Spraying Gesso?

Framerpicture · Post by **Framerpicture** » Thu 03 Apr, 2008 2:07 pm

I was wondering if there is a product akin to gesso that could be sprayed?

We currently have a spray booth for painted finishes on wood but I'm interested in applying gesso in a more uniform and hopefully faster manner.

Any help would be gratefully recieved

mick11 · Post by **mick11** » Thu 03 Apr, 2008 3:00 pm

I use Roberson's artists Acrylic primer thinned with water so it will spray.

JFeig · Post by **JFeig** » Thu 03 Apr, 2008 3:07 pm

Warm traditional gesso can be sprayed through a spray gun. The key is a nozzle that will accommodate the thickness and pre heating the sprayer in a bucket of warm water.

Post by **prospero** » Thu 03 Apr, 2008 3:21 pm

If it's real gesso, i.e the stuff you cook in a double boiler, I would say no. It would cool and set in the gun before you had a chance to spray it.

The acrylic variety maybe, But it would have to be diluted to the consistency of say, condensed milk. This means a lot of coats to do the job.

If you are leafing there really are no shortcuts to the quality effect. It's paint it on/sand it smooth and repeat until imaculate.

My method for painted finishes is to fill the grain and any corner gaps/blemishes with fine-surface pollyfiller. (Fresh cut pine really needs a coat of shellac first). I paint it on with a stiff brush and work it well into the grain. Then as it starts to dry, go over with a dampened sponge to take of the excess. The water can raise the grain in places, so when dry a good sanding is called for. This way, when it gets wet again, the grain will not swell. Next stage is to paint on at least two coats of smooth ripple paint (the stuff used for ceilings/walls). For a smooth finish, the trick is to work it as it begins to dry to remove the brushmarks, with a barely damp brush. You can of course build up textures at this point - stippling, random swirly brushstrokes, whatever..... Of course it depends on how non-grainy you want the finish. In some cases a bit of grain showing is desirable.
This paint can be sanded to a very smooth finish which makes an excellent base for top coats of artists acrylic colours. And it dries rapidly, although really thick textures need overnight to dry.

markw · Post by **markw** » Thu 03 Apr, 2008 3:42 pm

You can make up a form of gesso with whiting and PVA that sprays effectivley. I used to use this many years ago and got some very good results. I cant remember the proportions of mix used but the pva has to be thinned down to a milky consistency - then whiting added until its the consistency of cream - bearing in mind that you need to balance this consistency with the ability of your gun to spray the stuff. I found that sprayed the gesso needed much less finishing than when brushed on.

framemaker · Post by **framemaker** » Fri 04 Apr, 2008 10:54 am

Hello all,
traditional gesso (rabbit skin glue and whiting) can be applied by spray gun. I know two gilders who get very high quality results from spraying their gesso. I have tried it and the results have been ok, if I had more time (and a spray booth!) I would spend time perfecting spraying gesso and its certainly something I will try again in the future.

I think if you have a spray booth and have time to experiment then you could find you are able to gesso frames much quicker and very little sanding would be needed. The excellent book 'Gilded Wood conservation and history' has a essay on none traditional techniques and in this spraying gesso is stated as being quick, pinholes can be eliminated, and very little sanding is required. There is also a essay on using PVA in gesso as mentioned by markw, who I agree with, it comes down to getting the consistency, air to gesso mix, pressure, nozzle size etc all spot on to get a good finish.

So yes I think it is well worth having a go!

JFeig · Post by **JFeig** » Fri 04 Apr, 2008 1:38 pm

this is the style of spray gun that I use for gesso (RSG and whitting)

http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page ... lter=spray

Post by **prospero** » Fri 04 Apr, 2008 2:01 pm

JFeig wrote:this is the style of spray gun that I use for gesso (RSG and whitting)

http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page ... lter=spray

I didn't think of that type of gun

. You could almost stand the thing in the boiler to keep it up to temp and with the external feed it would not clog. Excellent.

markw · Post by **markw** » Fri 04 Apr, 2008 2:32 pm

I used to use an electric spray gun that I think was designed for spraying fence panels with preservative - whilst being a fairly crude device it handled gesso very well.

JFeig · Post by **JFeig** » Fri 04 Apr, 2008 2:50 pm

yep

that is what I found out from a major frame manufacturer.

