Events and News - please use the links below:
Next:
AGM
Thursday 8th December 2011 at 2.00pm
Venue : Paint Research Association , Middlesex
Our
Annual General Meeting is to be held on Thursday 8th December at
2.00pm, at the Paint Research Association. We are inviting all members
to come and give their input on the work of the TPF and suggestions for
activities next year and beyond.
Following the meeting, Peter
Collins from the PRA has kindly agreed to give a tour of the
facilities, and members can see the progress of the APET (Alternative
paints for external timber) trials, which have been part-sponsored by
the TPF. Specially made timber panels were painted with 35 selected
paints and installed on the roof of the building in September, they are
now facing the British winter!
We will have the opportunity to
see the labs where they will be tested and learn of the different
processes used for the British Standard assessment.
The AGM will
start at 2.00pm. After the meeting which we expect to last for 30-45
minutes there will be an hours tour of the facilities. The PRA is
located at 14 Castle Mews, Hampton, Middlesex TW12 2NP and you can find
the website at www.pra-world.com
Please email info@traditionalpaintforum.org.uk if you would like to attend and we will then send through the Agenda and directions.
Traditional Paint News Vol 3 no.2
This new journal is now at the printers and we hope to be able to send it out to all our members at the beginning of December.
Reviews:
Lincoln Conference 2010
The 4th International Conference on Architectural Paint Research University of Lincoln 3rd – 6th August.
A Review of the conference will appear soon
Traditional Paint Forum 2009
From "Gilding the Lily" to "Any Old Iron"
Protecting and Decorating Metal with Traditional Paints
Friday 13th November 2009
Geffrye Museum, Kingsland Road, London E2 8EA
New Publications:
John Fowler
The Invention of the Country-House Style
Edited by Helen Hughes>
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Traditional Paint Forum 2011 Conference
Pigmented Perceptions, Historic Colours in Practice
Friday 13th May
Strawberry Hill, 268 Waldegrove Road, Twickenham,
London TW1 4ST
Historic
colours are now well known to us from commercial ranges, but what of
the original materials used in these paints? This conference looks at
traditional pigments and how their unique qualities contribute to the
complex beauty of historic colours. The backdrop and inspiration for
this conference will be the stunning and often intriguing interior of
the newly-restored Strawberry Hill.
We
will open the conference with a look at the most basic and vernacular
of colours, those that can be dug from the local earth. More unusual
and exotic colours will be introduced: coal tar dyes, imported colours,
and asphalt paints. The afternoon session will consider metaphysical
and historical aspects of pigments, and how practical knowledge was
lost and re-found in the twentieth century.
Continuing
the tradition of our conferences there will be a collection of
practical demonstrations in the afternoon, including the transformation
of earth to paint and an eye-opening session of colour mixing with
traditional pigments. In the unrestored rooms of the house we will also
present a very rare and atmospheric demonstration of traditional paints
in a variety of historical light sources, revealing how the colours
were actually seen in the past.
The
day will be completed with a guided tour of the house, and finally the
chance to enjoy the company and surroundings with an evening wine
reception.
PROVISIONAL PROGRAMME
Friday 13th May 2011
| Time |
Paper |
Speaker |
| 9.00 - 9.20 |
REGISTRATION |
Tea/Coffee and pastries available |
| 9.20 - 9.30 |
WELCOME |
Cathy Littlejohn (Chair)
|
| 9.30 - 10.10 |
Historic, Exotic and Imported Pigments |
George Kremer
Kremer Pigmente |
| 10.10 - 10.50 |
Raw Earth to Pigments:
Vernacular Paints |
Pip Seymour
Paint Maker |
| 10.50 - 11.00 |
Short Morning Break |
|
| 11.00 - 11.40 |
Asphalt Pigments and their discovery |
Dr Ruth Siddall
University College of London |
| 11.40 - 12.20 |
The Alchemy of Paints: Opposite colours and marking boundaries |
Dr Spike Bucklow
Hamilton Kerr Institute |
| 12.20 - 13.00 |
The Impact of Artificial Light on the Historic Interior |
Lisa White
Director of the Attingham |
| 13.00 - 14.00 |
LUNCH |
Paint Mixing Demonstration |
| 14.00 - 14.40 |
Coal Tar Lakes |
Colin Mitchell-Rose
Paint Consultant |
| 14.20 - 14.50 |
Modern Manufacturing methods and the appearance of paint |
Christine Sitwell
The National Trust |
| 14.50 - 15.10 |
TEA BREAK |
Tea, coffee and cakes |
| 15.10 - 17.10 |
For these two hours delegates will be divided into three groups for the tour and demonstrations listed below |
|
| Tour |
A Tour of Strawberry Hill House |
|
| Demonstration |
Colour for Paint from native earth pigments |
Pip Seymour |
| Demonstration |
Candles to electrics - the affect of light on colour |
The affect of a variety of light sources on painted surfaces |
| 17.20 - 19.30 |
EVENING WINE RECEPTION
Traditional Paint Forum AGM |
|
Conference Fees
Conference
Fees include tea, coffee and pastries upon arrival, lunch, afternoon
tea and cakes and a glass of wine in the early evening until 7.30 pm
when the conference closes.
