Question regarding Japanning recipe

[Luddite]

Hello All,

I have an American recipe for Japanning, and it specifies:

Boiled Linseed oil
Turpentine
Powdered Asphaltum
Rosin

I have managed to source both the asphaltum and rosin, but am uncertain exactly what he may mean WRT to turpentine. Would this mean mineral turps?

This may seem like a particularly dumb question, but often there is common names in the US which are different to here, for example Gum Turpentine.... could this be used?

Appreciate your help,

Anthony

[la Huerta]

first of all what are you using this for ?

[ubeaut]

Turpentine in US means pure turpentine not mineral turps which is known there as mineral spirits and a dozen other names that mean different things here.

Why not just buy a tin of Feast Watsons Blaxk Japan. Much easier probably cheaper in the long run and will work a hell of a lot better.

Cheers - Neil

[Greg Q]

I have the same recipe in my 1913 American Scientific formula book. It was an old recipe then, and turpentine as distilled from pine trees would have been the most common widely available solvent.

Boiled Linseed oil in this case would have been oil that had been boiled to promote hardening. The modern stuff uses heavy metal dryers. I don't know if any of this matters.

Just use BLO and mineral turps, its all just a carrier and binder for the asphaultum anyway.

I think art stores carry a real boiled linseed oil under the name 'stand oil'.
An art store clerk told me that, I have not confirmed it.

Greg

[Shedhand]

Turpentine in US means pure turpentine not mineral turps which is known there as mineral spirits and a dozen other names that mean different things here.

Why not just buy a tin of Feast Watsons Blaxk Japan. Much easier probably cheaper in the long run and will work a hell of a lot better.

Cheers - Neil

Do what Neil suggests. Specialist paint stores sell FW Black Jappan.
Cheers

[la Huerta]

tar and turps, that's it, or use feast watson black japan as mentioned above, this stuff dries a lot faster then the home made stuff too...

la H

[Auld Bassoon]

Turpentine in US means pure turpentine not mineral turps which is known there as mineral spirits and a dozen other names that mean different things here.

Why not just buy a tin of Feast Watsons Blaxk Japan. Much easier probably cheaper in the long run and will work a hell of a lot better.

Cheers - Neil

If you want a really dark black, then use a dye, either FWs own or, of course!, a uBeaut dye first, as the FW Black Japan isn't really all that dark.

Also, beware of any finish you put on top - read the labels! as some may dissolve the underlying colouring and leave a RRM (right royal mess). I know. Been there :mad:

Cheers!

[Auld Bassoon]

Do what Neil suggests. Specialist paint stores sell FW Black Jappan.
Cheers

So do the "Bungoes" stores

[la Huerta]

....not that dark, yeh right...i can get the same black finish that you see on chinese furniture using black japan on any timber..

...and yes you got to seal it with shelac or you'll be sorry...

Auld ...i feel ya mate, black japan could well and truely be the black curse, and a black hole of extreme fustration, been there too...



but been using it a long time now though, and it's the best

[Luddite]

Thanks all for the responses. Yes, I should have mentioned I have a sad old plane that I was going to put some new japanning on when I restored it.
I know I can buy a ready made product, but isn't the reason we are all here is to have a go at making stuff our selves? Half the fun is tinkering, right??

Thanks again,
Anthony

[la Huerta]

crickey ,here i am raving on about wood finishes and you want to spruce up a hand plane...fair enough...this may help , http://www.cranialstorage.com/wood/html/japanning.html


la H

[Luddite]

Thanks for that I will have a look.

Anthony

[soundman]

I had a go at some japan a while ago & I used the formular from one of the us sites

My variation was to use shelac as the rosin and gp thinner as the solvent
I tried some other combinations to but

equal parts asphaltum & shelac and thinner in stead of turps worked very well.
the shelac makes the end product go off harder and less likely to scratch and chip.

its crude chemistry but i recon the following.
The solvent is unimportant as long as all the other ingredients disolve in it and it evaporates suitably in the drying process.

the asphaltum provides resins and most of the colour

the shelac provides stronger resins and some gloss

the linseed oil I recon is a plasticiser as well as a resin when polimerised
the amount the article is heated I dont recon boiled or raw will make any diff.

I don't think proportions are particularly important in getting a sucessfull finish but fine tuning will probably get a differing end "look"

For some insight get some pieces of cleen scrap steel and coat them all in the various ingredients then bake ( you will have to disolve the asphaltum)


cheers

[la Huerta]

sounds like this might be good for wood finishing too, i was using feast watson black japan, then i started making my own 'tar and turps, as diirected to me by an antiques restorer, but i find it takes to long to cure, about 4 days, maybe your version with the shelac will make it quick drying...

[soundman]

My recipie would not be good for timber because it dosn't seem to go off at all till you bake it.
It dries a bit till it's tacky & gooy, then you bake it. the thinnner makes it dry up reasoably quick though.
And it is a dirty brown till baked.
cheers