ora

Published by

The Country LoftNewfield, N. H.

*b-2- B{5 $cZ

DECORATING COUNTRY TIN

By

Audrey Chandler Woodman

Price One Dollar

Published by

THE COUNTRY LOFT Newfield, N. H.

Copyright 1947

by

Audrey Chandler Woodman

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PAGE

Foreword 4

Country Tin 5

Country Tin Painting 5

Materials for Brush Stroke Painting 6

Mixing Colors 8

Practicing Brush Strokes 9

Care of Brushes 9

Painting a White Band 10

Putting a Design on Supersee 10

Designs 11

Preparing Tin for Decoration 23

Painting a Design on Tinware 25

Striping 27

Finishing 27

Stenciling 29

Materials for Stenciling 29

Preparing and Cutting Stencils 30

Applying Stenciled Designs on Tinware 31

Overtoning Stencils in Color 32

Striping and Finishing Stenciled Tin 32

Cover: Child's toy teapot, found in Maine.

Simply decorated in Red and Yellow

on a Green background.

Foreword

The purpose of this booklet is to help those who

wish to pursue the fascinating hobby of tin deco-

ration in the Early American Manner.

If at all possible, one who wishes to become

proficient in this craft should study under one of

the capable teachers available in many commu-nities.

If personal instruction is not available, we

feel that the next best thing to do is to obtain

through a library the excellent book written by

the late Esther Stevens Brazer, "Early American

Decoration". Another very fine book which is

obtainable in many libraries is "Early American

Stencils on Walls and Furniture" by Janet War-ing.

As both of the above books are temporarily

out of print, we have written this booklet to help

you in getting started in this absorbing hobby.

April 15, 1947

DECORATING COUNTRY TIN

COUNTRY TIN.

In Early American homes there were many examples

of bright and useful tin pieces made by the tinsmith

of the early 19th century.

In the Spring the tinsmith loaded his oxcart with

his skillfully decorated wares and started on his waythrough the countryside. Imagine what a welcome he

received! Our ancestors loved brightness and color,

just as we do, and after a long, lonely winter the tin-

smith brought news of the countryside along with

his wares.

Among Country pieces were Coffin Trays, Bread

and Fruit Trays, Tea Pots, Canisters, and Boxes of

many sizes.

COUNTRY TIN PAINTING.

We find many charming designs on these old pieces,

simple roses, fruit, sunbursts, and gay borders of

berries and leaves- -the latter often on bands of

white. These were painted in skillfully formed brush

strokes of red, green, and yellow, on backgrounds of

black, asphaltum, and many other colors.

The beginner, however, will find it easier to

work on the black background,

As a source of design the old pieces are valu-

able, and whenever possible an old design should be

carefully recorded.

Many want to start right in painting the morecomplicated Chippendale and Gold Leaf designs, not

realizing that there is no better foundation for this

work than mastery of the brush stroke painting.

It is of great importance that a nice piece of old

tin, or a well-made and authentic reproduction, be

decorated in a manner suitable to its date and style.

The Chippendale trays had their own Chippendale

designs --Lace -edged and Gallery trays their own,

too. Similarly, simple Country Tin was decorated

in a manner appropriate to its simple lines.

Care should be taken not to confuse the different

types of designs, and to use the proper one for the

particular piece of tin we intend to decorate.

MATERIALS FOR BRUSH STROKE PAINTING.

A minimum list of materials for brush stroke paint-

ing would include the following:

About one yard of Supersee, Tracolene, or Pro-

tec toid.

Pad of ordinary tracing paper.

Scotch Tape.

Drawing Pencils #2-1/2 and #2H.

Blackboard chalk or Magnesium Carbonate, ob-

tainable at any drug store.

Fine, square -tipped, 3/4" long, French Quill

Brushes, sizes #1 and #3. If these are un-

6.

obtainable, fine -pointed Quills (or Sable

Water Color Brushes) in these same sizes

will do. Some prefer the latter.

Show Card Brushes, sizes #6 and #8.

A fine 1-1/2" Striping Brush.

Round Toothpicks to use as handles for the tini-

est quills.

