Flag Paint Recipe

[Ghostrider_58]

I have studying confederate flags for a while and I have found out that resin paints were the most common type of paint for battle honors, paintings, etc. I am curious to find out more about the different types of recipes, especially metallic paint. Does anybody have any information on these?
Best,
Drew Lane

[Vuhginyuh]

Re: Flag Paint Recipe

The few pedigreed battle flags I have copied had the honors applied with a thin, ink or wash-like substance. The central regimental number, if present, was clearly a thicker product akin zinc chromate paint.

All paints are basically resin paints, it just depends on if it is a natural or man made substance.

[Ghostrider_58]

Re: Flag Paint Recipe

Garrison,
Thanks for the info! I am looking to copy a flag or two but I want to use authentic paints. Do you suggest any specific paints for the battle honors?

[Vuhginyuh]

Re: Flag Paint Recipe

This is simply trial and error;

I dissolved a few flakes of damar in a small amount of turpentine and added it to black enamel paint. Test it on some scraps first. If it is too thin and bleeds "outside the lines" add a little more damar and uncut paint. Do this in small batches until you are happy with the consistency. This all depends on your textile too. This mix bleeds quickly on bunting.

You also need to keep in mind the highly acidic qualities of some paints and colors. Good PC oil based paints can kill textiles like wool bunting and silk. I have access to fine reproduction 18th century flags, made just before the Bicentennial, and the painted fields are in tatters. The neat thing is that the copies reflect the same deterioration as the originals.

[33rdaladrummer]

Re: Flag Paint Recipe

All paints are basically resin paints, it just depends on if it is a natural or man made substance.

The only resin in the period paint recipes I have seen was in the form of a small amount of varnish added to the paint. I was under the impression that period oil paint was simply linseed oil and pigment with a turpentine thinner. Period oil varnish was a resin such as copal or amber cooked in linseed oil with turpentine added as a thinner.

Modern oil paints in the can are almost always refered to as a enamel paints, but they are actually more like a heavily pigmented synthetic varnish. Before modern oil or enamel paints existed, a high gloss finish would have been obtained from a topcoat of varnish or some varnish mixed into the paint. When painting wooden surfaces, I have gotten good results from the former method but not from the latter. The paint-then-varnish methods works but it is very time consuming.

I would be most interested in your experience with adding resin to period paint.