Periodically, I’ll make a piece and decide I want to fiddle with milk paint a bit, working with colors and how they change between wet, dry, and then oiled, which is close to the final color the piece will be (I typically add either a finishing cream or shellac over the oil).
I then put two thin wash coats of persimmon over the black on the carcasse.
Then I put tung oil on everything.
I’m very happy with the way the grain of the wood is still pretty obvious in both cases. I was worried even a single coat of full strength paint would hide the grain more than I wanted, but I forgot how adding oil afterwards (and rubbing off the excess oil) makes the milk paint more translucent.
The pulls on the drawers were turned from a 1 inch square stick of walnut I had laying around. Each is different. I was just playing at the lathe that day.
After assembly, this is what it looks like. Note that I forgot to paint the end of the runners that keep the drawers from tipping forward, so I’ll do that next time I get a little milk paint mixed up. I also had to trim the pieces that sit between the drawers, which left them paint-free, so I “finished” them with a Sharpie.
The drawers hold the small abrasive wheels I use in my dremel to sand the insides of bowls and cups. 120, 180, 240, 400, and 600 grit.
I like the colors you came up with Dave, has that "look" that so many people try to achieve but never quite get it right.
Did you build the carcass and drawers recently? Looks like you went all in with dovetails then got bored/tired and started up with box joints. Not anything wrong with that of course (it is shop storage), but you did 1000 bookcases without devation...
Pretty cool, and some ideas to be seen. All I'd need for that to work is a place to put it when done. You have that nice shop that I covet. I have melamine cabinets in a small section of the garage. Some of the doors have pegboard on them to help with storage; some cabinets have drawers installed. It's a real mess, but I make it work, mostly.
Did you build the carcass and drawers recently? Looks like you went all in with dovetails then got bored/tired and started up with box joints.
Yep. They’re all dovetails. Three of the drawers have the tails on the sides and two have the pins on the sides. Or was it the other way around? I don’t think I’ve cut a box joint in my life.
Very interesting results Dave, with the oil over the milk paint. I've always thought of milk paint as being thick, completely obscuring the surface under it, like adding a layer of plaster. You say the drawer pulls are all different, I'm guessing you are referring to the side profile as all look pretty similar to me. Nice work, I like the Sharpie application, same as using the touch up pens by Mohawk.
Very interesting results Dave, with the oil over the milk paint. I've always thought of milk paint as being thick, completely obscuring the surface under it, like adding a layer of plaster.
It can be that way, Tom. But it can also be so thin as to barely color at all. Also, how long you let the paint dissolve in the water makes a difference. It’s pretty smooth if you let it sit in the fridge overnight before using it (and then stir, and possible strain again). It’s pretty chunky if you mix it and try to use it immediately.
You say the drawer pulls are all different, I'm guessing you are referring to the side profile as all look pretty similar to me.
Yeah, different side profiles. I should take a picture.
By hand, Jim. Seven pins and eight tails per corner on the drawers. Goes pretty quick, though. The drawers are 1/2” pine, so one full stroke of my long dovetail saw does a side of a pin.
Here’s a photo of the five different pulls. Two are more angular, two are quite round, and one is kind of a hybrid that I quite like.
