Removing watercolours from wood

[tombear]

Since ill be using them out in the sticks I thought why not ask this particular dumb question here....

Last week I acquired for £3.95 a old Daler sketching easel, it's in basically good condition but I like to clean up any tools I get second hand before I start using them. It's made from beech and I've used the same to replace one of the blocks that guides the legs when they are extended which had fallen off. Before I attack it with sandpaper, before oiling it is there're any solvent that will get rid of the watercolour stains? I will try a selection but thought I'd ask here before I started splashing them around. If I can avoid scrubbing it with water ( it's quite thin in sections) I'd prefer not to.

And today I popped into the villages one charity shop and low and behold just brought in and not yet priced up was a even nicer ash ( i think) Daler-Rowney easel that doesn't look used apart from its missing a 1/2" rubber ferrule I can easily replace. When asked they made up a price of £3 so I snapped that up as well! I still want to clean up the first one as I hope one of the others will want to join in

ATB

Tom

 

[tombear]

It turns out isopropyl alchahol and elbow grease does the job and a bit of light sanding smoothed off some battered corners.

ATB

Tom

 

[Fraxinus]

Well that is one for the memory bank, I've had clients ask similar questions to which I had no solution, so thanks for asking and solving the issue in one day.

Rob.

 

[tombear]

The cleaned up and linseed oiled one is to the right. I'm pretty chuffed with it although I prefer the lighter coloured one. Ill get a 1/2 inch ferrule for the middle leg tomorrow.

Now to do some sketching practice ( not do owt since my student days ) and then start splashing on the paints. I'm considering a course as there's several options in town.

ATB

Tom

 

[Fraxinus]

I used to enjoy watching Alwyn Crawshaw's programmes, found a link on the tube

Might be of interest to you, his books were pretty good too.

Rob.

 

[tombear]

Cheers, i'll look him up.

looking for small ferrules was a bit of a flop, th only 1/2 inch ish ones I could find where huge splayed lumps that belonged on walking sticks, just didnt look right for the job. Ill get some suitable ones off eBay. I don't know why I was in a hurry anyway!

it occurs to me that the leather strap I made for carrying a bedroll will be just the job for carrying the easel, looks like two dog collars on the ends of a adjustable strap. I may make a simple canvas bag with a draw cord to hold it. Which reminds me I need to cut a 10 by 5 inch piece of thin ply, sand it smooth and cut a couple od indents on the two long sides. With a couple of elastic bands it will hold the brushes in the top of the little army tool bag I'm using to hold most of the kit.

ATB

Tom

 

[StJon]

Good finds, only carry an A4 sketch book when out, would love to get a Plein Air set up. Looks like we need a "drawing 'n' painting" thread...

 

[tombear]

Cheers! 4 rubber feet ordered off eBay for £2.35 , free postage, which rather sticks in the craw when the easel only cost me £3! Still that's just me being unreasonable.

Now to make time to relearn all I forgot about 30 years back! Defiantly think classes are the way to go. It's not as if I've not touched a brush in between then and now, I've been painting the kids models of th last 8 years, just that's a bit like 3D painting by numbers except shading cloth I suppose.

ATB

Tom

 

[tombear]

Took 5 mins to make a brush holder and most of that was getting the tools out and putting them away...

Later ill make something a bit better, Probably something like a Roman wax tablet but with routed out grooves for the brushes on one side tuned to each brush so when the flat lid is closed they can't move about.

ATB

Tom

 

[Robson Valley]

Tom: watercolors fall into two general classes : the "staining" colors and the "pigment" colors. Some really bind to the ground, wood or paper, and the others seems to be particulate suspensions such that they might aggregate and are fairly easily lifted when wet or scraped off when dry. Best to lay a heavy wash then see what can be removed. The staining colors can really get into the wood, I think they make nice cosmetic compliments to the equipment.

 

[tombear]

Cheers, but as you can see below the isopropyl alcohol did the trick, the light sanding was mainly to smooth off the battered edges! It's all a bit redundant as the other easel turned up , perfect nick except a rubber foot had fallen off, since replaced at minimal cost care of eBay.

A trip to Huddersfield flea got me ( all unused ) a couple of better quality than I had water colour paper pads, a W&N sable round no. 5 brush and three tubes of designers gouache, the lot for £4. Just got to find some time to settle down and start slapping it on! Weathers perfect for it now, trees are coming into colour but I'm more likely to be painting the front door ( it's a disgrace ) or the lads war gaming stuff ( already started ) than doing what I want! My own damn fault for putting stuff off.

ATB

Tom

 

[Robson Valley]

There's a point with fine brushes to presoak them in clean water for 10 minutes. This gets water up into the brush hairs in the ferrule. That is not readily displaced by paints so the brush cannot progressively harden.

There are some very nice w/c papers made in Wookey Hole. WN papers and d'Arches are worth the money, especially the 140lb. I found the 90lb too thin to hold much dampness and the 300lb unpredicable.