Artist's Varnish?

M

Matt Mahoney

Active member
Good morning folks,

I'm carving a small rig of hollow cedar black ducks, painted with tube oils. My carving/paining mentor uses Winsor & Newton satin spray varnish as a finish coat over all of his birds.The finish gives the birds a slight sheen.

Having thought for years that all decoys should have an absolutely flat finish, I'm struggling with the decision to spray them with the varnish.

Thoughts?

Thanks,

Matt
 
There used to be a paint conditioner that "bit the dust" via the HVOC standards changes. Pat Gregory uses his own variation of this, I suspect with a little tweeking input from the paint treatment Jim Schmeidlin used on his birds.

You can achieve the same result with a slightly flatter finish by mixing slightly less than one third by volume of boiled linseed oil, low odor mineral spirits, and some melted bees wax (no more than 5-7% of total volume). I use a chip brush and then let them sit outside to dry for a couple of days. This actually penetrates the paint layer better than Testor's or your mentor's Windsor & Newton product.
 
I think Jode Hillman paints routinely with tube oils, so he would be a better source than I am for guidance, since I have only painted three birds with them. Parkers and Ronans, I have quite a bit of experience with. I usually mix-in boiled linseed oil prior their use and let them sit for a couple of days after pouring in a couple of TBSP. and mixing thouroughly. IF I still end up with a very flat finish that will likely chalk when they rub together, I mix a 20% boiled linseed oil with mineral spirits and apply this as a wash over the decoy and then let it sit outside to dry to a very low sheen finish.
 
This post by Zane Every a few years back might be of interest.

www.duckboats.net/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=311352

Eric
 
Thanks Eric. I'll check it out. I may also mix up some of R.L's suggested linseed oil finish and try it.

I'm still wondering two things; Is a slight sheen a bad thing? and Does a tube oil finish need protection once it is totally cured?

Matt
 
Not sure I understand your formula. Mixing one third by volume but there are two parts then 5-7% of bees wax. Can you elaborate?
Sounds like something I would like to try.
Thanks
Ken
 

Ken,

Sounds like Finish Feeder With Beeswax.

I bought some years ago at Westlake, thought you did also.

One can has lasted me over 30 years...

It's the stuff that most collectors really dislike on old decoys now a days. They want a dry popcorn fart finish.


Years ago I had a good conversation with Archie Johnson about "Finishes" on decoys.

"Mineral Spirits & Bri Wax." Is what he said.


No matter what ya use, make sure yer oil paint is well cured.

You mess around with different "finishes" and things happen.

Some good, some not so good, but you can get some wonderful results either way.

All gets back to beauty is in eye of the beholder.
 
Ken,

I had a similar confusion. I'm thinking that the formula is 2/3 mineral spirits, 1/3 BLO. Plus the beeswax.

I'm still wondering. Does an oil paint job even need a clear finish coat??

Matt
 
Matt Mahoney said:
Ken,

I had a similar confusion. I'm thinking that the formula is 2/3 mineral spirits, 1/3 BLO. Plus the beeswax.

I'm still wondering. Does an oil paint job even need a clear finish coat??

Matt
Click to expand...

An oil paint finish needs no topcoat.

However many guy use their own recipe mix of glazes, as RL stated above. A glaze is different that a topcoat. It is thinner, bonds with the oil, and is used to impart certain additional properties. IE evening variations in tube paint, adding elasticity, or dulling out gloss.

A little sheen won?t send the Ducks fleeing, and even a glossy paint job will dull after a few trips in the salt.

I encourage you to experiment and find out what works best for you.

If your mentor has been killing ducks and making nice work, why re-invent the wheel?

If
 
Guys, 2/3s of the total volume is mineral spirits, with on third boiled linseed oil, plus the beeswax melted and then added. I put the container in a hot water bath to keep it warm and apply it outside.

Vince, Finish Feeder with beeswax was what I think Pat Gregory used to use. I have always suspected Jim Schmiedlin's post-season applied paint finish was a bees wax component coating, too, since it had that impregnated low sheen on his birds. I think this coating also helps minimize icing via the hydrophobic properties of the beeswax.

We had this discussion several years ago on this sight...I recall several commercial carvers suddenly falling silent when queried about what they used for paint finishes on their oil decoys. Fish gotta swim; bird gotta fly; Man gotta sit and wonder, why? why? why? Fish gotta sit; bird gotta land; Man gotta tell himself he understand!- Kurt Vonnegut

Tube oil flatwork often used to get a coating of Damar Varnish. LZ Decoys used to be painted in Ronan's and Parker's oils, with Damar Varnish applied as a paint finish to reduce chalking. Michael Braun is an art school trained painter, so I assume this was a part of his curriculum and training.
 
Thanks guys. As I expected, no simple answer, and no "one size fits all".

