Brush tip 10

Materials used for panels are:

· wood, which is traditional but can warp

· plywood, which is a good base and I can recommend it personally

· marine ply, which is strong and moisture resistant and

· MDF, which is modern, does not warp and is stable. Also, as it has no grain, the preparation is less labour intensive.

The first stage is sealing the support and filling in the fibres. This is done using rabbit skin blue as a size. The granules are purchased packed in bags. The ingredients are simple; dry glue, 1 part equals 1 ounce. Water, 15 parts = 15 ounces. Method: (1) Put the dry glue in a glass or porcelain bowl, soak the glue until it swells and floats to the surface. (2) Place over a low heat in a double boiler or your bowl sitting in a pot not letting it touch the bottom. Use a wooden spoon to stir. As soon as it dissolves, turn off the heat. Do not let boil. (3) Let cool. When it cools, it becomes jelly (4) Store in a screw top glass jar in the fridge (5) to return the jelly to liquid, warm over water that has been heated in a pot. Place glue into the glass bowl again and set on top. Take care never to boil.

Preparing panel with glue.

Apply warm glue with brush to each side of panel. In order to be able to do this, without waiting for one side to dry, rest the panel on small buttons placed at the corners and then paint the other side.