Two or three best quality Varnish Brushes; Grum-

bacher,or equal, for applying Flat Black and

varnish.

Rust Remover.

Metal Priming Paint.

Flat Black Paint; Lowe's, Sherwin-Williams,

or equal.

Gloss Varnish; Wheeler's Bar-Top, Sherwin-

Williams Mar-Not, Super Vaispar, or equal.

Turpentine, for washing brushes.

Carbon Tetrachloride (Carbona) for erasing

mistakes.

The Following Tube Colors:

Sign Writer's Red in Japan, Sign Craft Red in

Japan, or Permanent Vermillion in Japan.

Chrome Yellow Medium in Japan.

Raw Umber.

Black in Japan.

Prussian Blue.

Alizarin Crimson.

Yellow Lake.

Yellow Ochre.

Phillip's White.

For finishing, the following:

The finest Wet-or-Dry Garnet sandpaper.

Fine Pumice.

Rottenstone (very fine).

Crude Oil or Mineral Oil.

7.

MIXING COLORS.

RED—Depending upon the shade of red pre-

ferred, the Red in Japan can be used as it comes from

the tube, or a little Chrome Yellow Medium in Japan

can be added to make the lighter vermillion, used so

often in the old Country Tin painting. A little RawUmber can be added to make an older, softer red.

GREEN—Green can be mixed from Prussian

Blue and Raw Umber with a little yellow added to

make a rather dark, olive green.

YELLOW—A little Raw Umber can be added to

Chrome Yellow Medium to make an old mustardy

yellow.

BLUE—Blue is occasionally found in Country

Tin painting. Prussian Blue, White, and Raw Umbercan be mixed to make a soft, grayed, not too light

blue.

Note—Add a little Raw Umber to White when

used alone, as well as to the thin, White and Alizarin

overtones.

ANTIQUING ---An "old look" can be produced by

cautiously adding a little Raw Umber to our first few

coats of varnish until the desired effect is obtained.

Caution should be used not to darken the work too

much, and the last coat of varnish should be used

clear.

ASPHALTUM—A Transparent Asphalturn back-

ground was used on much of the old tin. It can be

bought in a hardware store and thinned with varnish

before applying. However, it is tricky to use prop-

erly, and does not seem to dry well. We therefore

do not recommend it for beginners.

8.

PRACTICING BRUSH STROKES.

It is important that we make our brush strokes as

perfectly as possible. This can only be done with a

great deal of practice. It is well to practice these

brush strokes on paper. A piece of newspaper or

shelf paper painted with one coat of Flat Black will

do very nicely.

Lay the brush down flat for the large end of the

stroke, lifting it to bring the stroke to a fine point.

Always try to keep the edges clean and the curves

good.

We cannot expect to reach perfection without a

great deal of practice, but we always try to make the

strokes correctly, cleaning them up afterwards to

give the desired effect. We always paint toward our-

selves, turning the object we are decorating to make

this possible. Using the little finger to steady the

hand will be ahelpin making clean strokes. Remem-ber that the old painting was done thinly, and try

never to use too much paint.

CARE OF BRUSHES.

The small brushes should be washed thoroughly in

turpentine, then soap and water, after each using.

The Varnish brushes must be kept very clean by the

same procedure, and then wrapped in clean paper to

keep the dust from them. Some prefer to rub a little

Vaseline into the bristles of the small brushes after

cleaning in order to keep them soft and pliable.

9.

PAINTING A WHITE BAND.

The bands of white used on many of the Country Tin

pieces were not dead white, but had a grayed, trans-

lucent look, which is most attractive under the col-

orful red and green designs painted over them.

To mix the white for one of these bands, add a

little Raw Umber and a speck of Yellow Ochre to

Phillip's White. Mix this with some varnish to about

the consistency used for striping.

It is a good idea to paint guide lines with a fine

striping brush, and then fill in with broad, even

strokes, made with a large show card brush.

PUTTING A DESIGN ON SUPERSEE.

The best way to record a design for future use is to

paint a copy on a piece of Supersee. Fasten the Su-

persee with Scotch Tape over the pattern to be cop-

ied. Now paint all undercoats of flowers, brush

strokes, and leaves. Lift the pattern from under the

Supersee, fasten the latter to a piece of cardboard,

and paint the overtones and the details. Scotch tape

the painted pattern, when completed, to a piece of

heavy black paper and protect it with a wax paper

envelope.

