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Showing results for tags 'resin'.
Found 5 results
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Has anyone here ever had experience using an Ammonium Rosinate in oil varnish? I just made up a very small amount, and it seems to have some nice properties! I just want to consult the masses before I make a big mistake in using it for something. Here are some (bad) photos of a thin layer rubbed into fresh, bare rib wood, unsealed. It's a much more lively, rich color in person. Transparency and depth is also not well shown here. I prepared a 70/30 solution of grain alcohol and laboratory grade ammonia (30% Concentration), and to that, I added enough crushed rosin to make a thin spirit “varnish”. As the rosin dissolved, and the solution sat, the color changed from the very pale color of the rosin to a darker amber color. On its own, this color is still too light for anything substantial. The magic happened when I heated this solution to drive off the remaining ammonia, water, and alcohol. Just the heat required to drive off these volatiles and soften the rosinate caused it to transform in color to something nearly identical to my 100+ hour “low and slow” rosin cooks. Perhaps even a tad bit more gold. The resulting resin softened only very slightly with direct water contact, and was soluble in alcohol, spike lavender, and slightly in turpentine. I imagine its water softening can be mitigated, and the turpentine solubility increased with further cooking. Any advice? May I be on to something?
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Hello all! So, I've been really excited about trying to cook my first batch of oil varnish. I've been researching the forums on here/ various things on the internet and getting supplies for the job. I was planning on purchasing a hotplate for cooking the varnish on when I discovered a "dip coat melting pot" while cleaning out the basement of our shop. It looks like an industrial glue pot with temperature control ranging from 100 to 500 degrees F. Looking them up online shows me that they are designed specifically for heating viscous materials evenly (plastics, resins, ect.) and often come with "thermostatic control to eliminate carbonization". Seems like its the sort of thing that would be perfect for cooking varnish! Has anyone done or heard of others using these things, or just have opinions on the matter? Also, any more varnish tips/ suggestions would be well appreciated. -Marcus
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Hello all. So I've been reading up on as much information as I can within reason about the use of nitric acid in the cooking of varnish to produce color. Of course, reading about it has made me aware of the potential problems in using varnish produced with nitric acid. Some people claim to have success and others have many complaints from color shifts to drying problems to cracking and all sorts of fun stuff. Putting all of this aside, I have three main questions, both highly related. Does anyone know what quality of nitric acid produces the production of the colorant? Is it the oxidizing quality or the strength of the acid itself? Could the unnatural oxidation be what interferes with the drying time? Also, has anyone tried to achieve similar results with the use of chemical products other than nitric acid?
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Hi guys! So, I'm doing a retouch on an old trade violin that has spirit varnish. I know that it's somewhat futile to discuss colors without actually showing an example (I'll be approved for pictures soon!), but I'm looking for a varnish that's deep cherry red... much more red than brown. I've thought of making my own 1704 varnish and adding dragon's blood.... but then I saw that one could also use henna, or cochineal, or madder root.... or I could just buy red pre-made varnish from Kremer pigments, and maybe some brown in case I need to adjust the color. So basically, now I'm overwhelmed with choices. Does anyone, from experience, have some endorsements for a nice deep but vibrant red? Anyone know what would typically be used to color a cheap varnish red.... so maybe I can use the same thing or something close to the original? Also.... how much variance is there in the types of reds the common red colorants yield? This is where some first hand experience or advice from those with lots of experience would come in handy! Thank you much for any thoughts you all may have!!!! -Sarah
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Hi guys, I'm going to try and mix my own batch of 1704 spirit varnish. Does anyone know a good place to order the individual resins and coloring agents? Thanks! -Sarah
