Scumbling

[ditchcrawler]

31 minutes ago, dave moore said:

Having read previous posts, I’d like to add a bit of background. Ratcliffe’s, the major scumble manufacturer, originally made only oil based scumbles intended for use on similar undercoats. They were taken over by Tor coatings, still producing oil based stuff with the Ratcliffe badge, until a clash with the Volatile Organic Compound regs, some time in the late 90s I think, led to the production of a water based product, still available today. Some painters swore by it, others at it. Personally, I’ve never tried it, but as others have said, it should sit well on water based undercoats.

These days I buy clear scumble glaze from Polyvine and tint it myself with light oak stain, though they also produce a ready mixed light oak. All oil based and suiting this particular dinosaur. As said previously, a decent varnish is essential. My preference is for Craftmaster, though some yards have successfully used yacht varnishes by International or Johnson’s to varnish my work. Blackfriars is fine too.

I heartily endorse earlier advice about the cautious use of a knotting rubber. It’s easy to get excited by the effect produced and I understand the temptation to use it randomly. The late Chris Lloyd, writing in Waterways World years ago, described the over use as “ Like rifle targets holding hands”, a most apt description to me. Would any decent joiner use timber riddled with knots? I doubt it.....

As the retires chap who did mine said, less is more. He use to paint pub signs when they were still painted and not vinyle and did yards of scumbling in the old pubs normally on the wood behind bench seat around the walls of pubs.

[blackrose]

On 17/02/2020 at 18:07, Machpoint005 said:

My personal taste is that scumbling, even when done really well, still looks 'orrible.

 

If you want something that looks like wood, then have wood...

 

I agree, I'm not a fan of scrumbling. I know it's traditional but it's the traditional equivalent of a wood veneer and I'm not a fan of that either. I guess everything becomes traditional over time even fake rivets and plastic buckets.

[dave moore]

Scrumbling? I think not.....?

[ditchcrawler]

9 hours ago, blackrose said:

 

I agree, I'm not a fan of scrumbling. I know it's traditional but it's the traditional equivalent of a wood veneer and I'm not a fan of that either. I guess everything becomes traditional over time even fake rivets and plastic buckets.

I see it as another art form