Putting a design on paper in this manner is very

good practice and should be done by a beginner be-

fore attempting to put a design on a piece of tin.

10.

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PREPARING TIN FOR DECORATION.

If tin to be painted is new, it should be thoroughly

scrubbed in hot, soapy water to remove any film of

oil or grease, however slight. It should then be

rinsed thoroughly in hot water and immediately dried.

This should be followed by a light sanding with

very fine Garnet Wet-or-Dry sandpaper. Again wash

well and apply priming coat as soon as thoroughly

dry. The priming coat should be any standard Metal

Priming Paint which can be brushed on, such as

Lynch's Red Sanding Primer, or equal.

If none of these are immediately available, a

priming coat can be made by using Flat Black paint

with a little varnish added, or a coat of clear var-

nish can be used. However, by all means use a

standard metal primer if possible.

The purpose of a priming coat is to effect the

best possible adherence between the bare metal and

the subsequent coats of paint. It must be put on the

surface to which it is meant to adhere. If it is ap-

plied on top of dirt, oil, or rust, which will sooner

or later come off, the paint will, of course, come off

too. Nothing is more disheartening than to spend

hours decorating a piece of tin only to have it ruined

later on due to poor adherence between the metal and

the paint.

Many who decorate prefer working on tin, either

old or new, which is already prepared for them,

ready for their design.

A word of caution to beginners, however, is in

order. They are very likely to make mistakes in

23

painting on their designs. This can be readily cor-

rected by touching up around the design with Flat

Black paint. This touching up will not show when

varnished providing the touch-up paint comes from

the very same can as the background coat. Flat

Black paint has a surprising number of shades.

If tin to be painted is an old piece, all paint should

be removed either by using a standard paint remover,

or boiling the article in a solution of half a box of

Oakite to about a gallon of water.

The above treatment will not, however, removeany rust. This must be entirely removed before

painting for the reasons given above.

Rust can be removed by using plenty of "elbow-

grease" and a rust remover; Rusticide, Sano-rust,

Zud, or equal. They can be purchased at most hard-

ware stores.

Every bit of rust remover must be removed fromthe tin before painting. Use Carbon Tetrachloride

and then scrub the tin with hot, soapy water, and wipe

dry.

Now, apply your priming coat of paint immediate -

ly as the chemical process of rusting (oxidation) be-

gins almost at once after the above treatment.

Apply two or three coats of Flat Black, allowing

twenty -four hours between coats. Sand lightly be-

tween each coat. Your piece of tin is now ready for

the design.

24,

PAINTING A DESIGN ON TINWARE.

Copy design to be used on a piece of ordinary trac-

ing paper, using a pencil with a #2-1/2 lead. Somemay prefer a slightly harder or softer lead. Now,

cover the back of the tracing with chalk, smoothing

off the excess with the hand. Place tracing correctly

on the article and trace over the design, this time

using the #2H drawing pencil. The tracing can be

secured to the piece of tin by using Scotch Tape. The

placing of the design is most important. Look it over

carefully before starting to paint. If the position of

the design is not correct it will be well worth the

necessary time to wipe off the chalk lines with a

cloth and retrace it on the tin. It will not be neces-

sary to re -chalk the tracing.

Varnish is used as a medium with the oil and

Japan tube colors in decorating tin. Put a little var-

nish in a bottle cap or jar cover, and pour someturpentine into a small jar or glass for cleaning the

little brushes. Squeeze a little of the colors to be

used on a piece of folded newspaper, wax paper, or

a large tin can cover, mixing, as needed, with a pal-

let knife or matchstick.

You are now ready to paint in the flat, opaque,

flower 01 fruit forms in Vermillion, using a large

brush if the areas are large. Dip the brush into the

varnish, filling it with the medium, and then pull it

through the paint. Practice will soon give you the

"feel" of the amount of paint to use.

