Painting & Finishing Slöjd

The following is excerpted from “Slöjd in Wood,” by Jögge Sundqvist. The book begins with teaching you how to make a butter knife – a useful object that requires just a knife, boiling water and paint to make it – that will begin to unlock the world of slöjd for you.

You will then learn to make bowls, a sheath for your knife, spoons, a place to hang your clothes, cutting boards and so many more things. In the end, you will look up into the branches of the trees around your home and see the things you need.

“Slöjd in Wood” is the first English translation of Jögge’s classic Swedish book. It’s a gorgeous peek into a work that is dominated by saturated colors, crisp bevels and handmade work.

In addition to introducing you to the pieces you can make for your home, Jögge shows you how to grip the knife to produce the cuts shown in the book safely and efficiently. And shows you how to replicate the deep colors on your pieces that are positively mesmerizing. (The color photos shown here are just some of the projects from the book.)

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Pigment
I use oil paint because I am inspired by traditional objects from the 18th and 19th centuries, which often were painted. The makers used a very limited range of pigments.

Some color pigments have been used for thousands of years and are made from soil, minerals and plant material; umbers and ochres in nuances from dark brown to yellow and red. White soil types and limestone gave us white colors and soot gave us black. Red cinnabar, green earth, mineral green, lapis lazuli and ultramarine came from the minerals. Van Dyke brown, madder lake, indigo, saffron, gamboge and dragon’s blood came from plants. Indian yellow was taken from the urine of cattle, purple from the Murex shellfish and ink from the octopus and squid. White lead, red lead and the copper color verdigris were produced a long time ago. Chrome yellow, cobalt green and Prussian blue came about in the 18th century.

In the 19th century, many colors were developed – cadmium yellow, chrome oxide green, cobalt blue, synthetic ultramarine.

All pigments have different properties such as transparency, oil absorption and drying time that you must take into consideration.

Add a small amount of boiled linseed oil to the artist’s oil paint until you get the consistency of liquid yogurt to facilitate painting.

Linseed Oil
Linseed oil is a byproduct of flax cultivation. Oil can be pressed from the seeds and the rest used as animal feed. Linseed oil oxidizes and once it is thoroughly dried, leaves a tough film that protects the surface. This property proved useful when the oil was mixed with a pigment. I use boiled linseed oil in combination with pigments because it generally dries faster than raw linseed oil, in one to three days. I avoid the brands that contain toxic drying agents such as oxides and heavy metals.

For unpainted wooden surfaces that need finishing, I use raw, cold-pressed, sun-oxidized linseed oil (food-grade raw linseed oil is sold in the U.S. as flaxseed oil). It penetrates more easily and doesn’t yellow as much as the boiled linseed oil. Drying time varies, usually one week for surface drying and up to eight weeks to be completely oxidized in the wood.

Dispose of oily rags properly. In Sweden we burn rags or soak them in water and put them in a sealed plastic bag. The oxidization process produces heat, so spontaneous combustion of rags or paper is a danger. In the U.S., the accepted practice is to spread them out and hang them to dry. When they are fully dry, throw them away in a lidded, metal trashcan.

Painting with Linseed Oil
The pigment must be carefully mixed with the binding agent for the oil paint to avoid becoming grainy and uneven. Historically, the pigment was ground with the linseed oil using a flat stone and a glass muller, or in a mortar. The artist’s oil paint we buy in tubes today is ground between rollers under high pressure in a mill, mixing linseed oil in proportion to the oil absorption of the pigments. This is practical and time-saving, and gives a very smooth result.

Apply finish in a thin layer. Thin the tube paint with boiled linseed oil until it has the consistency of liquid yogurt. Then it is easily applied directly on the wood without priming.

Add oil little by little. Different pigments require different amounts of oil, so experiment on a sample piece of wood. You will find that you need a relatively small amount of paint to cover well.

The paint should be a satin finish when it has dried for one to three days. Too much oil gives an uneven, patchy surface that becomes glossy when it dries. Too little oil is hard to spread out and leaves a dry, matte surface with less protection.

If you want total coverage and a glossy finish, apply the paint in several thin layers, leaving drying time between layers.

Drying time varies between pigments. Earth colors are quick-drying in general. For example, add a pinch of raw umber to titanium white or bone black to speed up the drying process. You can also add a few drops of the drying agent siccative, but it is toxic and it weakens the paint.

Pigments have different opacity characteristics. For example, you often mix titanium white for coverage with zinc white, which has better drying properties. This is called “mixed white.”

You can thin the paint with turpentine to make it easier to apply and faster to dry. Add the turpentine by drops with a pipette. Too much turpentine harms the binding qualities of the linseed oil and it is toxic. Use only in well-ventilated areas.

Always test the paint on a sample of the same type of wood and surface that you will use. Color choices are always a delicate balance between saturation level, blackness, whiteness, tone and transparency. Test samples will also give you an idea of the drying time. The best way to ensure a thin, even coat is to work first across the grain, then with the grain. Synthetic brushes give a good result.

Rosalind Cuthbert’s “The Oil Painter’s Pocket Palette” (North Light) has color-mixing charts to help you achieve any color or value you want. Mix paint in small, air-tight containers so you can use the paint for several months. Remove the skin on the surface before you paint.

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