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Vol.1
No.11
29
May 2002
Painting
Wooden Toys
The
following question on painting wooden toys from Pati, is answered
below by Bill Burkey.
Question:
"I have begun cutting out wooden toys from patterns
that I have reduced. I am finding that when I paint them, the
paint looks too thick. How do I paint these toys and get a thinner
look, yet not sacrifice the richness of the color? Also, do you
know of any toy pattern books I could get?
Thanks, pati "
Answer:
Dear Pati:
Before
I start discussing paint, I would suggest this...if your toy
parts are not "glass-like smooth" before you start
painting, the parts and the paint will never appear thin but
will always look and feel "thick". Follow the simple
steps suggested below to achieve the best finish on your toys.
1.
Clean off all burrs on the edges with a very fine flat needle
file or a very fine Sanding stick.
2.
Sand each toy with fine sandpaper and follow that using 600
grit sandpaper or a piece of used 600 grit sandpaper. (Used
and paper is sandpaper that you have been using for previous
sanding and has become quite smooth.) Once all parts have been
sanded, use a piece of tac (or tack) cloth to remove all dust
and dirt from each piece. Tac cloth may be purchased at your
local hardware store.
You
are now ready to paint. When I was making toys, I used only
acrylic water based paint, never oil based model paint. Acrylic
paint colors are rich and vibrant and a plus is that the paint
will dry rapidly.
It
is important to keep the oils from your fingers off the toy
as much as possible. To hold the tiny parts of the toy I used
altered wooden clothespins, hair clips so they would dry clean
and unblemished. This will also reduce the risk of smearing
the paint as you go.
Use
a good quality paintbrush. (See Forum on
brushes by Therese Bahl).
When I was teaching at the Guild School, I supplied each student
with a
good #1 paintbrush. The #1 is big enough to paint larger areas of
the toy,
but small enough to paint the finest details. Use a piece of waxed
paper for your palette and squirt or spoon on this a very small glob
of paint. Keep a small glass of clean water nearby and change the
water frequently as clean is the important word. Dip the tip of the
brush into the water, then wipe a touch of the water off on your
hand and then dip into the paint. Some paint is thin enough that
you do not have to dip into water each time. When you apply the paint
to the parts make sure you do not leave ridges when overlapping the
paint. All paint to dry thoroughly before applying the next coat
or application of paint. A minimum of two (2) coats is required for
EACH color. Light colors, i.e. white, yellow, etc., often require
up to three or four coats to make them look good.
I
have been out of the loop too long to know what is currently
available. When I was making toys, I visited libraries, book
stores, hobby shops, craft stores and book dealers...anywhere
you can think of as a source for patterns. Museum gift shops
often have books of reproduction toy patterns and whirligigs
that you could scale down.Thanks for asking,
Bill Burkey
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