I may leave a couple of the birds without a finish coat, and experiment with RL's linseed oil brew on a couple of others.

Thanks again.

Matt
 

RL,

Finish Feeder was/is used by more than a few carvers...[;)]

I do recall this discussion several years ago, as you have already stated.




For flat art oil work.

I use Windsor & Newton Oil Colour Artists' Gloss, or Matt Varnish. At one time it was called Conserv-Art Varnish.

It is Removable With UV Protection. None Yellowing and Does Not Bloom or Crack.



The chalking that can occur with Parkers and Ronan I believe comes from the Japan Drier.

The chalking can be dealt with, without a top coat. A glaze can be produced from the paint itself with proper care.


Oil paint is a wonderful medium to create and mess with.

Artists Oils, Rust-Oleum , Ronan, and other sign paint, exterior & interior paint, each have their own "personality" and take on wonderful patinas.

How thick, or thin the paint is applied, and the results can vary so greatly it makes the mind spin.


All in all, once ya get into the zone oil painting, it is a heck of a lot of FUN and full of surprises.



VP
 
Lots of ways to skin this cat:
First one is to see if your happy with the finish of the bird when its done. If you are then you can just leave it and hunt it or you can add something else its up to you. Jode is a great example of a master at oils on birds. His decoys finish out with even sheen so they don't need anything and I'm fairly sure don't get anything.

All the other suggestions above are great ways to even out flat spots in your paint or add a little sheen. Kind even the paint out all over.
 
Parker's decoy paints were developed as a top coat for wood decoys, applied over several seal coats of thinned boiled linseed oil. As Eric suggested to Steve Sanford in the tung oil application on his pair of shovin' oars, again, several thinned coats until saturation is achieved and the excess is wiped-off the piece and left to dry/cure to seal the wood. I normally add a couple of tbsp. to Parker's and Ronans and let them sit for 24hours prior use. IF the overall finish is still too flat, or spotty, I apply top coat wash of mineral spirits/BLO/melted beeswax.

Or, you could use Goldens Heavy Matte acrylics with heavy matte texturing medium and a variety of sponging, stippling, and scrubbing: what I am doing on a some greater scaup hens right now.

Or, you could use a combination of acrylics and oils, as several national level carvers have done when painting decoys, like Keith Mueller. My point? They are decoys, if you don't like how they turned out, hunt them and repaint them via another method when the finish fails; what I see as the true distinction of decoy carvers versus decoy makers. Like the Pro-staff craze that has overtaken hunting and fishing over the last decade, they do it more frequently, or as a semi- profession, often implying superior craftsmanship and skill directly or indirectly; a good "schtick", if you can sell it to the consuming Public!

I was reading a piece on compatibility of oil finishes applied over an acrylic base. Several references were made to "restorations' within the piece. When I eventually looked up at the article header it was a painting restoration source for oil flatwork- so this is a topic that remains topical through time. Why? Oil finishes, dry-out, yellow, and crack over time. New surface coats have better longevity and UV resistance, but they are not the end-all or be-all.

I stopped using an air brush to apply paints...great for translucence and for thin coat acrylic applications from an appearance standpoint, but not very great in terms of longevity of that finish on a hunting decoy. To my taste, they are not conducive to the "shanty artist" approach for decoy production either. Ben Schmidt and his brother produced some very realistic decoys using very simple paints, brushes, and carving tools, including some modified traps springs for surface work applications. As Jode mentioned, birds still work-in to a variety of stool finishes. Just find an approach that keeps your costs minimal and your decoys sturdy and functional!
 
RLLigman said:
Guys, 2/3s of the total volume is mineral spirits, with on third boiled linseed oil, plus the beeswax melted and then added. I put the container in a hot water bath to keep it warm and apply it outside.

Vince, Finish Feeder with beeswax was what I think Pat Gregory used to use. I have always suspected Jim Schmiedlin's post-season applied paint finish was a bees wax component coating, too, since it had that impregnated low sheen on his birds. I think this coating also helps minimize icing via the hydrophobic properties of the beeswax.

We had this discussion several years ago on this sight...I recall several commercial carvers suddenly falling silent when queried about what they used for paint finishes on their oil decoys. Fish gotta swim; bird gotta fly; Man gotta sit and wonder, why? why? why? Fish gotta sit; bird gotta land; Man gotta tell himself he understand!- Kurt Vonnegut

Tube oil flatwork often used to get a coating of Damar Varnish. LZ Decoys used to be painted in Ronan's and Parker's oils, with Damar Varnish applied as a paint finish to reduce chalking. Michael Braun is an art school trained painter, so I assume this was a part of his curriculum and training.
Click to expand...

RL you a very accurate in most all of your ascertained information. Finish feeder is/ was my favorite after season application. In lieu of thatva light mineral oil wipe refreshes and livens mud soaked paint after a hard season of use
 
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