'green' products

[cleta]

hey, Kathy dear..I don't have any of those pics here at work with me, but will try and get them taken and posted tonight. The beeswax (I also mixed mica powder with it) darkens the finish, so you have to maybe go a little lighter to start with. But definitely trowel the beeswax (diluted, per the directions to 1 part BW to 3 parts water. If you add pigment, remember to mix it with a small amount of alcohol before adding to the beeswax/water mixture).

Sponge compression...I am surprised they didn't teach that at the AC class. You basically take a round sponge (or possibly any will do, but the small round craft-type are easier to handle) and just rub, using pressure, in a circular motion. Do this when the clay is dry to the point where you can push you finger against it and it only leaves a slight dent. this will give a different look than trowel compression. I like to do the sponge, followed by the trowel.

[cleta]

Linda, Kathy - where did you get your Pavans? That is one trowel I haven't tried, but it sounds like I might like it...I like the ice-skating analogy.

[Linda Marsteller]

I got one from Martin in KY and the rest from Minerva Finishes. You can find them on the internet, too. Manufacturer is Pavan from Italy and have Inox stainless steel blades. Compare prices. 3 sizes. I have 4 small ones and one large. They are very easy to use and with the bevel and rounded corners you can easily avoid the pits and knife marks. Never had black marks when burnishing either.

[joe greco]

My Pavan is 12 years old and it is under lock and key...

[Linda Marsteller]

Oh, yeah, keep a bucket of water handy and keep the trowels clean while you burnish. Clean clean clean or you will get debris and scratches on your finish.

[cleta]

Linda, I meant to comment on your earlier post where you talk about the Stucco Tera being a combination of lime and clay and very hard on the dry down. That's exactly what I got when I just did my own mix of lime and American clay, and it was a nice finish, too. Fun!!

Oh yeah - you have to keep those trowels so clean..at first I thought it was such a drag, but you just get used to it. I learned the hard way not to let them ever sit in water, though! eeks...forgot about one once...ugly.

[cleta]

Kathy, here are pics of stone and AC & MOP finishes:

[cleta]

yeah...and I just figured out I can only do like 3 attachments at a time? So, in case you all weren't bored yet, here are the rest:

[cleta]

last one - whew! this is untinted MOP VP with Aglia beeswax+ lavender oil and gold ochre pigment troweled over.

this was my first attempt with the beeswax stuff, and my trowel lines go, like, all over trying to figure out how it grabs the VP.

[covergirlfaux]

Cleta, those are really cool. Is Pierre's recipe with the casein paint for the Egyptian sandstone difficult? I'm showing my ignorance here (just really starting to get into plasters) but, what does MOP stand for?

[KathyFakesIt]

Wonderful!!!! Just wonderful!

I love that column one!!! I love how you just do your own experiments with stuff, you're a girl after my own heart!

THank you so much for posting all those pics!

OK, so I've got to get some of that beeswax and lavender, gonna try it.

Shannon, MOP is shorthand for a product Cleta likes called Master of Plaster, I haven't tried it, but here's the site she recommended:
http://www.masterofplaster.com/

Here is a site for Pavan's. Yes, very sharp edges, be careful. I leave a dish scrub brush in my bucket to clean off the plaster, then I hang it by the handle on the edge of the bucket to drip dry while I work. I love the small size and have two, one for rough plasters and one for smooth plasters. I also have a medium Pavan for a different look on the wall. The size of the tool contributes to the look of the finish of course. I love the small ones because the handle fits my hand nicely and it's the perfect size for almost every finish. i find so many trowels have handles that are too fat and I can't get a comfortable grip. I have other trowels that are perfectly rectangular - not as nice IMO.

ALso, don't forget that when you first get you trowel, give all the edges a quick light sand.

http://www.oleaspecialtyproducts.com/c-venetian_plaster_tools.html

There are many places you can buy them, just google Pavan Trowels. Also, I'm sure there will some for sale at SALI.

Cleta, your photo description got truncated. What did you use to carve with? I've tried clay carving tools and sidewalk joint line carvers, as well as dental tools.

