Hand-finishing - "Grit to add to paint"

[Not your average framer]

I keep looking for coloured grits to add to paint so that when I distress the paint the well dispersed grit particules show through. The effect I'm trying to acheive is very different to what you get by stippling a coloured base coat and then distressing the top coat to reveal some of the base coat.

The difficulty is finding the right materials in the right sized particules and also the particules must not impart any colour change to the paint it's self, so normal pigment materials won't do it. Any ideas please?

[Dermot]

This company may be able to point you in the right direction with their silica products http://www.sibelco.co.uk/

Aquarium shops do different grain size silica and sand

[Not your average framer]

Thanks Dermot,

I'll check that out. WBB minerals are just down the road from us, so that may be a very helpful lead.

[prospero]

Mark. There is a medium for use with acrylic paints that has grit already in it. It's called "acrylic texturing medium", or something equally imaginative. In fact I'm sure I got some once and never got around to trying it. I'll have a look on the morrow...

[gesso]

would you be cutting into the grit to show the individual colour off ala Formica?

What about breaking up the centres of coloured pencils, over painting, then distressing.

[framemaker]

Don't think this is what you are looking for but on a similar line; I once restored a Louis XIV style antique frame that had a 3/4" wide flat sanded panel, the bottom section of the frame had been water damaged and all the sand and gesso had come away. The sand (more like grit) particles were about 1-2mm in size and to replace the missing panel I used budgie grit sprinkled onto wet gesso and then some gesso on top.

[Not your average framer]

would you be cutting into the grit to show the individual colour off ala Formica?

What about breaking up the centres of coloured pencils, over painting, then distressing.

Thanks Gesso,

It's a great idea, but it gets messed up when you cut it back. I've also tried crushing pastel colours and get the same problem. I am looking into getting some "exfoliated limestone" which is the stuff used for fake coal in gas fires and glows like coal when it gets hot. It's just an idea I thought of the other day and right now I've no idea if it will work. I'm hoping that I should be able to grind some of it up in my pestle and mortar, but then I'm still yet to discover if this is possible, or whether it was affect the colour of the paint.

White specks I can already do by grinding up a bone china cup from the local charity shops. I've tried grinding up stoneware pottery and found that it's just too hard to grind up by any means which I have at my disposal. What I most want to achieve is muted blacks, greys, browns and blues. I've also tried grinding up glass, but the colours I've managed to try so far don't look good and are bit too shiney.

[gesso]

Your a man after my own heart I'm sure I'm two steps away from turning lead into gold but that enough about my plumbing job. What about coloured bath crystals

Ive used the colourd pencil idea scraped the surface with a mount cutter blade as opposed to sandpaper or disc then cleaned the area up with white spirit

depending howmuch you need you could add colour to a resin block then once solid break up this way you could also polish the end result too. .............Now look what youve started! I gotta get back to work

[prospero]

Well no bright ideas here yet but I found something else interesting while looking...

http://www.artdiscount.co.uk/department ... ng_pastes/

Bottom of the page - Crackle Paste.


I found some Pumice Texture Gel (Winsor&Newton) that I got yonks back. Just dabbed a bit on some wood to see how it looks. I'll report back when it's dry. It's a sort of dark grey colour and it certainly is gritty.

[prospero]

OMG. There's all sorts of stuff on another page.....

http://www.artdiscount.co.uk/department ... c_mediums/


(Probably cheaper to brew your own though. )

[gesso]

Anyone that sprays gesso can get fantastic results from turning the pressure right down and letting the gesso "clump" on the frame surface you can also build up a surface (spraying through stencils)
(japanese sorrel leaf motif)

[Not your average framer]

Anyone that sprays gesso can get fantastic results from turning the pressure right down and letting the gesso "clump" on the frame surface you can also build up a surface (spraying through stencils)
(japanese sorrel leaf motif)

Hi Gesso,

That's brilliant! I've been thinking about getting something more heavy duty to spray with, (I current only use an air brush), but I think you've persuaded me to take the plunge. What a great idea!

[gesso]

you can pick up a 1 lt gun from B&Q about 25quid

[Not your average framer]

What about coloured bath crystals

Hi Gesso,

I'm looking for something much darker than that and non water soluble. Black marble would be nice, but it's probably to hard to grind up and probably not available in smaller quantities.

[prospero]

Half a ton of Nutty Slack?

Will coal go though your mincer?

[gesso]

Aquatic grit?

[Not your average framer]

Half a ton of Nutty Slack?

Will coal go though your mincer?

Hi Peter,

I would guess that I could grind it up quite easily, but I can't say that I've a particularly good feeling about the idea, usually anything containing a large amount of mineral based carbon will impart colour to the paint.

[Not your average framer]

Aquatic grit?

Hi Gesso,

I'm still trying to find out what aquatic grit looks like, but since I live in a rural part of the country, I rarely go anywhere big enough to have an aquarium type shop. It does sound like a possibilty worth checking out!

[Not your average framer]

I think that the exfoliated limestone idea is a non-starter as it appears that the only easy way to get some is to buy a gas fire which contains the stuff.

I had another idea, Axminster Power Tools used to sell (and hopefully still sell) carborundum grit for grit blasting machines. I've no idea what it looks like, but I know that it is not water soluble and from what I remember it's quite cheap to buy. I made a mental note of it some time ago, as I thought it might be useful stuff for distressing finishes.

[prospero]

Hi Peter,

I would guess that I could grind it up quite easily, but I can't say that I've a particularly good feeling about the idea, usually anything containing a large amount of mineral based carbon will impart colour to the paint.

I wasn't being entirely serious there. As you may have inferred. But.....What about sandblasting grit? It comes in many grades and is reasonably clean.
(I know this 'cos I have had quite a lot down the back of my neck.... )