Painting the bonnet

[zacc]

I'm in the process of completing a grandmother clock that I saw at an antique store in NY.  When I examined the clock, I noticed that the bonnet was a much darker color than the clock body had been stained. It got me to thinking about something I read that said the tops of many  pieces of furniture were often painted. 

Has anybody ever observed this and attempted to replicate it.  If so, what type of paint did you use?

I also looked at another clock which used muslin to cover the joints and the top of a bent bonnet cover.  Does anybody do this?

Look forward to hearing your comments.

 

[albreed]

Zac- One reason the tops of these pieces are darker is that the dust all ends up there. But you are correct, a lot of them were colored, probably to match the color of the rest of the piece. I color mine with shellac and dry colors, usually a reddish brown.

Cloth was used to keep dust from gettting through the joints, or to keep unsightly cracks covered as the thin tops shrunk. You'll also see cloth patches over knot holes and backboard joints to keep the bugs from eating up the expensive fabrics that were stored in a lot of these pieces.-Al

 

[msiemsen]

I believe that Al is correct about keeping things out of the case, though I doubt there was much fabric stored inside. In this instance it would be dust. Dust is the enemy of a clock movement and the purpose of the case it to protect the movement. The fabric was probably glued there by a conscientious clock repairman. They often wrote their name and date of cleaning and oiling on the inside of the waist door. As to the hood being darker it is your guess, maybe it is caused by smoke over the years, the hood would be harder to wipe down than the waist.
Mike