Earthartkaplan Posted December 20, 2019 Report Share Posted December 20, 2019 Hello, I am a sculptor who chooses to work with a mix of local mud, fire clay mix, straw and yellow carpenters glue. When my work is complete, I simply use a sealant-- generally artists' laytex or acrylic based clear medium. I have found these to be a temporary solution which must be reapplied in layers each year before the rain. but if i miss the application, I lose millimeters of the work which is not good. Anyone have any ideas or know of a good medium to use that is more permanent? It must be clear and not shiny. Industrial grade ok. Thanks for any insights! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Magnolia Mud Research Posted December 20, 2019 Report Share Posted December 20, 2019 My first thought is to use boiled linseed oil. A linseed oil outside coating kept my Dutch wooden shoes dry (on the inside) for over two years and also keeps my wooden throwing ribs from becoming water sogged. A second thought: an oil based clear paint. You may have to develop your own recipe. The third thought is to find a glue that is not water soluble and use it as your construction binder. LT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Earthartkaplan Posted December 21, 2019 Author Report Share Posted December 21, 2019 Thank you Rockhopper and Magnolia Mud, I use Tite bond II exterior which is available locally (rural Northern CA), but you are right, Titebond 3 is waterproof rather than resistant. I will experiment with that. Do you have an example of a 'Spar Urethane' you might suggest? LT, I have tried and do not prefer the linseed oil route. thank you for the suggestion. : ) Thanks Much! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Kielb Posted December 21, 2019 Report Share Posted December 21, 2019 1 hour ago, Earthartkaplan said: Thank you Rockhopper and Magnolia Mud, I use Tite bond II exterior which is available locally (rural Northern CA), but you are right, Titebond 3 is waterproof rather than resistant. I will experiment with that. Do you have an example of a 'Spar Urethane' you might suggest? LT, I have tried and do not prefer the linseed oil route. thank you for the suggestion. : ) Thanks Much! If you can tolerate the minor sheen, any matte urethane. Spars were the poles on a ship and often coated with varnish to preserve them so this term (Spar varnish) is often used today as synonymous to waterproofing something with varnish. So spar urethane would be an exterior grade urethane that is generally oil based. Varithane or Rust-oleum or any number of manufacturers make this product for exterior use. If you sprayed these on with a spray gun, you could spray it with a fairly course texture which would add to the matte effect. You could also try spraying with clear lacquer thinned with a fast solvent and get a super matte finish maybe for cheap. Cars used to be top coated with clear lacquer so it does protect and be dry in hours. Anything you put on will weather and get killed by the sun. Leading edges of windmills made with carbon fiber super material started failing twice as fast as thought because of the Harshness of the wind. Nice sculpture! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
liambesaw Posted December 21, 2019 Report Share Posted December 21, 2019 I have used epiphane varnish on paper outdoor sculptures, works great but costs a fortune. Like Bill said I think any outdoor varnish will work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Earthartkaplan Posted December 21, 2019 Author Report Share Posted December 21, 2019 ZAR... seems to be available on amazon... Epiphane varnish.... this is the brand? How has it held up Liambesaw? Someone once mentioned marine varnish to me.... Do you need to reapply every year? has it peeled? Is it available matt and is it clear? If there is aproduct you have tried, please send link. the sculpture was purchased, so i am prepared to invest in the best possible solution. Thanks! THANKS VERY MUCH! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Kielb Posted December 21, 2019 Report Share Posted December 21, 2019 23 minutes ago, Earthartkaplan said: ZAR... seems to be available on amazon... Epiphane varnish.... this is the brand? How has it held up Liambesaw? Someone once mentioned marine varnish to me.... Do you need to reapply every year? has it peeled? Is it available matt and is it clear? If there is aproduct you have tried, please send link. the sculpture was purchased, so i am prepared to invest in the best possible solution. Thanks! THANKS VERY MUCH! Whatever you pick, commercial spray gun app will likely give you best even coverage which will reduce cracking and peeling while providing a fairly uniform layer to protect and allow you some freedom to dial in your matte. Given an available choice I would place it where shaded from the sun. Spray cans, not so much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
liambesaw Posted December 21, 2019 Report Share Posted December 21, 2019 49 minutes ago, Earthartkaplan said: ZAR... seems to be available on amazon... Epiphane varnish.... this is the brand? How has it held up Liambesaw? Someone once mentioned marine varnish to me.... Do you need to reapply every year? has it peeled? Is it available matt and is it clear? If there is aproduct you have tried, please send link. the sculpture was purchased, so i am prepared to invest in the best possible solution. Thanks! THANKS VERY MUCH! It has held up for two years but i didnt use it on clay, I used it on paper mache lanterns. I used it on recommendation of another person who made outdoor paper mache sculptures. I don't know if it comes in matte but it comes in gloss. I think clay just loves water so much it will be hard to stop it from slowly deteriorating Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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