my recipe of proportions between casein powder and borax is in Wehlte - a
stout materials and techniques handbook, published by Kremer Pigments.  I
cant lay my hands on it because all my possessions were destroyed. 40g of
casein soaked in water, to which is added 16 of borax ? I remember that I
could use swiss coins and a balance to get the exact amounts. Maybe it will
come back if I look up swiss coin weights ...  I rather think the 40 and 16
(20&8, 10&4) are right, but I cant remember the water quantities for
soaking the casein or dissolving the borax.... maybe 125ml ? yes, I think
so - or 67/8 ml for 20g of casein (and another 67/8ml for 8g borax). I'd
bet on it (borax must be dissolved in hot water)

It is a very strong glue/binder, and I wanted to experiment tempering it
with a wax-soap, to see if I could get a less brittle glazing medium,
 because I loved the depth effects of multiple glazes, but they tended to
break away from the wood here and there with the tensions of drying. Not
that flaws necessarily matter if one is cultivating an aesthetics of
playful forgery.

The flaws were somewhat annoying only because one could achieve a very
beautiful surface (like polished stone) with the technique of 'water
planing' - which is like french polishing the casein surface with damp rags
(as one does with gesso surfaces). There are no examples of this in the
fossil record: it's only historically possible, but very enjoyable.   The
great danger of flaws is on the large flat surfaces: I never had the
slightest difficulty building glazed surfaces on turned wood or mouldings.

Pardon the thinking-aloud loquacity in which the info is embedded - it was
necessary to solicit divulgence from memory


On Wednesday, September 12, 2018, Andrew Bernard <[log in to unmask]>
wrote:

> Hi Julian,
>
> Can you share your formula and technique for making milk paint?
>
> Like sourdough bread recipes, there seems to be dozens of ways, all
> variants on a basic theme.
>
>

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