Framerpicture · Post by **Framerpicture** » Fri 04 Apr, 2008 8:16 pm

I'll certainly be experimenting with your mixture mark- but all sounds very interesting.
Applying by brush is causing too much preperation for guilding on.

thanks for all the advice

Not your average framer · Sun 06 Apr, 2008 7:58 pm

prospero wrote:Next stage is to paint on at least two coats of smooth ripple paint (the stuff used for ceilings/walls).

I've just bought some and tried it for the first time. It covers very well as a base for other finishes and as Prospero says it sets quite fast too.

It's got a slightly flexible feel to it when set, but I haven't decided if I like this yet. I may decide to mix some casein resin into it to get my usually prefered rock hard finish. It also may have some potential as a thickener for adding to acrylic eggshell paints. I'll probably try this some time too.

In general, I think it has considerable potential and I'm looking forward to seeing what I can do with it.

Has anyone else tried it too?

Post by **prospero** » Sun 06 Apr, 2008 8:38 pm

I originally tried it as an alternate to Mr.Bingham's texture paint, which is excellent stuff, but the way I use it works out about a quid a brushfull.
Pity it only comes in white, but it can be tinted with dry pigments to take away the dazzling white.
A thickish white base with random broad brushstrokes left in gives an attractive 'plastered wall' effect. When it's dry, paint over with diluted raw umber acrylic and wipe with a paper towel to highlight the texture.
Run a comb or a fork along it as it starts to set and you can get a very convincing rough-sawn timber effect.
Although it is quite matt when dry, it can be polished up to a nice smooth sheen with a touch of wax.

The slightly flexible properties could be an asset when it comes to possible wood shrinkage/expansion and any other natural shocks that frames are heir to.

Not your average framer · Sat 12 Apr, 2008 12:10 pm

I've just finished a frame with a 50/50 mix of Prospero's favorite Ripple coat and Craig & Rose 1829 acrylic eggshell paint. The ripple coat not only thickens the paint, but makes the paint more opaque and gives a very silky feel to the finished result too!

With a nice coat of wax on top, it's the business!

Moglet · Post by **Moglet** » Sat 12 Apr, 2008 4:56 pm

Any chance of a pic, Mark?

kaptain.kopter · Post by **kaptain.kopter** » Sat 12 Apr, 2008 5:40 pm

I've got one of these:

http://www.axminster.co.uk/product.asp? ... rc=froogle

I actually bought it to paint the outside of the house and it's been redundant for the last 6 months (took nearly a month).

I'm now tempted to bring it out and have a go at spraying some moulding.

I'm going to have to stop reading this forum and get a life back soon.

Not your average framer · Sat 12 Apr, 2008 6:02 pm

Moglet wrote:Any chance of a pic, Mark?

Hi Áine,

I can send you one by email, unfortunately the other image posting site I found no longer lets me post pictures, so I'm a bit quiet on the picture side of things. It's only a plain white frame. I'll charge up the camera and do one.

It seems that none of these image posting sites work with Windows 98. I am planning on getting a new computer sometime, but as fast as I save up some money, something too good to miss comes along. Did I tell you I can't resist a bargain?

Today's too good to miss deal, was some framed prints in gold or silver art deco frames, with banded corners at our local auctions. They need jazzing up a little with some "in your face art deco" coloured glazes on the banded bits.

The prints are boring, but the frames are soon to become art deco framed mirrors for the shop windows.

Not your average framer · Sat 12 Apr, 2008 6:05 pm

kaptain.kopter wrote:I'm going to have to stop reading this forum and get a life back soon.

Your probably already hooked and too late to escape!

Post by **prospero** » Sun 13 Apr, 2008 5:45 pm

Not your average framer wrote:I've just finished a frame with a 50/50 mix of Prospero's favorite Ripple coat and Craig & Rose 1829 acrylic eggshell paint. The ripple coat not only thickens the paint, but makes the paint more opaque and gives a very silky feel to the finished result too!

With a nice coat of wax on top, it's the business!

I'm about to do one of my 'specials' for papyruses (papyrii?), which are a nice illustration of the possibilties of texture paint. I'll post a pic when it's done.
btw. If you want to post any pics, I have plenty of spare webspace. Just mail em over and I'll send you back the URL.

Not your average framer · Mon 14 Apr, 2008 8:59 am

prospero wrote:If you want to post any pics, I have plenty of spare webspace. Just mail em over and I'll send you back the URL.

Thanks Prospero,

I'll do that, would you like to PM me with you email address please.
Thanks,
Mark