To make the fruit or flower forms opaque, it

sometimes seems necessary to use two coats of

Vermillion, twenty -four hours apart. This is es-

25.

pecially so if the forms are large. Next, paint in the

green leaves, or green and yellow brush strokes, as

the case may be. Of course, it is best to let the Ver-

million dry completely if there is danger of smudg-

ing it while painting in the green.

When the basic coats of Vermillion and green are

perfectly dry, we apply our overtones. The types of

overtones vary in the many different brush stroke

designs, but we will use as an example the more or

less usual, thin, Alizarin and white brush strokes.

First, paint thinly the Alizarin overtones. This

means using more varnish than usual to thin the

paint to a slight translucency. However, great care

must be taken to use a minimum of this mixture on

the brush in order to make a clean stroke which will

not creep or run. Make these overtones as perfectly

as possible as the form of our fruits and flowers is

governed by our dark and light overtones.

When these overtones are dry, paint in the white

overtones in the same manner. Perhaps it would

be well for a beginner to trace the outline of the over-

tones on the basic flower form from a separate

chalked tracing, but the correct way, of course, is

to do them free hand.

Now, paint in any overtones or veining there maybe on the leaves. Next comes the border, which maybe a brush stroke border in yellow, or striping, or

both. The brush stroke border can be carefully

traced on, but as you become more adept, you will

be able to do it free hand.

26.

STRIPING.

It is best to stripe twenty -four hours after applying

one coat of varnish to the piece of tin being decorated.

Mix the tube paint and the varnish together in a

jar cover to a consistency that will flow easily. Draw

the striping brush through this mixture, then across

a piece of newspaper, watching for specks of paint

that would mar the stripe. Practice is the only thing

that will tell you how much paint to leave on the brush.

Holding the brush between the thumb and forefinger,

and, if possible, running the third and fourth fingers

along the edge to steady the hand, pull the full length

of the brush toward you as smoothly and steadily as

possible.

FINISHING.

The first and most important thing to remember

about the finishing of a decorated piece of tin is to

keep dust from getting into the varnish coats. Have

the article absolutely dust free. Wash well with

soapy water, rinse, and dry with an old silk stocking

or other lintless cloth.

Keep the varnish brush perfectly clean and al-

ways covered when not in use. Never dip a brush

directly into the varnish can or leave the cover off

the can. Also, never shake a can of varnish before

using, as this will form a multitude of minute air

bubbles which will not disappear for some time.

These air bubbles, picked up on the brush and trans-

ferred to the tin, interfere with a nice smooth finish.

27.

Have the tin article and the can of varnish warmbefore starting. Now, pour a little of the varnish in-

to a clean jar cover, and fill the brush. Flow the

varnish on smoothly and evenly, neither too sparing-

ly nor heavily enough to cause the varnish to run. In

the case of flat pieces, such as trays, do not stand

them on edge while drying as this, also, may cause

the varnish to run.

Cover the newly varnished article with a paste-

board box that will allow plenty of room for ventila-

tion. Leave this cover on until the varnish coat has

reached the dust free stage. Each coat should be

allowed to dry twenty -four hours before re -varnish-

ing, and forty -eight hours before rubbing with pum-ice and water.

After the article has had two coats of varnish,

rub with a soft, wet cloth dipped in pumice. Continue

this procedure until a lovely, smooth finish has

been obtained, smoothing out all dust specks. The

last coat of varnish is rubbed with pumice and crude

oil, and then given a final polishing with rottenstone

and crude oil. Care should, however, be taken not to

rub hard enough so as to rub through the coats of

varnish, especially on the edges of our tin.

The Bar-Top or Spar varnishes are very neces-

sary for trays, but for the smaller things that do not

have to be water and alcohol proof, a good grade of

satin finish varnish can be used, and the rubbing

down omitted. For all varnishing the day should be

clear and the temperature above 70 degrees.

28.

STENCILING.

Much of the simple tin was stenciled. The bread

and apple trays, tea caddies, boxes, etc., were amongthe articles treated in this manner.

Most of the simple tin was stenciled with a com-plete design, cut in one unit. Other more elaborate

types of stenciling were built up from several small

units. In these built-up stencils, one leaf, one grape,

and one fruit might be used more than once, and even

reversed, to help make a complete design.

