Studies on The Production of Crackle Finished Leather

The Art of Crackle Finish Leather

Crackle finish is an interesting finish that gives the appearance of age on the surface of painted pieces. This finish uses a commercial product and requires two colors of paint – one for the undertones and the other for the top.

A crackle finish, method of forming a crackle finish and a kit for forming a crackle finish. The crackle finish includes a base coat of latex paint or stain on a surface to be treated. A crackle coating is applied over the base coat and dried to tack dry or completely dried. A latex wood filler is applied over the crackle medium. As the latex wood filler dries, it forms islands or domains separated by cracks or valleys revealing glimpses of the underlying base coat.

A crackle glaze or varnish is a finish which creates a crackled effect. Many people use crackle glazes for antiquing, because peeling, crackled paint has an old-fashioned look which goes especially well with restored furniture. Crackle glazes can be used on a wide range of things including pottery, furniture, picture frames, and even walls. A number of craft stores sell materials for crackle glazing, and you can also accomplish the effect with a few supplies you probably already have around the house.

Crackle Finish- The Basic Techniques:

When a crackle finish is made, one color is laid down as a base coat and allowed to dry before a crackling medium is painted over it. Once this medium dries, another coat of color is applied, and cracks and peels start to appear almost immediately. To seal a crackle glaze, a clear varnish or polyurethane sealer can be used. This sealer also halts the crackling process so that the second layer of color doesn't flake off entirely.

The crackle glaze effect is sometimes called craqueleure, and in fine art, it is sometimes used as a tool to date artworks and establish their provenance. Forgers spend lifetimes mastering the art of a properly crackled final layer of paint in the hopes that their works will pass muster by art inspectors; a dedicated forger may infuse a craqueleure with dust and particulates from an old piece of art from the right region in case an art inspector decides to chemically analyze the finish.

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