ora

Published by

The Country Loft

Newfield, N. H.

*b2- B{5

DECORATING COUNTRY TIN

By

Audrey Chandler Woodman

Price One Dollar

Published by

THE COUNTRY LOFT

Newfield, N. H.

$cZ

Copyright 1947

by

Audrey Chandler Woodman

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PAGE
Foreword

Country Tin
Country Tin Painting
Materials for Brush Stroke Painting
Mixing Colors

Practicing Brush Strokes

Brushes
Painting a White Band
Putting a Design on Supersee
Designs
Preparing Tin for Decoration
Painting a Design on Tinware

Care

of

6
8

9
9

10

10
11

23

25

Striping

27

Finishing

27
29

Stenciling

Materials for Stenciling

Preparing and Cutting Stencils
Applying Stenciled Designs on Tinware
Overtoning Stencils in Color
Striping and Finishing Stenciled Tin

Cover:

Child's toy teapot, found in Maine.

Simply decorated in Red and Yellow

on a Green background.

29
30
31

32
32

Foreword

The purpose

of this booklet is to help those

who

wish to pursue the fascinating hobby of tin decoAmerican Manner.

If at all possible, one who wishes to become
proficient in this craft should study under one of
the capable teachers available in many commuration in the Early

nities.
If

personal instruction

is

not available,

we

feel that the next best thing to do is to obtain

through a library the excellent book written by

the late Esther Stevens Brazer, "Early American
Decoration". Another very fine book which is
obtainable in many libraries is "Early American
Stencils on Walls and Furniture" by Janet Waring.

As both

of the

out of print,

above books are temporarily

we have

written this booklet to help

you in getting started in this absorbing hobby.

April 15, 1947

DECORATING COUNTRY TIN

COUNTRY
In

TIN.

Early American homes there were many examples

and useful tin pieces made by the tinsmith

of bright

of the early 19th century.

In the Spring the tinsmith loaded his

oxcart with

his skillfully decorated wares and started on his way

through the countryside. Imagine what a welcome he
received! Our ancestors loved brightness and color,

we do, and after a long, lonely winter the tinsmith brought news of the countryside along with
his wares.
just as

Among Country

pieces were Coffin Trays, Bread

and Fruit Trays, Tea Pots, Canisters, and Boxes

many

of

sizes.

COUNTRY TIN PAINTING.

We

find many charming designs on these old pieces,

simple roses, fruit, sunbursts, and gay borders of
berries and leaves- -the latter often on bands of
white. These were painted in skillfully formed brush
strokes of red, green, and yellow, on backgrounds of
black, asphaltum, and many other colors.

The beginner, however, will

work on the black background,

As

find

it

easier to

a source of design the old pieces are valu-

able, and

whenever possible an old design should be

carefully recorded.

Many want to start right in painting the more

complicated Chippendale and Gold Leaf designs, not
realizing that there is no better foundation for this
work than mastery of the brush stroke painting.
great importance that a nice piece of old
or a well-made and authentic reproduction, be
decorated in a manner suitable to its date and style.
It is of

tin,

The Chippendale trays had

their

own Chippendale

designs --Lace -edged and Gallery trays their own,

was decorated
simple lines.

Similarly, simple Country Tin

too.

in a

manner appropriate

to its

Care should be taken not

to

confuse the different

types of designs, and to use the proper one for the

particular piece of tin

we intend

to decorate.

MATERIALS FOR BRUSH STROKE PAINTING.

A minimum

list of

materials for brush stroke paint-

ing would include the following:

About one yard

of

Supersee, Tracolene, or Pro-

tec toid.

Pad

of ordinary tracing paper.

Scotch Tape.
Drawing Pencils #2-1/2 and #2H.
Blackboard chalk or Magnesium Carbonate, obtainable at any drug store.
Fine, square -tipped, 3/4" long, French Quill
Brushes, sizes #1 and #3. If these are un-

6.

Quills

obtainable, fine -pointed

(or

Sable

Water Color Brushes) in these same sizes

will do.

Some

prefer the latter.

Show Card Brushes, sizes #6 and

#8.

A fine 1-1/2" Striping Brush.

Round Toothpicks to use as handles for the tiniest quills.

Two or three best quality Varnish Brushes; Grumbacher,or equal, for applying Flat Black and
varnish.

