12-10-2005, 12:08 PM
Just found a recipe for milk paint from a furniture refinishing book. My guess about 'skim milk' for Romans would probably be goat's milk, as surely those were far more common than cows. (recipe follows next paragraph). You do have to be careful with the lime dust and not inhale it. The Old Milk Paint company mixture has that warning on the label too.
The only US source I know of for pigment is Sinopia in SF http://www.sinopia.com and they have their own milk paint recipe with more tips and hints about using it. I think they are referring to their own powdered products rather than using your store bought milk, however.
http://www.sinopia.com/casein.html
recipe from Furniture refinishing book:
Quantities by volume or weight
10 parts skim milk
1 part hydrated lime (builder's lime)
8 parts whiting (from artists' suppliers)
pure pigments to color
1. add the hydrated lime to the milk and mix thoroughly to make a smooth
liquid.
2. add the whiting to the mixture, to create a basic opaque white paint, and
mix to a smooth consistency.
3. Mix in the pigment to reach the desired color.
The paint must be used the same day, or within two days if refrigerated. The
lime and the milk are critical to the success of this paint: the casein in the
milk reacts to the calcium in the lime to produce calcium caseinate, a natural
binding agent.
The only US source I know of for pigment is Sinopia in SF http://www.sinopia.com and they have their own milk paint recipe with more tips and hints about using it. I think they are referring to their own powdered products rather than using your store bought milk, however.
http://www.sinopia.com/casein.html
recipe from Furniture refinishing book:
Quantities by volume or weight
10 parts skim milk
1 part hydrated lime (builder's lime)
8 parts whiting (from artists' suppliers)
pure pigments to color
1. add the hydrated lime to the milk and mix thoroughly to make a smooth
liquid.
2. add the whiting to the mixture, to create a basic opaque white paint, and
mix to a smooth consistency.
3. Mix in the pigment to reach the desired color.
The paint must be used the same day, or within two days if refrigerated. The
lime and the milk are critical to the success of this paint: the casein in the
milk reacts to the calcium in the lime to produce calcium caseinate, a natural
binding agent.
Richard Campbell
Legio XX - Alexandria, Virginia
RAT member #6?
Legio XX - Alexandria, Virginia
RAT member #6?