"Painting Ivory/Bakelite" Topic

At the last moment, my parents have asked me to touch up a family heirloom that they use for cribbage (or similar card game), which consists of a brass stand and frame from which hang slivers of ivory or bakelite marked with the suits of cards, and then one with "No Trumps". Overtime the markings have been worn off and my father's use of felt tip pens has not lasted long either.

The surface is very smooth and shiny and I don't think my bodge job for tomorrow will last long – I'm using acrylic Foundry paints today/tomorrow.

So a long term solution is needed, any suggestions ?

I suppose I could use a mask to spray just the hanging "cards" to avoid varnishing the brass.

In touching the designs up, I noticed that they must have been done by hand as at least one is not centrally placed, and they vary in size even within the same suit design. So am thinking a proper refurb would involve rubbing it all off, starting again with transfers but am not sure how well they would adhere even using micro sol and micro set.

Any thoughts ?

They sound like casein plastic (from milk) it was used a lot prior to WW2. I have a number of flats in it and found that Humbrol Enamels worked best but not perfectly. Casein based paint might be better but I haven't seen that for some time.

x32

Interesting suggestion.It is my great grandfather's so would probably date before WW2. Unfortunately, only some destructive tests would be able to confirm this hypothesis… :-(

Thanks !

Oh and this thing is for whist, not cribbage….my parents babble so much nonsense ħI am zoning out most of the time…the acrylics look good to last a couple of nights wear. The "No Trumps" seem to have been stamped on as they have a serif font, so not even my better daubing will come close but they simply want something useable. So my option for transfers is probably best way forward short of an optiviser in the future.

If the pieces are thick enough, it might be possible to use an electric engraver to lightly etch in or outline the designs, then wash the engraving with paint to make it stand out. But I'm not familiar with what you have, and would hesitate to do anything that would ruin it as an heirloom, so take my suggestion with caution (and practice on something similar first before attempting it… ;-)

Doing anything to it will ruin its prospective antique value.

If you don't care about that, then painting or decals would work, then seal with a gloss coat to protect it.

Perhaps mask off any metal or other parts you don't want that done to.

The pieces are thing – like breakfast cereal box thin, and I've never engraved anything before, I might take it to a jewellers and see what they think.

Re touching it up – my father has already used felt tip pens on it so any resale value has diminished but it's not an item they'd want to sell.

Now to do some writing in my finest brush I can find…

Another option is to hit the craft stores (or online) for small card or poker suit stickers (numbers, too, if you need them), place & seal them down with an acrylic varnish. Least work & 'destructiveness' I can think of… ;-)