and other Pottery/Porcelain

This specific technique will give the restorer an approach to recreating depth in a finish. It is a layering process of lacquer paints and water base paints. This same technique is applied to any item that has design, detailed painting or brush strokes. It is used on Majolica to duplicate the flowing of the colors. It is used on Hummel’s to recreate the painting of the multi-colors and shading. The technique is the same for many of Porcelain/Pottery items. Once you understand the steps, you will see all the different areas, that were difficult to paint in the past, that now will be easily performed.

I have chosen Flow Blue as the topic for two reasons:

1. It is the most common color matching challenge for the artist
2. It involves the layering technique as addressed above.

Materials:

Lacquer paints

Basic colors – Red, Yellow, Blue, Thalo Green, Magenta, Black and White

Lacquer Thinner

Water base paints

Same as above (I have found that Golden Artist Colors makes a basic color kit that contains all the colors. When mixed they will create any color the artist is attempting to match. These colors are very intense and take time getting use to. The kit does not contain Black and I suggest purchasing a separate tube. (Again, color matching information can be obtained by contacting headquarters)

Extender or Retarder (water base)

This is a medium that is added to the water base paints to extend the drying time. You may wish to have a hair blow dryer available to dry the area after you have mixed it with the paint and applied it to the surface.

Flattener

This is a dulling agent that is added to a clear lacquer to make a finish dull. Depending on the amount of flattener added, you can achieve a desired finish. Can be purchased at any automotive paint supply store.

Aerosol Sprays

I purchase these products from Mohawk Finishing Products. (1-800-721-1545) They are designed for the wood industry but work exceptionally well on object art. These sprays are non-yellowing, have good adhesion and are durable. A restored area, no matter how aesthetically it appears, will not have the same durability as the original fired finish. Any air-dry product can be scratched and most strong cleaners can dull the finish.

Heavy Body Sanding Sealer (S/S)

Water Clear Acrylic – Gloss (102-0426)

Water Clear Acrylic Satin - (102-0427)

Finesse-it II

This is a rubbing compound product made by 3M. It can be purchased at most Automotive Paint supply stores.

Airbrush

Paintbrushes (Assortment)

The area to be painted must be free from any wax, dirt or dust. The prep work must be performed so that you cannot detect a dip, bump or edge when lightly moving your fingers across the repaired area.

1. Using white lacquer through an airbrush, white out the area to be painted. This is a crucial first step! If you can detect any of the design or a crack through the whiting out stage, it will also be visible in the finished product. It is important at this point to notice any imperfections in the fill. If there are no major problems (i.e. a crack that has opened, lowness in the fill), then proceed to the next step. If there are major problems then you will need to correct them at this point. If there are few minute pinholes or a slight unevenness, this can be corrected by spraying coats of sanding sealer, let set or cure overnight, then sand using 400 and finishing with 600. If you sand without letting the S/S (Sanding Sealer) cure overnight, it will leave fine scratches in your finish. The ideal situation is not to have any adjustments. Most times just by spraying several coats of sanding sealer and letting them dry in-between (only minutes), the spray will fill in many of these imperfections. This is difficult to do with white pieces because the S/S has a slight yellow color as heavy coats are applied. You may need to go over with white after you are finished using the sanding sealer, if the item is white. Once the area is looking smooth then the process of painting and layering the paints can begin. (The following information can become confusing. I suggest reading it a few times before beginning. Once the concept is understood of working with the two mediums; lacquer and water base paints, then the process can be applied to many different items and incorporating with other techniques.)
2. Apply your background color. What you see most of. This will completely cover over the white. You will need to graduate the color so it blends in with the edges; there should be no sharp lines. What is happening is the repair is being extended so it will blend.
3. Then come in with the lighter color that flows out from the deep part of the Flow Blue. Always work from light to dark. Once you reverse, it will create dullness. After you achieve a matching color, give it a coat of S/S.
4. Next, the surface needs to be conditioned so water base paints can be applied. The surface is prepared so the paints will grab. Mix on your pallet equal amounts of Flattener and S/S. Then add lacquer thinner to the consistency so it will spray through your airbrush. Mix thoroughly and place in your airbrush. Spray over the area. This may turn the area white if too much flattener is added. Do not attempt to correct. It will disappear when the finish coat is applied. The area now will accept water base paints. They will not bead up. This is the first step in layering the color.
5. Using your water base paints, mix up a color that you see that is close to the color you are about to match. It is the detail of the design that you are now going to duplicate by hand painting. In regards to flow blue the color can vary from pale blue to the deepest of deep blue. Judge the color of the design area and hand-paint the area. Keep in mind that you will be getting an over spray from the darker areas as you progress through the airbrush stages. At this point carefully paint in the detail or flow the color with extender added to the paint. This depends on the design.
6. Then go back over the water based paint with your lacquer paints using the airbrush. Blend in by darkening the area to simulate the design.
7. Coat again with the S/S and repeat step 5 and then step 6 until the depth of the look has been created.
8. Once you have achieved the desired results, then topcoat with the Gloss aerosol spray. Give a minimum of 4 coats. The last one being the heaviest. Let set overnight.
9. Using the Finesse-it II, polish by rubbing in a circular motion until a smooth glass like appearance occurs. Be careful to only compound where there is spray.