I was reading through 'Toy Soldiers' by Simon Clark and came across an article about Britains figures before 1945 being painted in a mixture of Printers Ink rather than Enamel paint ! . A London company called Kents supplied the Printing Ink and it was mixed with a clear varnish, the mixing was done in batches which varied and was then given to the painters , unfortunately this had a habit of separating and had to be remixed regularly . This gave rise to some of the colour variants you encounter in old figures, an almost matt finish and an translucent finish was due to insufficient mixing . The different batches which where supplied to the many 'out workers' who painted the figures at home also accounts for the colour variants .
A very interesting fact indeed, not one I was ever aware of.
ReplyDeleteI assume the cost of paint etc came into it .
DeleteThat does explain the beautiful shininess, sometimes difficult to capture or match!
ReplyDeleteYes I've always wondered how they got that finish .
DeleteThat is most interesting and, to my mind, explains why some of my early Britain's figures have 'silver badges of courage' - not because projectiles shot by toy guns have damaged their paintwork, but because constant handling in play has worn away the varnish, and also the pigmentation.
ReplyDeleteI think the paint would vary from batch to batch .
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