TPF members £95.00
Non members £130.00
If you are interested in attending this conference then please email the Traditional Paint Forum on info@traditionalpaintforum.org.uk so that we can reserve you a place.
When you have a reserved place confirmed by return email, payment should be made using the Payment Form
Free Student Place
We will be offering one student a free place at the conference. Students who wish to apply for this should email info@traditionalpaintforum.org.uk between the 1st March and 21st March.
A student will then be picked at random for the free place and the successful candidate will be contacted by Monday 28th March.
When emailing please can students confirm where they are studying and the course that they are on.
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Traditional Paint Forum 2009 Conference
From "Gilding the Lily" to "Any Old Iron"
Protecting and Decorating Metal with Traditional Paints
Friday 13th November 2009
Geffrye Museum, Kingsland Road, London E2 8EA
This
focus of this year’s conference was metalwork, from painting onto
different metals to creating metal effects through the use of paint.
The Geffrye Museum itself had only recently had its external paintwork
analysed and renewed so it was a particularly appropriate venue for
this conference.
The
conference was opened by Colin Mitchell-Rose and introduced by
Traditional Paint Forum (TPF) President Dr Ian Bristow, who raised the
issue of the EU Directive relating to lead paint. The TPF had recently
collaborated on a successful day school with the SPAB on the use of
lead paints and it was hoped that the TPF would continue to raise
awareness on the subject. A second topic of current concern was the
future of the English Heritage paint sample archive, and where it might
be relocated so that it would remain available for use. Dr Bristow
advised that his papers from the previous TPF conference would soon be
available through the ASHBE Transactions.
Beginning
the first of the morning’s sessions was Geoff Wallis from Dorothea
Restorations with a presentation entitled, ‘Metals in Traditional
Architecture and Sculptural Applications’. This presentation began with
an overview of the uses of both ferrous and non-ferrous metals. Iron
was the main focus of the presentation – and a piece was passed round
for the audience to handle. In a scientific introduction to iron, Geoff
explained how it interacts with oxygen and water, and how a painted
coating helps protect the iron and prevent corrosion. Next, various
options for the cleaning of ironwork were discussed, from the use of
hand tools and power tools to dry abrasive cleaning and pressure
washing - whilst there would often be a preference for the retention of
historic paint, this did not always make for the best substrate for
modern paints. Following on from this, Geoff discussed ‘traditional
coatings’, summarising the range of different paint coatings available
nowadays – of which, there is no ideal option, as each one has its
positive and negative points. To finish with, methods of application
were assessed – whilst brushes provide the most traditional method of
paint application, giving a good surface finish, another option is
spraying. Sprays provide a very modern look and can maximise on the
life of the paint. A question from the audience asked, ‘why is cast
iron more resistant to corrosion?’ It was thought that the reason for
this might be due to it’s ‘foundry skin’ and higher carbon content,
however it was suggested that wrought iron would last better in the
long term than steel.
The
second presentation of the day, lead by Rupert Harris, considered ‘The
Painting of Non-Ferrous Metals’ through a series of case studies.
Beginning with a clock tower project, the dome of which featured copper
tiles on an iron frame, which had been painted and gilded. These
required a very careful cleaning process. Yacht enamels and leaf
gilding were used over an etched primer, to recreate the original
bronze effect. Corrosion issues were highlighted through a case study
of the figures at Osborne House. Here copper and zinc together had lead
to a pitted surface. A water-jet with spinning nozzle was used to clean
down the surfaces before they were filled and the ‘bronze’ surface was
recreated with modern automotive paints used in an ‘artistic’ way. A
series of other case studies were highlighted including, a project at
Ham House to recreate sculptures for a 17th Century ‘garden
wilderness’; and the restoration of the lead lion on top of the east
façade of Syon House. Rupert admitted that he had almost ceased using
lead paints in his area of work, except perhaps where a project
involved retouching work to interior objects. One issue of particular
concern to him was polychrome lead sculpture. Painted sculptures of
this kind had originally been intended to be seen set against foliage
and trees, represented in colour and not in lead grey. There are now
very few examples of original painted lead decoration left. This in
itself highlighted the importance of keeping paint samples in order to
inform future decisions.
