Painting on oak. What paint & what varnish is best?

[Gwaredd Steele]

Hi Jonny.

A mixture of both will be fine, & oneshot enamel is the daddy for signwriters now that keeps is no more, although Wright’s of Lymm sell a version of that now.

The only problem I can foresee is a bit of creep when applying the oneshot if you bring up the grain too much when sanding back. You might be fine though.

I would also thin the cream down 40 – 50% so that it ‘soaks’ into the wood rather than sitting on it. This way it won’t pull off with any tape etc.

For protecting exterior signs like these, I use Blackfriars UV varnish or for internal, I’ve been having great results with Ronseals Diamondhard varnish.

The Blackfriars is an oil based varnish, Ronseal is water based.

2-3 coats should ensure it lasts a nice long time, more if it’s in direct sunlight all the time.

http://www.blackfriar.co.uk/shop/Product.aspx?cId=88&pgId=64

Cheers,

G.

[Bob Clarkson]

It’s a idea to put a couple of coats of vanish over the affect you create before you write it. Then it won’t creep and you’ll get a good finish without having to put loads of vanish over you’re letters.
It’s not usual, but some yacht vanishes can react with the lettering enamel. A little sample test will save a whole lot of mess. The reaction, should you get one will be on the vanish over the enamel not the enamel over the vanish. The effect you’re going for does look very well, I’ve only done it a couple of times, and it’s worth the effort.

[Jonny Paints]

Thank you Gwaredd & Bob, great advice.
Feeling more confident now. I’m probably going to use One shots speed dry satin to cover the shabby effects. I’ll enamel the writing over that, then varnish on a few more coats.
I was wondering how long One shot enamel takes to dry and also which brushes and in what size to use? At the widest, the lettering will be 10mm and 2mm (some longer strokes) at its narrowest. Wheres a good place to start; pointed, chisel edged, one stroke etc…? (I’m browsing gold leaf supplies)
They are not my usual type of ‘hairy stick’, but I’d like to do the job well. You can never have too many brushes & I love learning along the way!

[Bob Clarkson]

Most of my signwriting was done years ago, and I always used "Keeps" enamel. Just had a little web search and it doesn’t seem to be available anymore. "Sorry Gwaredd, just remembered you’d already said that". I have used "One shot" but in honesty preferred "Keeps". "Keeps" still had lead in it, not the healthiest of things, but I wasn’t exactly eating it, so what’s the halm.
Brushes are very much opinion, I always used sable and ox chisel, truthfully because that’s what I was taught with. Don’t know about now, but there used to be almost different areas of the country that used either chisel or pointed. Pure sable are often bought assuming the more I pay the better I get, it’s not that simple though. One strokes I’ve always seen more for poster and ticket writers. Size of brush depends on ability, if your not too confident, use a four or less, I personally would use a six, the guy I learnt from could have edged an eight with no problems.
Drying time of enamels is generally a few hours, but vanish can very much bring it back to life long afer you’d assumed it fully dry. I’d leave it a couple of days, as I rushed a housename once and finished up starting from scratch.
DON’T mix vanishes, whatever the first coat is mush be what you use all along, it has so much chance of reacting, it can do anything from pickle like paint stripper, to start crazing in a few years time.