to repaint (it in time for an August driving event :) The
> buggy has been repaint once, we think in the 20's, but we can't be
> sure of the date. The metal work is very smooth, without ANY brush
> marks.
>
> So, how do I paint this thing and come up with a nice, glossy finish,
> free of brush marks? Can it be done with a brush?
[...]
Judging from the period, they might have used casein (milk) paint for
the wood. It dries to waterproof and brushes on very smoothly without
strokes. The only drawback is that it must be fresh stock; like
shellac, it deteriorates on the shelf.
http://www.highland-hardware.com carries it in powder form -- add
water.
G