Another JUNKY wheel followed me home…. which just goes to show that truly, Hope Springs Eternal.

This wheel provided a unique challenge in that it already wore an ancient coat of paint.  Problem:  NOTHING would clean that paint, and heaven knows I tried!  Too ugly to keep, I stripped it off….revealing mismatched wood.  Once again, repainting was the best option.  So… Milk Paint to the rescue!  Despite the yellow appearance in photo (due to camera flash) that was a horrid beige.  Still, the photo gave me the idea to choose a lovely butter yellow color.

Next challenge:  Suppose I purposely attempted to replicate the appearance of an antique wheel?  Given it truly IS old, with all the dings and worn treadle, a new coat of paint could look out of place.  So I researched techniques and used my imagination to create a vintage appearance, while simultaneously refreshing this poor, dilapidated wheel.  With options of tung oil or wax to seal the Milk Paint (a necessary step to protect it) I chose wax.  The high quality, hard carnauba wax finishes to a satin sheen and feels like velvet.

Overall, the results are delightful!  When the wheel is on display in our booth, it will wear a story tag with FULL DISCLOSURE that this is a ‘rescued’ wheel restored to function.  That it is RE-finished in a manner intended to pay homage to it’s age and recreate the appearance of a antique wheel; much loved and used.  I adore the cheery soft color, and have named it “The Butter Wheel.”