A total beginner started to learn paintings for woodworking

As I processed Raspberry Pi cases and dimmer, I thought using wood would be a good idea because wood can be bought easily at fewer prices. Also making furniture is one of my goals. This is why I started to learn paintings.

There are many kinds of paints at store and I had no idea about the differences.

paints

Washin urethane varnishe is for advanced users

Washin urethane varnishes caught my eyes because they were on top of the shelf and had beautiful samples. The explanation said I could both paint and protect the surface at the same time, which made me think this was what I should have got.

I bought pieces of wood called SPF. SPF stands for spruce, pine and fir. If you buy an SPF, it is one of these, and you don’t need to tell which. These are thought to be the same because they are very similar. I bought some leftovers at 10 or 20 yens for each.

wood pieces

I have filed the surface first. It is often said that 240 grit of sandpaper is used before painting. I bought some paper between 120 and 800, and tried to see the result. (I forgot to take a picture.)

This is after I painted.

Washin-urethane-vanish-paint

I was very disappointed because the result was far away from the samples I saw at the store. I have read the instruction carefully, and paint and dried for 3 times. I thought I had left it enough long. I bought some books about paintings and found the answer.

This paint is convenient, but it can make uneven painting because you can’t wipe like stains. This paint is for experienced people and not recommended for beginners. – Gakken Techniques of painting (学研 塗りのテクニック) Page 86

This paint was difficult for beginners. I haven’t even dreamed that there was difficulty at paints. Why is this paint displayed at that place? By the way, I couldn’t tell how much the numbers of sandpaper affect.

Urethane varnish is convenient, but I thought I needed to paint them separately. The paint to color is stain, and they were at the second row of the shelf.

paints

I thought varnish was this one.

vanishings 01

But it was NOT. This was for paper and clay. Why does the manufacture put samples painted on wood with paint which is not for wood? This could be mendacious.

I bought these and tested.

stain-and-vanish-01

stain-and-vanish-02

I painted stain once, twice and three times from top, and I painted in 7 ways from left.

  • nothing
  • water-soluble gloss varnish
  • water-soluble gloss varnish and filing
  • water-based gloss varnish
  • water-based gloss varnish and filing
  • water-based frosting varnish
  • water-based frosting varnish and filing

I could control color by painting stain. Changing varnishes changed the surface of the wood, but is was gone when I filed with 400 sandpaper. I found out later that I filed too much.

Water-based and water-soluble

The one I bought by mistake was water-soluble and it was sticky, and had a pungent smell. Even I dried and filed well, I couldn’t get rid of uneven surface. I couldn’t understand the difference between water-based and water-soluble. The manufacture says on its website that:

water-based
There are two kinds of water-based paint: water-soluble and Emulsion, and water-based is being main stream of painting in school.

water-soluble
water-soluble is paint which coat is dissolved in water or organic solvent, and makes water-resistance coating after dries up.

http://www.washin-paint.co.jp/corp/guide/word

I couldn’t understand.

Kojien Japanese dictionary says:

water-based
A character of object that is dissolve in water easily.

water-soluble
A character of object that is dissolve in water.

Does this mean the amount of dissolve? I still couldn’t get it. I found the answer in one of painting books.

Water-soluble paint makes coating that is weak to water. Therefore water-soluble paint is not used for painting. – Painting on wood (木材の塗装) Page 252

I understand like this.

  • Water-based paint
    dissolves in water, but the coating doesn’t dissolve after it dries up.
  • Water- soluble paint
    dissolves in water, and the coating also dissolves after it dries up.

My first goal

I wanted to paint wood like this floor. The paint brings out the flavor of wood, isn’t it?

one-of-my-goal

Look at the picture carefully. My wood pieces are “mimicking” 😉 These are hiding pieces.

mimic-wood-01

mimic-wood-02

On the first one, I used stain of mahogany and wine red mixed at a ratio of 2:1. I painted it for 1 to 3 times and then painted water-based frosting varnish. On the second one, I used oak instead of mahogany.

I thought there was more difference between the first paint and the second paint, and little difference between the second paint and the third paint. Add some water so that the color changes slower.

stain-and-water-01

stain-and-water-02

On the first one, I used oak, wine red and water mixed at a ratio of 2:1:1 . And then I painted for 1 to 3 times, and painted water-based frosting varnish. On the second one, I mixed at a ratio of 2:1:2.

Paint varnish at least 3 times

I mixed oak and wine red at a ratio of 2:1 for 3 times, and then I painted water-based gloss varnish for 1 to 5 times. I turned on lighting intentionally to see its reflection.

This is the border between the first and the second paint.

vanish-1and2

We can gradually see the outline of lighting.

This is the border between the second and the third paint.

vanish-2and3

The border became clearer.

This is the border between the third and the forth paint.

vanish-3and4

The border became clearer.

This is the border between the forth and the fifth paint.

vanish-4and5

There is not much difference. Both reflect lighting so well that my camera couldn’t focus.

I tested water-based frosting varnish too. This is the border between the third and the forth paint.

frosting-vanish-3and4

The reflection is very natural.

frosting-vanish-4and5

There is almost no difference between the forth and the fifth paint.

I tested the water-soluble gloss varnish that I bought by mistake. This is the border between the forth and the fifth paint.

clay-vanish-4and5

It looks terrible, isn’t it? We can’t paint water-soluble gloss varnish on wood.

I tested more paint and method and I’ll write more when I have time. 😉

If you are interested in this post, check all posts of “Creative Activity”. For example, I posted these articles.

  • The beginner is oil-finishing with Watco
    I found Watco by chance in the store. I thought the word “oil finish” sounds like craftsman-like, and something craftsman-like would make goods better, which was a lighthearted attitude.
  • A total beginner started to learn paintings for woodworking
    As I processed Raspberry Pi cases and dimmer, I thought using wood would be a good idea because wood can be bought easily at fewer prices. Also making furniture is one of my goals. This is why I started to learn paintings.
  • Making and studying an Akizuki Triac Dimmer (speed controller) and case processing
    I made a “multi-purpose dimmer with a triac” sold at Akizuki Denshi. There were many troubles because I am a beginner. I needed not only to solder but also making new holes on the circuit board and process a Takachi case.

This post is also available in: Japanese

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