Milk paint question for Dave Anderson- or anyone else

[Glenn Crocker]

Hi Dave-
I'm finishing a hand tool cabinet using Lexington green milk paint and have a question or two after looking at the pics of your plane till.
The pic looks like you used some kind of sealer over the paint - I can see a bit of reflected light in the sheen at the near end of the till. However, the overall color is still the lighter green of the unsealed paint. Did you use a sealer, and if so, do you mind divulging what you used?

From my research, oil finish seems to be the preferred sealer but on my test samples, Watco & BLO darkens the color and deadens a lot of the subtle textures. Wax kept the color but made the sheen more shiny than I'd prefer (can live with it if I have to). I really like the flat finish the paint dries to, but the surface is so porous that without a sealer, the case will likely get stained & dirty way too easily.
Thanks,
Glenn

[Philip Duffy]

Wipe on poly works just fine for me. Phil

[Tony Zaffuto]

Experiment on a test piece of scrap wood painted with milk paint. Try some of the techniques mentioned, along with one I've used: gel stain wiped on and off which scts as a glaze.

[Ken Werner]

BLO works well for me. I like the amount of darkening it provides over Lex Green. I did 3 coats of milk paint, then 2 of BLO.
Ken

[Dave Anderson NH]

Hi Ken, On the saw till I used BLO cut about 1/3 with Naptha (evaporates faster than mineral spirits). On the plane till I decided that just a simple coat of paste wax would do what I wanted and it worked out fine. The paste wax was definitely a lot faster. The wax also does not darken the wood quite as much. The paint on both was Lexington Green.

[Mark Stutz]

BLO is also what I've used.

Mark

[Glenn Crocker]

I need to be more direct about what I want the finish to look like-
I'd like the finish to be the same lighter green with the subtle variations in color the paint dries to, with minimal sheen (the flatter the better), with the protection a sealer gives against dirt.

On my test samples, oil finishes darkened the color too much and made the variations in color too uniform.
Wax preserved the color but was glossier than I'd ideally like.
I didn't try wipe-on poly. What about yellowing?Thanks, again

[Mike K Wenzloff]

Try a few coats of shellac followed by 0000 steel wool. Should achieve the look you desire while still providing protection for the paint.

Even so, I would probably wax the thing afterwards--but it's not my cabinet. Beeswax is a little less glossy unless highly buffed.

Take care, Mike

[Glenn Crocker]

Dave and all the rest of yall,
I appreciate the info and suggestions. Back to the test samples with new ideas. I'll post a pic or two one of these days, whenever I have a chance to complete this project.
Glenn