Rust Remover.
Metal Priming Paint.
Flat Black Paint; Lowe's, Sherwin-Williams,
or equal.

Gloss Varnish; Wheeler's Bar-Top, SherwinWilliams Mar-Not, Super Vaispar, or equal.

Turpentine, for washing brushes.

Carbon Tetrachloride

(Carbona)

for

erasing

mistakes.

The Following Tube Colors:

Sign Writer's Red in Japan, Sign Craft Red in
Japan, or Permanent Vermillion in Japan.

Chrome Yellow Medium

Raw Umber.

in Japan.

Black in Japan.
Prussian Blue.
Alizarin Crimson.
Yellow Lake.
Yellow Ochre.
Phillip's White.

For

finishing, the following:

The

finest

Wet-or-Dry Garnet sandpaper.

Fine Pumice.
Rottenstone (very fine).

Crude Oil or Mineral

7.

Oil.

MIXING COLORS.

RED

Depending upon the shade

of

red pre-

comes from
the tube, or a little Chrome Yellow Medium in Japan
can be added to make the lighter vermillion, used so

ferred, the

Red in Japan can be used as

it

often in the old Country Tin painting.

Umber can

make an

be added to

little

Raw

older, softer red.

GREEN Green can be mixed from Prussian

Blue and Raw Umber with a little yellow added to
make a rather dark, olive green.

YELLOW

little

Chrome Yellow Medium

Raw Umber can

to

make

be added to
an old mus tardy

yellow.

BLUE

Blue is occasionally found in Country

Tin painting. Prussian Blue, White, and Raw Umber
can be mixed to make a soft, grayed, not too light
blue.

Note
Add a little Raw Umber to White when
used alone, as well as to the thin, White and Alizarin
overtones.

ANTIQUING ---An

"old look" can be

cautiously adding a little

Raw Umber

to

produced by
our first few

coats of varnish until the desired effect is obtained.

Caution should be used not to darken the work too

much, and the last coat of varnish should be used
clear.

ASPHALTUM

Transparent Asphal turn background was used on much of the old tin. It can be
bought in a hardware store and thinned with varnish
before applying. However, it is tricky to use properly, and does not seem to dry well. We therefore
do not

recommend

it

for beginners.

8.

PRACTICING BRUSH STROKES.

important that we make our brush strokes as
perfectly as possible. This can only be done with a

It is

great deal of practice.

brush strokes on paper.

It is

well to practice these

piece of newspaper or

shelf paper painted with one coat of Flat Black will

do very nicely.

Lay

the

brush down

stroke, lifting

Always

try to

flat for the large

end

of the

bring the stroke to a fine point.

keep the edges clean and the curves
it to

good.

We

cannot expect to reach perfection without a

great deal of practice, but we always try to make the
strokes correctly, cleaning them up afterwards to
give the desired effect. We always paint toward ourselves, turning the object we are decorating to make
Using the little finger to steady the
this possible.

hand will be ahelpin making clean strokes. Remember that the old painting was done thinly, and try
never to use too much paint.

CARE OF BRUSHES.
The small brushes should be washed thoroughly

in

turpentine, then soap and water, after each using.

The Varnish brushes must be kept very clean by the

same procedure, and then wrapped in clean paper to
keep the dust from them. Some prefer to rub a little
Vaseline into the bristles of the small brushes after
cleaning in order to keep them soft and pliable.

9.

PAINTING A WHITE BAND.

The bands of white used on many of the Country Tin
pieces were not dead white, but had a grayed, translucent look, which is most attractive under the colorful red and green designs painted over them.

To mix the white for one of these bands, add a

Raw Umber and a speck of Yellow Ochre to
Phillip's White. Mix this with some varnish to about

little

the consistency used for striping.

It is

a good idea to paint guide lines with a fine

striping brush,

strokes,

and then

made with

fill

in with

broad, even

a large show card brush.

PUTTING A DESIGN ON SUPERSEE.

The best way

record a design for future use is to

Fasten the Supersee with Scotch Tape over the pattern to be copied.
Now paint all undercoats of flowers, brush
strokes, and leaves. Lift the pattern from under the
Supersee, fasten the latter to a piece of cardboard,
and paint the overtones and the details. Scotch tape
the painted pattern, when completed, to a piece of
heavy black paper and protect it with a wax paper
to

paint a copy on a piece of Supersee.

envelope.
Putting a design on paper in this manner is very
good practice and should be done by a beginner before attempting to put a design on a piece of tin.