Following
on from Rupert, Patrick Baty gave a presentation on ‘The Colours and
Treatment of Historic Woodwork’. It appears that early ironwork tended
to have been painted a ‘lead’ or ‘iron grey’ colour often using lamp
black as a pigment. Later on indigo was sometimes used to create an
alternative lead colour, although it is not clear how frequently this
was used, particularly as the use of it began to decline after the
introduction of Prussian Blue. A ‘smalt’ pigment, coloured by the use
of cobalt, created another fashionable but expensive blue paint. Later
on, ‘Invisible Green’ was seen to have been a popular choice for
painted railings. This was for a time considered to be a ‘picturesque’
treatment for fences. However, with the introduction of chrome yellow
came the possibility of making brighter greens. A ‘bronze green’ was
seen to have been in extensive use throughout the 19th Century. Towards
the middle of this century red lead and red oxide were discovered to be
effective in protecting against corrosion. It appears that the popular
theory that ironwork was painted black following the death of Prince
Albert is not based on fact. It seems more likely that black became a
popular choice because it was the fastest drying of the alkyd paints in
the post-war period.
In
‘Painting the Forth Bridge – A Never Ending Job?’ Colin Mitchell-Rose
outlined the history behind both the Tay Bridge and the Forth Bridge.
The Tay bridge had been built in 1878 of cast iron, but following its
collapse in 1879, the design for the Forth Bridge was reconsidered. It
was eventually built from 52,000 tonnes of steel and opened in 1890.
Every piece of this steel needed a protective coating of paint. A paint
consisting of 85% red oxide and 15% linseed oil was selected. For many
years a team of painters was employed as part of the bridge maintenance
team. Midway through the 20th Century, the paint for the bridge was
changed to an alkyd paint, it was suggested that this may have led to
the eventual delamination of the layers of paint. An effect described
as ‘crocodiling’. In the late 90s the owners of the bridge were forced
to review the paint system. The new approach involved using three coats
of a two pack epoxy blast primer, a two pack epoxy gloss flake barrier
coat and a two pack acrylic urethane top coat – all of which was to be
applied by spray. Unfortunately, this system required the stripping of
all previous layers of paint, resulting in the loss of 120 years of
coating history. This presentation highlighted the need for
understanding what is being painted over – plus a consideration of
surface tensions.
In
her presentation on the Clock and Tijou Screen at Hampton Court,
Suzanne Groom began by providing an overview of the complex history of
Hampton Court’s ironwork; she then described its current state and
highlighted some of the issues they are currently facing. It has proved
very difficult to find any historic paint remaining on the railings,
although one cross section had been found to reveal many layers of
paint. Historic Royal Palaces are now currently facing the dilemma of
which modern paint to use. They need one that will protect against
decay, whilst also providing a finish similar to an old lead paint,
whilst being low maintenance at the same time. No decisions had been
made as yet. The clock on the Gate Tower had originally been made for
Henry VIII in 1540. It had undergone many decorative schemes and
repairs over the years; the 1960s redecoration had used an alkyd-based
paint. The dilemma with this was whether to preserve or completely
strip this scheme. A lead-based oil paint was chosen, as it was hoped
that it would degrade in a more sympathetic manner than a modern paint
system. To finish with, Suzanne Groom referred back to the topic of
painting lead sculpture. Hampton Court has a lot of early 18th Century
lead statuary, and are currently facing the decision of whether to
return it to polychrome or not.
Just
ahead of the lunch-break, Christine Lalumia, Deputy Director of the
Geffrye Museum gave a short introduction to the museum and some of the
recent project-work. The Geffrye Museum depicts English interiors of
the urban middle classes from 1600 to the present day. It was founded
in 1914 at the heart of the East End furniture trade, to inspire better
and more sophisticated work. Originally, the almshouse contained
displays of furniture and woodworking, but after the trades dispersed
the idea of presenting period rooms was put forward. Most recently the
museum has undergone a project to represent the exterior paintwork.
Bright white paint has been taken back to a cream colour on the
windows, reflecting a scheme typical of the 18th Century. The black
metalwork has been painted a grey, whilst the doors have gone from a
Racing Green to a duller green colour. All of which combines to make a
subtle, but significant difference in appearance. Another recent
project was the redecoration of one of the houses in an early 18th
Century scheme as well as a 19th Century scheme. One floor of the house
was painted with a putty oil paint, with lead white and distempers,
whilst the other floor used a buff oil paint typical of the 19th
Century. The rooms are lit and furnished with items from each period. A
tour of these rooms was conducted for the groups in the afternoon
session of the conference.
