Old Fashioned Milk Paint ~ 60g Sample Packs

Old Fashioned Milk Paint - 60g Sample Packs

Description

Bring colour to your carving with the oldest paint there is.

Each sample bag holds 60g of Old Fashioned Milk Paint powder, the first commercially made recreation of the old home-made recipe, which is made from nothing more than casein (milk protein), lime and earth pigments.

I have chosen ten colours from the range that suit carved woodenware best: soft, earthy, historic shades that sit beautifully against the pale colours of lime, birch and sycamore, or contrast with the darker hues of baked or darker woods like walnut and cherry heartwood. You can even mix them together or lighten with Snow White to make your own.

“I looked for a long time for a paint I was happy to put on my spoons. Most modern paints are toxic and sit on the wood like a skin of plastic, hiding the facets underneath, but milk paint bonds really well to the wood and lets every facet show through or can be layered up in coats for a matt finish. It is the same paint the Shakers used on their oval boxes, and it has not been bettered since.” – Alex

In the box

• 1 x 60g sample bag of Old Fashioned Milk Paint powder, in the colour of your choice (choose at checkout)
• Covers approx. 1m², which is enough for two coats on the handles of a great many spoons! 
• Ingredients: casein, lime and earth pigments
• Keeps indefinitely as dry powder in an airtight container

Why milk paint

People made paint from soured milk, lime and coloured earth for centuries before paint ever came in a tin, and many of the painted pieces that survive in museums still hold their colour after two or three hundred years. On bare, porous wood milk paint does not peel and does not fade, because it becomes part of the surface rather than lying on top of it. It dries to a flat, chalky finish, and if you want the look of a well-used old spoon you can rub back the edges so the pale wood shows through, just as a handle wears naturally in the hand.

Why sample bags

On a chest of drawers a sample bag is only a test patch, but on woodenware it is a working supply. Mixed paint keeps for only a few days, so you mix a teaspoon at a time for the spoon in front of you and leave the rest of the powder sealed, which means a single bag will see you through a long run of carving. It also means you can try three or four colours for the price of one large tin, and find the ones that suit your own wood and your own hand.

How to use it

Start with a fully dry spoon that has not yet been oiled, because the paint needs bare fibres to soak into. Mix equal parts powder and lukewarm water by volume, one teaspoon of each for example, and stir for two or three minutes until it is smooth, rather like thin pancake batter; let it rest for ten to fifteen minutes, then stir again. Your first coat will look streaky, and that is normal, because it is the second coat where the colour suddenly comes alive. Leave thirty minutes between coats and apply two or three in all, then burnish lightly with a soft cloth or extra fine steel wool. Finish with a food-safe oil or wax to protect the paint from the grease of hands, bearing in mind that oil will deepen the colour slightly, especially in the paler shades.

Your questions

Is milk paint safe to use on a spoon?
It is made only from natural, non-toxic ingredients, with no plastics or solvents. Even so, I recommend painting the handle and the outside of a bowl, and leaving the eating surfaces as bare, oiled wood, as carvers have always done. Severe lactose intolerances are worth considering! 

Can I paint a spoon I have already oiled?
Not easily. Milk paint needs bare, porous wood to grip, and on an oiled surface it will chip and flake. Paint first, then oil over the top.

How long does mixed paint keep?
A few days at most, covered and in the fridge. This is why I recommend mixing only as much as you need for the piece in hand.

Can I mix the colours together?
Yes, and I encourage it. Mix the dry powders before adding water so the colour is even, and add Snow White to soften any shade.

What should I seal it with?
Any food-safe oil or wax will do, we have our own woodcrafters linseed oil which we highly recommend. A matt finish keeps the colour truest, while oil gives a gentle lustre and warms the tone a little.

A thoughtful gift

A few sample bags in a carver’s stocking make a lovely gift for anyone who already carves, or a natural partner to the Carve Your Own Cooking Spoon Kit for someone just beginning. They open up a whole new stage of the craft, and the satisfaction of a finished spoon with a band of colour that is entirely their own.