10.

DESIGN

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FilUil~ -

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USE. cxs Four, "sides

14.

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Bottom

Black B^ck^round
RjCH GOkO Poi/v/ftER,
AM^^RUN CRinSON IvHEUE SHOWN
-

On

pkOw/ER,
IS

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FLOWERS hn&

6uC)S- VER.MIL.UION

with Ptu^HR-trv
CR/M*SOlN

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WHITE.

OVEfS TONE'S.

Leaves
G-R.E&N

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YELLOW.

FlME STR.IPE

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16.

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2o.

PREPARING TIN FOR DECORATION.

If

is new, it should be thoroughly

soapy water to remove any film of

be painted

tin to

scrubbed

in hot,

however slight. It should then be

rinsed thoroughly in hot water and immediately dried.
oil

or grease,

This should be followed by a light sanding with

very fine Garnet Wet-or-Dry sandpaper. Again wash
well and apply priming coat as soon as thoroughly
dry. The priming coat should be any standard Metal
Priming Paint which can be brushed on, such as
Lynch's Red Sanding Primer, or equal.

immediately available, a
If none of these are
priming coat can be made by using Flat Black paint
with a little varnish added, or a coat of clear varHowever, by all means use a
nish can be used.
standard metal primer if possible.

The purpose

priming coat is to effect the

best possible adherence between the bare metal and
the subsequent coats of paint. It must be put on the
surface to which it is meant to adhere. If it is applied on top of dirt, oil, or rust, which will sooner
of a

come off, the paint will, of course, come off

Nothing is more disheartening than to spend
hours decorating a piece of tin only to have it ruined
later on due to poor adherence between the metal and
or later
too.

the paint.

Many who decorate prefer working on

tin,

either

new, which is already prepared for them,

ready for their design.

old or

A word
order.

beginners, however, is in
They are very likely to make mistakes in
of caution to

23

painting on their designs. This can be readily corrected by touching up around the design with Flat
Black paint. This touching up will not show when

varnished providing the touch-up paint comes from

the very same can as the background coat. Flat
Black paint has a surprising number of shades.
If tin

be

to

be painted is an old piece,

removed either by using a standard

all paint

should

remover,
half a box of

paint

or boiling the article in a solution of

Oakite to about a gallon of water.

The above treatment will not, however, remove

any rust. This must be entirely removed before
painting for the reasons given above.
Rust can be removed by using plenty of "elbowgrease" and a rust remover; Rusticide, Sano-rust,
Zud, or equal. They can be purchased at most hard-

ware stores.

remover must be removed from

before painting. Use Carbon Tetrachloride

Every
the tin

bit of rust

and then scrub the

tin

with hot, soapy water, and wipe

dry.

Now, apply your priming coat

of paint immediate chemical process of rusting (oxidation) begins almost at once after the above treatment.
ly as the

Apply two or three coats of Flat Black, allowing

twenty -four hours between coats. Sand lightly between each coat. Your piece of tin is now ready for
the design.

24,

PAINTING A DESIGN ON TINWARE.

Copy design

to

be used on a piece of ordinary trac-

Some

ing paper, using a pencil with a #2-1/2 lead.

may

prefer a slightly harder or softer lead.

Now,
cover the back of the tracing with chalk, smoothing
off the excess with the hand. Place tracing correctly
on the article and trace over the design, this time
using the #2H drawing pencil. The tracing can be
secured to the piece of tin by using Scotch Tape. The
placing of the design is most important. Look it over
carefully before starting to paint.

If

the position of

the design is not correct it will be well worth the

necessary time to wipe off the chalk lines with a
cloth and retrace it on the tin. It will not be necessary to re -chalk the tracing.

Varnish is used as a medium with the oil and

Japan tube colors in decorating tin. Put a little varnish in a bottle cap or jar cover, and pour some
turpentine into a small jar or glass for cleaning the
little

brushes.

Squeeze a

little

of the colors to be

used on a piece of folded newspaper, wax paper, or

a large tin can cover, mixing, as needed, with a pallet knife

or matchstick.

You are now ready to paint in the flat, opaque,

flower 01 fruit forms in Vermillion, using a large
brush

if

Dip the brush into the

with the medium, and then pull it
Practice will soon give you the

the areas are large.

varnish, filling

it

through the paint.

