lead and copper paint

[Island_Tom]

I have some old white lead in oil and a question - should this be like a putty, or a paint?

Is copper bottom paint OK even if it has seperated? I mixed it a bit and it seems to mix up again.

Thanks!

Tom

[Clencher]

This side of the pond white lead used to come both as a paste or a paint. The paste is still available from a few specialists but the paint it would seem not. The paste was used as a bedding compound - excellent stuff. I think the paint was basically the same stuff but with more boiled linseed oil and some driers added and made a first class primer. White lead putty was also available, a mix of white lead powder, chalk and boiled linseed.

[Wild Wassa]

If you have fresh copper paint the better, old copper paint can be very time consuming to bring back to life. Also be carefull that the settled-out copper isn't mistaken for the bottom of the can.

You need to keep mixing copper bottom paint while you are painting. If two people are painting the bottom the task will become easier. The second person can keep stirring the paint continually. The copper is so heavy it will settle out in just a matter of seconds so stirring continually is essential to build anything approaching an even coverage of copper. The last thing you want is to find that you have painted the boat and left a thick layer of copper in the can or in a tray ... that is when the paint becomes really expensive.

I find painting with copper paint very enjoyable, but about the hardest medium to apply well because of the difficulty of putting down an even coverage of copper and the physical effort needed because of the weight of the paint.

With copper paint, use the best made brushes you can afford. Using anything less, the weight of the copper can destroy, halfway through the job.

Warren.