Casein paint

Casein paint, distemper

Casein is a protein extracted from cow’s milk after skimming. It is insoluble in water. Casein glues are very strong glues used for marouflage and for preparing coatings. Diluted, these glues are used as a base for casein paints or to make emulsions.

Once prepared, casein paint does not keep well without the addition of fungicide and bactericide. However, it can be kept for a few days in the fridge.

Casein paint makes wood worm-proof.

Ingredients: casein powder, cold demineralised water, liquid ammonia or ammonium carbonate, glycerine or agar-agar, preservative (optional)

Tools: container, whisk, glass jar

Surfaces: preferably rigid surfaces (plaster walls, wood, etc.); for more flexible surfaces, you can add a plasticiser to the paint to make it less brittle (agar-agar, dextrin, glycerine), dilute the glue or work in emulsion.

Ingredients: 10g insoluble casein powder, cold demineralised water, 2g ammonia, glycerine or agar-agar (up to 5% of the total volume).

Recipe: Swell 10g of casein in 35g of cold water for 1 hour. Dilute 2g of ammonia in 20g of water, then gradually pour the diluted ammonia into the casein, mixing vigorously until you obtain a thick, lump-free mixture.

Manières de peindre de Jean-Pierre Brazs, Editions Notari
La peinture à partir du matériau brut de Nicolas Wacker, Editions Allia