BLACKENING

[Michael Greco]

I am having trouble getting Rustoleum flat black paint to stay
inside cuts of a Nimschke Scroll, especially in shading and the
leaf elements beveled inward.

I suspect that my 120s are not rough enough and my shading is too shallow?

Do I thin the paint

 

[Michael Greco]

last sentence should be "with a solvent."

Thank you all.

Dr Michael A. Greco (MIKE)

 

[tdelewis]

I do. I Keep a can of lighter fluid on my bench that I use to thin it. I also have a small container of Renaissance Wax, I think it might be one-half oz., which I have mixed with inletting black. I also put a little lighter fluid in this mix as well. The wax is pretty tacky by itself. With the wax mixture you get black, shine, and protection as well.

 

[highveldt]

Did you clean the surface with lacquer thinner before you painted it?

 

[Michael Greco]

Did you clean the surface with lacquer thinner before you painted it?

NO.

I used Acetone.

I'm also guessing that blackening will show up better on a steel plate than brass?

MIKE

 

[monk]

the engraving must be very clean. rusto or any other paint doesn't like finger prints, oily residues, or any kind of gunk. acetone, lacquer thinner, or 91% isopropyl will do.

 

[dms]

automotive brake cleaner works good just spray and let evaporate. works good gun cleaning and degrease.

 

[tdelewis]

I think that most everyone must clean with acetone.

 

[gcleaker]

Did you clean the surface with lacquer thinner before you painted it?

that's what i was going to ask.

 

[speeedy6]

Are you saying the paint flakes out after it's dry ? Or, comes out as you wipe the surface clean ? My dry Rustoleum is pretty tough. When I apply it, I use my finger diagonally to the cuts or use a piece of paper to wipe. A cloth seems to draw it up and out.

 

[sam]

Wipe off with your thumb or the fleshy part of your palm. Using a paper towel, rag, etc, will remove the blackening from the cuts.

The most successful blackening is on deep relief engraving. Light lines are more difficult or next to impossible to blacken. Wide flare cuts are also difficult to blacken because of the shallow side of the cut.

After wiping, clean off stray bits of paint with a toothpick under the microscope.

 

[dhall]

Hi Mike,

You've got a clean surface, and lightly thinned the paint before applying. Let it set up a bit before you wipe off the excess, and when you wipe off, whatever you use, you don't want it to be too soft or too absorbent. I've had pretty good luck with a stiff card stock, like a 3 x 5 index card. I've folded it so I have a double thickness and sort of burnished the surface. It doesn't really go down into the cuts and pull the paint out of the grooves too much, but like Sam said, lighter cuts and shallow cuts are tough to get right. Maybe you could practice blackening some practice plates to get the best mix of variables nailed down; like how much lighter fluid to how much paint, how long to let the paint set up before wiping, and what combination of wiping approaches gives the best results. There's definitely a skill to getting the blackening to come out the way you want, and if you get a good system worked out on practice plates, I bet your attempts on finished pieces will be more successful.

Best regards,
Doug