In
the first presentation following the lunch-break, Laura Stevens
discussed ‘Sign Writing on Metal’. She reflected on her career in this
subject, showing examples of sign writing that she had enjoyed over the
years. The images illustrated how sign writers used personality,
proportion, balance and elegance compared with the later technology
using vinyl letter cutting. This also served to highlight the problem
of a loss of traditional sign writing skills. Examples of generic pub
signs and temporary banners illustrated the loss of a human element -
personality, design and patience. Laura conclude her presentation with
some examples of war shields from Papua New Guinea, which can be seen
on display at the British Museum.
Paint
Consultant, Peter Rumley led the final presentation on ‘The
Conservation of Decorated Lead’. Peter also identified a skills
shortage, but in terms of decorative leadwork. He showed examples such
as the decorative rainheads at Knole and pieces from Ightham Mote where
he is Consultant Archaeologist. Peter explained the process of
‘tinning’, which was used to provide the first colour decoration in
leadwork. ‘Plumbers black’ was an agent that stopped the tin from
sticking to other parts of the object. Lead can also be gilded or
painted – St Johns College in Oxford was shown to have the finest
examples of decorative leadwork in Britain.
The
next session of the conference had a more practical focus. The
delegates having divided up into four smaller groups were treated to
demonstrations of oil gilding with Paul Humphreys of Hare &
Humphreys; Bronzing with Joy Huning and Saskia Paterson of Huning
Decorations; a tour of the alms house projects and free time to look at
the museum collections.
During the gilding session, Paul Humphreys explained that oil gilding
is mostly used for architectural work, whilst water gilding tends to be
used on furniture and smaller objects. He passed round examples of
different grades and colours of gold leaf – the main colours used in
this country tend to be medium deep, red and lemon gold, whilst in
France a citron colour is more popular. ‘Dutch metal’ is an imitation
gold leaf, which needs to be lacquered to stop it from tarnishing.
Aluminium leaf was shown to be a popular choice for theatres, where a
coloured varnish is often applied over the top. A gold leaf does not
tend to need a varnish, being inert, it is unaffected by weather. A
traditional application demonstration followed – where Paul used a
brush to pick up a sheet of gold leaf from a cushion and lay it onto a
thin layer of adhesive. The gold was then tamped down with a soft brush
called a ‘gilders mop’, once it was on the surface – this functioned to
lightly burnish it.
In
the bronzing session, Joy and Saskia described a project at Kenwood
where they had worked on the balusters of the deal staircase. Here a
linseed oil paint was made up and a scumble glaze of linseed oil and
aluminium hydroxide applied over the top. 176 balusters were painted at
roughly 7 minutes per baluster. Three coats of the base colour was
required, then the scumble glaze followed by a modern varnish for
maintenance purposes. The green colour chosen for this had to match the
doors and the stair runner. As Saskia described the project, Joy
demonstrated the painting techniques involved on a sample board. A
second bronzing project was the lions on the gateposts at Victoria Park
in Bath. These had required a red lead primer, a black linseed oil
paint and a pigment varnish to create the bronze effect.
Finally,
the almshouse project was based in House 14, which had previously been
occupied by museum staff until the mid-1990s when the opportunity to
restore them came up. The modern additions were stripped out, and
following paint analysis, one floor of the house was redecorated in
18th Century paints and the other in 19th Century paints. The aim was
to show what life might have been like for an elderly couple living in
the house at these two points in time. The rooms were furnished in the
style of 1780 and 1880 with objects from the museum collection. These
three practical sessions, plus the chance to explore the period rooms
of the museum, were a fantastic way to round off the 2009 TPF
conference.
Ingrid Wellard
28 November 2009
For
further details on other past conferences
please click here>
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New Publications:
John Fowler
The Invention of the Country-House Style
Edited by Helen Hughes
Papers from the conference:
Inspired by the Past: John Fowler's Approach to Decoration and
Restoration in a Changing World, London, 4 July 2001
During the course of his career the eminent interior designer
John Fowler, hailed as the ‘prince of decorators’ (1906–1977),
transformed some of Britain’s most important historic interiors.
His work has a lasting legacy – even today the ‘Fowler
style’ is tacitly accepted as the ‘correct’ style
for the decoration of a period interior. This book, resulting
from a one day symposium organized by English Heritage and the
Traditional Paint Forum, provides a fascinating account of the
work of John Fowler and of the radical representation of historic
interiors which took place before and after World War II.
Published by Donhead Publishing Ltd in association with English
Heritage and The Traditional Paint Forum
to
order please click here>
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