doing quark for milk paint

[mr dazzler]

Just a useful tip I stumbled on unexpectedly, might be of use to someone else....
I was doing some quark for milk paint. I donthave any cheese cloth to strain it and didnt want to buy any, but I DID have some offcuts of insect screen mesh. It worked fantastic. Once I gathered the curds up, I washed them etc, then drained them, then laid them out on the work top flat. It was simply a case of using a little squgee made of plastic to scrape them up off the flattened mesh and into a container, didnt waste any, the mesh isnt as sticky as cloth

 

[Toddy]

I've just been making butter, and it was a footer to get out of the jar (Kilner set) and strain all the buttermilk and water out. Wish I'd thought of the screen before I tried a sieve
Neat idea

M

 

[Janne]

Super idea!
I make quark for my Jewish Liptauer and hate losing some in the fabric!

Thanks!

 

[demographic]

As you are making milk paints it might be worth trying a clear soap finish for wood as well?
I saw a Youtube vid by Chris Schwartz a while ago and it looks to be easy to make, nice to touch and easy to re-apply.
Not particularly hardwearing but when you consider its other atributes I'd like to see it more often.
Especially when you have worked in areas where the more common finishes are being applied as the solvents can sometimes make your eyes water and cause a cough.

 

[mr dazzler]

Glad it was helpful. I did think I bet it will stink of stale milk after drying and being stored a while, but it didnt, I just rinsed out under the tap. The size of the pores is amazingly microscopic, I think the one I had was small enouigh to stop pollen. I guess you could stretch it onto a sqaure or round frame to make a sieve

Thanks for the chris schwartz tip, I like his stuff and will check it out. I am experimenting with osmo oil (german worktop oil made of vegetable opils) Its the best stuff I've ever used at least on bare wood. I am seeing how it goes with the absorbent milk paint surfaces (i am hooked on the milk paint finish BTW, cant see me ever using a plastic or other chemical paint again

Cheers, Jonathan

 

[Janne]

Are you able to buy pure Casein? Pure milk protein it is.
Usd in the past as a binder in paints, and it is meant to smell less.

Also, in Scandinavia the traditional treatment for wooden pine floors was Green Soap, it closes the wood pores and gives a beautiful surface.

 

[mr dazzler]

Are you able to buy pure Casein? Pure milk protein it is.
Usd in the past as a binder in paints, and it is meant to smell less.

Also, in Scandinavia the traditional treatment for wooden pine floors was Green Soap, it closes the wood pores and gives a beautiful surface.

Dont get me wrong, I didnt get any stale milk smell at all, the paint doesnt smell of anything, it was just wether the mesh I used would start to smell after being storred away for a while.
I know that cascamite glue is basically casein, and it is waterproof used for outdoor work, especially boats, it might be possible to mix it with pigment but its very pricy.....
I had a look at the chris scwharz video, the soap finish looks great on furniture, but probably not good for a spoon, especially an eating spoon.....

 

[Janne]

Us Scandihooligans only used it on soft wood floors.
I do not think it would be a pleasant taste, applying green soap on food utensils.

One trad UK paint we used for walls was a Lime wash. Pigmented with eart oxide pigments.
I did one room where I mixed in cows blood. Hell to source, made a nice deep pink that slowly changed to darker.