[cleta]

whew - glad you like them! You guys are always so kind...I also take criticism well, so if there's anything that looks stupid or just wrong, please holler!! You know how it is - sometimes you can't see the forest for the trees...

I know, my descriptions got all whacked out on the first 2. They were flipped...second desc. goes with first picture. Anyway, I carved the top lines with a burnt ochre water color pencil. The plaster is semi-damp when I carve it, so the color in the pencil becomes part of the grout lines as they dry. It just gave a warmer look...I kind of liked it.

I free-handed the column with one of those dangerous, needle-type things you use for sfgraffito on clay. The other lines I carved with a church-key can opener - my all time favorite for carving grout lines (as if I have so much experience...these 2 boards are my first). I just ordered a column stencil, but was happy with the way the free-hand column turned out, so I may send the stencil back. I think by the time I paint some trome l'oeil shadows onto it and carve a bit more, it will be fine.

Also, I was goofing around to see how repairable the MOP is, and re-drew my lines on the capital, patched the old lines with some untinted MOP.

Like I said, I want to add more layers, different colors, and carve back through them all, but I ran out of product. Am supposed to get a huge shipment this Friday.

There is a book "Painted Facades of Florence" that has a ton of sfgraffito on the sides of buildings...they carve through light colored layers back to a darker base and it is stunning. that's ultimately what I would like to get to.

Shannon, I think Pierre's Egyptian sandstone instructions are for either oil or water-based; I used casein because it is so compatible with lime, and I also mixed my own paints using historic fresco pigments with the casein binder (the fresco pigments won't get chewed up by the lime pH).

The Master of Plaster restoration plasters are amazing!! I've had the best luck with this stuff in terms of getting a smooth, beautiful look without a lot of frustration.

[cleta]

Kathy - website for Aglia beeswax + lavender oil: http://www.phoenixorganics.com/ - little company in Portland, Oregon. You can probably find this closer to you - I bet there's a store somewhere in Vancouver that carries this yummy stuff (from Germany).

[Pat]

Cleta those came out great. I love the pilar one as well. I can't wait till you start. Will you wait unti we start our block job and then we can race. Winner buys the first round.

[joe greco]

Very nice CLETA.....your a women after my own heart


love lime and lime will love you back..

[KathyFakesIt]

THanks Darlin! i will look it up, much appreciated.

[cleta]

Pat and Joe - thanks so much! So glad you guys liked them! this was really fun..which is good since I have a lot of square footage to block in. Pat - that would be fun to do a block race! I think you will probably win, though, since I may not have product until next weekend...and I am leaving to go do the DPAP class with Brita then, so I'm thinking it will be July before I can actually work on this.

Plus, I really do want to play some more...am very interested in the look of carving into different tinted layers of VP.

Joe - that is a cool lime cycle!

[KathyFakesIt]

Hey Cleta,
Just in case you can't wait until SALI, Here's a place fairly close to you that sells the same Pavan trowels I use.

Faux Masters - Looks like they have a long history of artisans, they teach too, though I have never been there or met any of them, it seems they have an illustrious history.

http://shopping.netsuite.com/s.nl/c.320320/sc.12/category.19742/.f?range=11,20,25

Also, can anyone tell me why they (same site) call this what they call it?

[cleta]

Hey, Kathy..."stupid tool"?? never heard of it. I actually got 4 Pavans in the mail yesterday from Olea here in San Francisco: www.oleaspecialtyproducts.com Yeah, I know they are right here, but this week has been so crazy here at work that I just figured my time is worth more than trying to get to the place and find parking. Much less stressful to let UPS bring them to me!

Got 2 plastic and 2 steel...one small, one medium. The small one will be great in some of the harder-to-get-to areas, I think.

[KathyFakesIt]

Hey I hear ya sista! I love getting stuff mailed to me.

[Linda Marsteller]

Try this one. I usually spend in the $30's for mine.

http://www.fauxmarketplace.com/catalog/advanced_search_result.php?keywords=pavan&osCsid=e505909dd1a67a2511b8941d23f70bed