"feel" of the

amount

of paint to use.

To make the fruit or flower forms opaque,

sometimes seems necessary to use two coats
Vermillion,

twenty -four hours apart.

25.

This

is

it

of

es-

forms are large. Next, paint in the

green leaves, or green and yellow brush strokes, as
the case may be. Of course, it is best to let the Vermillion dry completely if there is danger of smudgpecially so

ing

it

if

the

while painting in the green.

When

the basic coats of Vermillion and

green are

perfectly dry, we apply our overtones. The types of

overtones vary in the many different brush stroke
designs, but we will use as an example the more or
less usual, thin, Alizarin and white brush strokes.
First, paint thinly the Alizarin overtones.

means using more varnish than usual

This

to thin the

However, great care

must be taken to use a minimum of this mixture on
the brush in order to make a clean stroke which will
not creep or run. Make these overtones as perfectly
as possible as the form of our fruits and flowers is
governed by our dark and light overtones.
paint to a slight translucency.

When

these overtones are dry, paint in the white

Perhaps it would
overtones in the same manner.
be well for a beginner to trace the outline of the overtones on the basic flower form from a separate
chalked tracing, but the correct way, of course, is
to

do them free hand.

Now,

may
border, which may

paint in any overtones or veining there

be on the leaves. Next comes the

be a brush stroke border in yellow, or striping, or
The brush stroke border can be carefully
both.
traced on, but as you become more adept, you will
be able to do

it

free hand.

26.

STRIPING.
best to stripe twenty -four hours after applying
one coat of varnish to the piece of tin being decorated.

It is

Mix

and the varnish together in a

jar cover to a consistency that will flow easily. Draw
the striping brush through this mixture, then across
a piece of newspaper, watching for specks of paint
that

the tube paint

would mar the stripe. Practice

is the

only thing

how much paint to leave on the brush.

brush between the thumb and forefinger,

that will tell you

Holding the
and,

if

possible, running the third and fourth fingers

steady the hand, pull the full length

of the brush toward you as smoothly and steadily as

along the edge

to

possible.

FINISHING.

The

first

and most important thing

to

remember

about the finishing of a decorated piece of

tin is to

keep dust from getting into the varnish coats.

Have

article absolutely dust free. Wash well with

soapy water, rinse, and dry with an old silk stocking
or other lintless cloth.
the

Keep the varnish brush perfectly clean and always covered when not in use. Never dip a brush
directly into the varnish can or leave the cover off
the can.

Also, never shake a can of varnish before

using, as this will

form a multitude

of

minute air

bubbles which will not disappear for some time.

These air bubbles, picked up on the brush and transferred to the tin, interfere with a nice smooth finish.

27.

Have

the tin article and the can of varnish

before starting. Now, pour a

warm

varnish into a clean jar cover, and fill the brush. Flow the
varnish on smoothly and evenly, neither too sparingly nor heavily enough to cause the varnish to run. In
little of the

the case of flat pieces, such as trays, do not stand

them on edge while drying as

this, also,

may cause

the varnish to run.

Cover the newly varnished article with a pasteboard box that will allow plenty of room for ventilaLeave this cover on until the varnish coat has
tion.
reached the dust free stage. Each coat should be
allowed to dry twenty -four hours before re -varnishing, and forty -eight hours before rubbing with pumice and water.
After the article has had two coats of varnish,
rub with a soft, wet cloth dipped in pumice. Continue
this procedure until a lovely, smooth finish has
been obtained, smoothing out all dust specks. The
last coat of varnish is rubbed with pumice and crude
oil, and then given a final polishing with rottenstone
and crude oil. Care should, however, be taken not to
rub hard enough so as to rub through the coats of
varnish, especially on the edges of our tin.

The Bar-Top or Spar varnishes are very necessary for trays, but for the smaller things that do not
have to be water and alcohol proof, a good grade of
satin finish varnish can be used, and the rubbing
down omitted. For all varnishing the day should be
clear and the temperature above 70 degrees.

28.

STENCILING.

Much of the simple tin was stenciled. The bread

and apple trays, tea caddies, boxes, etc., were among
the articles treated in this manner.
Most

simple tin was stenciled with a complete design, cut in one unit. Other more elaborate
types of stenciling were built up from several small
units. In these built-up stencils, one leaf, one grape,
and one fruit might be used more than once, and even
reversed, to help make a complete design.

