Progress Photo

Here's a progress photo.  The red base is done.  The wheels need some touchup, and the wagon compartment only has stain and one coat of varnish.  I like the colors, but am unhappy with the gloss finish the enamel paints yield.  I have decided to finish the painting and then get Testor's Dullcote lacquer top coat to dull the finish to a matte appearance as well as protect the paint.  To me, the gloss makes it look more like a circus wagon than what my Grandfather originally intended.  I was unable to find a matte or flat finish in the colors I needed to match, so a clear topcoat will do the trick.

The wagon and other stained pieces will get a satin finish varnish to keep the whole appearance subdued.  The four lighter flakes that appear on the wagon's back seat were originally there.  It looks like there was a tear-out or defect in the wood Grandpa used, and by the looks of it, he glued in a veneer of oak to fill it in.  The glue and different grain accepted the original finish differently, and it remains visible, and even a bit more pronounced with the first coat of varnish.  I had tried to blend it in with more stain, but the pores of the wood were so closed, it did not accept the touch up.  It adds character to the piece and in a way, I like it.  Now you know why I accepted the imperfection in the floorboard I created to fix my overshot of fitting the new piece in.  Each imperfection lends more character, but does not detract from the overall aesthetic.  I had considered painting the back seat black, to cover the veneer, but I only considered it for a split second.  I am thinking of making a seat cushion from green fabric, though.  It would be my own little added touch, and it completes the color scheme of the Lithuanian flag.  Grandpa chose these original colors to mirror the Lithuanian flag, so it would be in keeping with his intent, I think.