I have experimented decorating paper for lamp shades, and to oil them making
the paper more transparent and vibrant in the colours.
I have mostly tried linseed oil as a) it is harmless (you can eat it) and b) it
has a long tradition in painting furniture, houses etc. I have seen someone use
argan oil, and there is a huge number of other oils available.
Question: Have you tried to oil paper? With what experiences on a series of
parameters:
Applied before or after folding?
Ease of application?
With what kind of oil?
Effect of transparency?
Discolouration when applied?
Yellowing over time?
Effect on colours?
Curing time?
Greasiness?
Folding properties?
Smell?
Toxic?
Other remarks?
As to my experience with linseed oil:
When applied? I have mostly applied it before folding, for several reasons:
The paper becomes stronger.
It is easier to apply oil to both sides of the paper before folding.
Easier to wipe off excess paper.
Ease if application? Easy, using a rag or some tissue paper.
Those may self-combust. Always put the rags out flat to dry, or store in a
closed container, never just throw them in the litter.
No airing needed while working with the linseed oil.
Transparency? The paper becomes nicely transparent. I don't have a comparison
scale, though.
Discolouration, and yellowing over time? Natural linseed oil is slightly
yellowish, and becomes more so over time. This can be alleviated by using
linseed oil bleached by activated carbon.
Effect on colours? Using the bleached quality, the colours are preserved, but
becomes more transparent and vibrant.
Curing time? Well, long. Be sure to wipe all excess oil off, otherwise the
curing takes even longer.
Greasiness? Slightly oily even if wiped off carefully, until cured.
Folding properties? Excellent. Thin paper becomes easier to handle, and thick
paper doen't break as easily.
Smell? It has a slight smell of, well, linseed oil until completely cured.
Toxic? Linseed oil is edible. So good.
Other remarks? A downside is that unless the oil is thoroughly hardened, glue
or tape adhere badly to the paper (and yes, you use that, or sew, when
assembling lamp shades).
I guess many of these properties are shared with other oils, but to varying
degrees.
As I have no comparative scale, and little chemical insight, the observations
are pretty subjective, but hopefully still somewhat useful.
Best regards,
Hans
Hans Dybkjær
http://papirfoldning.dk
Society: http://foldning.dk