LIST OF

of the

MATERIALS FOR STENCILING.

A minimum

list of

materials for stenciling would in-

clude the following:

About one yard of Architect's Linen.

One pair of sharp-pointed embroidery scissors.
One Exacto knife, Model #1, with the smallest
pointed blade, Model #11.
A small piece of silk -backed velvet or chamois.
The following bronze powders, very finely ground:
Rich Gold.
Orange Gold.
Pale Gold.

Aluminum.
The following transparent colors:
Alizarin Crimson.
Prussian Blue.
Yellow Lake.

Raw Umber.
Gloss Varnish; Wheeler's Bar-Top or equal.

29.

PREPARING AND CUTTING STENCILS.

The stencils are cut from the best quality Architect's
Linen, with fine -pointed embroidery scissors where
curves of small radii are involved. On more open
curves, or straight lines, the Exacto knife does an
excellent job. On very fine lines, such as stems,
etc., it is best to cut one side of the line with the Exacto knife, and then pare it down to the desired width
with the embroidery scissors.

Small dots can be

cut with the very tips of the embroidery scissors.

own recan be used

Carefully, well cut stencils are their

ward, and,

if

proper care

is taken, they

practically indefinitely.

The

stencil units, or the complete stencils, as

the case may be, should be traced carefully onto ordinary tracing paper with india ink and a crow quill
pen. We do this in order to make the design show up

better through the less transparent Architect's Linen.

Next, the Architect's Linen should be cut to fit the
stencil pattern with at least an inch border all around.

Now, trace

the unit onto the piece of linen with india

ink and carefully cut the stencil.

**********
brushes are too
wide for the finest striping. They can be made narrower by cutting off as many of the hairs as neces-

Note:

Often

the 1-1/2" striping

sary close at the base

of the quill.

30.

APPLYING STENCILED DESIGNS ON TINWARE.

When

the cutting of the stencil is completed, the pre-

pared piece

of tin (see directions for

brush stroke

painting) is given a smooth, even coat of varnish, and

dry until it is practically, but not quite,

dry. It should feel tacky but should let the finger
come away from it perfectly dry. Depending on conditions such as the amount of varnish used, the temperature of the room, etc., the length of time until
this point is reached will vary. It might, under favor-

allowed

to

able conditions, be ready for stenciling in half an

hour. Experience will teach one to recognize the

correct time for applying the stencil.

While waiting for the tacky stage to arrive, put

powders to be used on a piece of
upholsterer's velvet. Tiny amounts are all that will
be needed, and after using the velvet it can be folded
and put away to use another time.
bits of different

When

the crucial

moment

for stenciling has ar-

rived, place the cut stencil carefully in the correct

position.

Wrap

a small piece of silk-backed velvet

(never* rayon or cotton) or a piece of

the forefinger, being careful to

Hold the stencil

keep

it

chamois over
smooth.

in place with the left hand, and,

with the wrapped forefinger, dip very cautiously into

the powder. Wipe off any excess onto your smock
and apply the remaining powder to the tacky surface
with a circular motion, shading carefully when the
design so requires. Apply more powder as needed.
It is far better to start with too little powder than too

31.

much, as too much powder

will slip

under the edge

of

the stencil.

After each use stencils should be thoroughly

cleaned with turpentine. Care should be taken not to
let any water come in contact with the Architect's
Linen, as it will be immediately ruined. This is due
to the fact that the

starch on the linen

is highly sol-

uble in water.

The stenciled

must dry

article

for twenty -four

hours, and then the loose powder should be washed

away under running water.

It

may be necessary

paint here and there

the

up with Flat Black

powder has gotten out

IN

COLOR.

to touch

where

of hand.

OVERTONING STENCILS

overtones of color are to be applied, a large brush

is used to lay broad strokes of thin, transparent color
over the different parts of the design.
If

It is to

be noted that in the old stenciled designs,

these broad sweeps of color took in a whole group of

leaves or petals in one stroke, rather than trying to

confine the transparent color to each

little leaf

or

petal.

STRIPING AND FINISHING STENCILED TIN.

The procedure involved

and finishing
stenciled tin is exactly the same as that explained
previously, under directions for brush stroke paintin

ing.

32.

striping

wmm