LIST OF MATERIALS FOR STENCILING.

A minimum list of materials for stenciling would in-

clude the following:

About one yard of Architect's Linen.

One pair of sharp-pointed embroidery scissors.

One Exacto knife, Model #1, with the smallest

pointed blade, Model #11.

A small piece of silk -backed velvet or chamois.

The following bronze powders, very finely ground:

Rich Gold.

Orange Gold.

Pale Gold.

Aluminum.The following transparent colors:

Alizarin Crimson.

Prussian Blue.

Yellow Lake.

Raw Umber.Gloss Varnish; Wheeler's Bar-Top or equal.

29.

PREPARING AND CUTTING STENCILS.

The stencils are cut from the best quality Architect's

Linen, with fine -pointed embroidery scissors where

curves of small radii are involved. On more open

curves, or straight lines, the Exacto knife does an

excellent job. On very fine lines, such as stems,

etc., it is best to cut one side of the line with the Ex-

acto knife, and then pare it down to the desired width

with the embroidery scissors. Small dots can be

cut with the very tips of the embroidery scissors.

Carefully, well cut stencils are their own re-

ward, and, if proper care is taken, they can be used

practically indefinitely.

The stencil units, or the complete stencils, as

the case may be, should be traced carefully onto or-

dinary tracing paper with india ink and a crow quill

pen. We do this in order to make the design show up

better through the less transparent Architect's Linen.

Next, the Architect's Linen should be cut to fit the

stencil pattern with at least an inch border all around.

Now, trace the unit onto the piece of linen with india

ink and carefully cut the stencil.

**********

Note: Often the 1-1/2" striping brushes are too

wide for the finest striping. They can be made nar-

rower by cutting off as many of the hairs as neces-

sary close at the base of the quill.

30.

APPLYING STENCILED DESIGNS ON TINWARE.

When the cutting of the stencil is completed, the pre-

pared piece of tin (see directions for brush stroke

painting) is given a smooth, even coat of varnish, and

allowed to dry until it is practically, but not quite,

dry. It should feel tacky but should let the finger

come away from it perfectly dry. Depending on con-

ditions such as the amount of varnish used, the tem-perature of the room, etc., the length of time until

this point is reached will vary. It might, under favor-

able conditions, be ready for stenciling in half an

hour. Experience will teach one to recognize the

correct time for applying the stencil.

While waiting for the tacky stage to arrive, put

bits of different powders to be used on a piece of

upholsterer's velvet. Tiny amounts are all that will

be needed, and after using the velvet it can be folded

and put away to use another time.

When the crucial moment for stenciling has ar-

rived, place the cut stencil carefully in the correct

position. Wrap a small piece of silk-backed velvet

(never* rayon or cotton) or a piece of chamois over

the forefinger, being careful to keep it smooth.

Hold the stencil in place with the left hand, and,

with the wrapped forefinger, dip very cautiously into

the powder. Wipe off any excess onto your smockand apply the remaining powder to the tacky surface

with a circular motion, shading carefully when the

design so requires. Apply more powder as needed.

It is far better to start with too little powder than too

31.

much, as too much powder will slip under the edge of

the stencil.

After each use stencils should be thoroughly

cleaned with turpentine. Care should be taken not to

let any water come in contact with the Architect's

Linen, as it will be immediately ruined. This is due

to the fact that the starch on the linen is highly sol-

uble in water.

The stenciled article must dry for twenty -four

hours, and then the loose powder should be washed

away under running water.

It may be necessary to touch up with Flat Black

paint here and there where the powder has gotten out

of hand.

OVERTONING STENCILS IN COLOR.

If overtones of color are to be applied, a large brush

is used to lay broad strokes of thin, transparent color

over the different parts of the design.

It is to be noted that in the old stenciled designs,

these broad sweeps of color took in a whole group of

leaves or petals in one stroke, rather than trying to

confine the transparent color to each little leaf or

petal.

STRIPING AND FINISHING STENCILED TIN.

The procedure involved in striping and finishing

stenciled tin is exactly the same as that explained

previously, under directions for brush stroke paint-

ing.

32.

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