Gatekeeper's Padlock key Hanger

[David Corrigan]

Michael, this is a beautiful piece of work but I must say that I was very disappointed when I realized that the finishing supplies from sculptnouveau alone cost over $109. Unless these are mass produced and sold the cost does not justify making only one for myself. Unlike your other free monthly projects. I considered investing in the paints thinking I might use them on future projects as well however the shelf life would most likely expire before I could use them. Very disappointing.

[Xxray]

Patina paint is not cheap, if you didn't know that before you know now.
I hardly see that as grounds for not presenting any projects that use them though.

Wouldn't cost anywhere near $100 though, you can go to craft stores like Michael's and they have smaller batches for $20 or so. Too, you could just use metallic paints and improvise a bit to make them look vintage. It is not written in stone that you have to do anything a certain way. After all, its a nifty project not the Mona Lisa.

[mtylerfl]

Hi David,

I had a supply of the Sculpt Nouveau paints and patinas from previous projects, so I used those. You can use alternative metallic paints, no problem. A common/popular hobby/craft store brand is called "Sophisticated Finishes" and will yield great results too. But, you can pretty much use any metallic paints you like, as xxray mentioned.

You can easily "fake" a patina by "botching" on some plain ol' acrylic craft paint. I've used red/brown/oranges to simulate rust on dark grey or black painted items...and used grey/blue/green to simulate a patina on gold or brass painted items. It's actually a lot of fun to get creative with these types of finishes without having to spend much money at all!

[David Corrigan]

The Sculpt Nouveau supplies are between $12 and $17 each for the small size. I love the project though so I guess I will try to improvise with other paints from a craft store. Thanks for the advise guys.

[mtylerfl]

The Sculpt Nouveau supplies are between $12 and $17 each for the small size. I love the project though so I guess I will try to improvise with other paints from a craft store. Thanks for the advise guys.

Hi David,

I'm very glad to hear you'll be doing the project (it's a favorite of mine). I believe you won't have any trouble using other paints and I can't wait to see some photos of your project! By the way, I mulled for two days whether or not to use any paint at all and just doing it as "all-wood". I thought about using different colored wood species for each padlock, and/or staining a single species different colors. (As you see, I decided to use the metallic paints after all.)

[Xxray]

Thats the spirit Dave, whatever you may learn from this just might serve you well in the future.

I have a leg up so to speak on many with patinas, I have been doing model aircraft since I was a kid and am an old hand at adding weathering/fatigue effects.
You could put on a black or rust colored base coat, then overcoat that with metallic and when tacky, rub out/streak in certain spots so that the undercoat shows through, thus imitating an aged look.

I like the idea of simply using different woods for each lock too, lots of room for creativity here.

[JNC]

Michael, you excel as usual. When I saw it in FL, I had to make it.
Jim C

[mtylerfl]

Wow, Jim! That came out fantastic! Thank you for sharing the photos! I like the smooth round-over edges. Was this done on a router table or did you use an ovolo (round-over) bit on the CNC? (or maybe sanded the existing chamfer in the original layout?)

[JNC]

Michael, I sanded it with a flap sanding wheel. I made another one but will have to get a picture later. jnc

[mtylerfl]

Michael, I sanded it with a flap sanding wheel. I made another one but will have to get a picture later. jnc

Thanks, Jim. Looking forward to the photo of the next one, too!