Painting Handmade Toy Pickup Trucks With Pumpkin Orange and Black Acrylic Paint

Handmade Wood Toy Toy Pickup Truck Pumpkin Orange and Black

 

When I saw the jar of Pumpkin Orange acrylic paint in the store, I could not resist. If you have ever painted anything with orange paint, you know, it has coverage issues due to its semi-transparent nature. It can take many paint coats before you get enough coverage that you can't see the underlying substrate through the orange paint. Even then, the color may not be as bright as you might like.

Apple Barrel Pumpkin Orange Paint

If you are painting something dark, the result may not be the bright orange you are expecting. To remedy this, you need a white base.

Handmade Wood Toy Toy Pickup Truck First Coat Of Pumpkin Orange Paint On White Primer

A sandable white primer is what you need for the first few coats, but you can get by with white paint. In this case, you want a pure white, not some off-white or eggshell color. What the white primer does is create a smooth reflective background for the orange paint. Apply as many coats as it takes to get complete coverage with the white primer sanding lightly between coats. Then start applying the orange and sand lightly between coats. The paint must be bone dry between coats.

Handmade Wood Toy Toy Pickup Truck Second Coat Of Pumpkin Orange Paint On White Primer

When you can no longer see the white primer showing through the orange paint, you are done. Now you can leave it as is or add the top coat of your choice.

Handmade Wood Toy Toy Pickup Truck Third Coat Of Pumpkin Orange Paint On White Primer

Handmade Wood Toy Toy Pickup Truck Fourth Coat Of Pumpkin Orange Paint On White Primer

Handmade Wood Toy Toy Pickup Truck Pumpkin Orange Paint Finished

Handmade Wood Toy Toy Pickup Truck Pumpkin Orange Paint Finished

Handmade Wood Toy Toy Pickup Truck Pumpkin Orange Paint Finished

Hidden Pitch Pockets

A Hidden Pitch Pocket In Toy Truck Turns A Toy Into Kindling

 

The Pitch Pocket Was Invisible Until The Cut Was Complete

A Halloween Spider Ruined By Hidden Pitch Pockets

 

A pitch pocket is a defect in softwoods; it consists of an opening in the grain that contains pitch or resin. Also called a resin pocket. As long as it is buried deep in the wood, they are no big deal, but they are a problem when they are on or near the surface.

The spider and the toy truck pictured both had pitch pockets that were invisible until they were cut. I will not knowingly sell items with pitch pockets. These two are designer kindling.

This is one of the many reasons why I am slowly trying to move away from using softwoods. Especially pine construction lumber which seems to be the worst. Yes. it is cheap but the yield of useable wood is not good. I can lose up to 50% of a board to knots, checks, cracks, poor milling, and pitch pockets. Maybe another 10% is lost when the resulting pieces are not large enough to use for anything. When I add in the additional labor, and finishing issues it just doesn't seem worth it.

Toymakers Shop Over 200 Axles For Play Pal Trucks

Some people would just cut the axles with a saw and glue the wheels on. Not me. I sand every one of them. They don't look right if the ends are not rounded. I've tried sanding them flush with the wheels, but I found myself damaging far too many finished wheels. Now I only sand them flush with the wheel on those toys where the wheels are easy to finish.

About 200 Handmade Wood Toy Truck Axles

 

I cut my axles using a jig, and a 26 TPI Japanese saw. It will cut a dowel with a single stroke of the saw. I've seen all sorts of methods used to cut these with a table saw, or band saw. In my book, this is crazy. The dowels splinter and fly all over the shop. Then there is the issue of the dowels trying spin when they are cut and trying to hold a tiny piece of round dowel while you push it through the table saw.

 

Handmade Wooden Truck Axles After Sanding

 

Sanding Block After Sanding Wood Toy Axles