Race to the finish

There's an old Hoyt Axton song that just about sums up my week.

The chorus asks - Work your fingers to the bone - whadda ya get?

Boney Fingers!

It took about six hours to detail and sand this piece. I'm sure at some point I'll be able to bend my right thumb normally again.

I did a few experiments with oil on some scrap wood, and decided the oil didn't make the carved area pop enough. This may sound crazy, but when I'm building a piece, I really do have a vision of it in my head. The hard part is sometimes getting the finished product to match my vision.

I kept seeing muted neutral colors, and decided that MilkPaint was the way to go. I'd already used it on the carved lettering, and I liked the cohesiveness of using the came color on both the head and foot boards.

There was a little bit of the custom mixed Milkpaint left over, so I added a bit of water to it, to thin it down a bit. Here is some of it painted quite heavily on a scrap of wood.

Once it dried, I sanded it lightly, so the grain would show through.

Yup, that is exactly what I wanted!

The area to be painted was masked off with rubber cement

and then painting commenced.

There was a brief moment of wondering if I had enough paint to do the whole thing! Damn, I hate that!

Before I reached the other end, the first part started to dry.

Notice how much lighter it is.

The last time I made a bed, it was a three day project. This one has taken a bit longer than that; I'll be really happy when it's finished.

I'll be even happier when can bend my thumb again!