Oil Me Up Battle! (Marvin)
 

Okay, I am admitting to the world, or at least anyone who reads this, that I am in love with Resngel.

There. I've said it.

I do love linseed oil with balsamic vinegar over a salad, though. :)

Linda

PS I believe EVERYthing I hear!!I'm a trusting sort.

Cold Press Linseed?
 

Marvin,

What exactly is cold pressed linseed oil? Let me check what I have... I guess I've run out. It seems I've run out but I do remember it was Grumbacher Linseed.

Linda, as for Liquin, I've heard that it causes depression in some people. So do be careful and make sure you have ample ventilation when you use it :) My 2 cents at 9AM on a Saturday.

Back to basics
 

I have to agree with Tom. After years of going back and forth about mediums and new stuff, it's English Turps and Stand Oil for me any more.

And you know what? I've got more control over what comes off my brush and how than ever.

Sometimes less is best ;)

From Mr. Gamblin
 

Dear Chris:

I usually do not have the time to jump into discussions on web site forums, I would love to do so, it but I am challenged trying to keep up with the volume of email questions that come through our web site. But since you asked so nicely....


In general our approach to making mediums is much better understood by seeing our medium brochure, if anyone would like one please send an email to [email protected] and Katie would be happy to get one in the mail to you.

Erika: Galkyd Lite's thinness is because it is formulated to be a low viscosity medium. In addition we make high viscosity and gel viscosity mediums. In all three categories we have fast and slower drying formulas.

Alkyd resin is essentially polymerized oil, like Stand oil which is a polymerized oil. It is called a "resin" since alkyd is so highly polymerized that it initially dries like a resin, by solvent evaporation. But nevertheless, since is is essentially oil, it also dries like oil, it skins over then dries under the skin as time goes by.

I am guessing that in your case, the alkyd glaze skinned over, then you touched it with a brush or with solvent and broke the skin allowing for the wet glaze below to easily be removed.


Stanka: The fast drying Galkyds are clearly not for you. We make slower drying mediums at all viscosities that allow for a longer "open" time. I intend that if you like one of our mediums then you will dislike the others. I suggest you try our Neo Megilp if you want to give them another shot.

Marvin: You are right that alkyd can be very difficult to get out of brushes. For fine haired brushes they should be cleaned in a mineral spirit, rather than an odorless mineral spirit, then washed with a mild soap. With bristle brushes I use an excellent product, Aquasol, to clean the mediums out of brushes, then wash them with mild soap. This works even if the brushes are dry and stiff.

The problems they can cause with brushes are because of their good properties: they dry with a very tough yet flexible paint film.

Lisa: If you read all the print on the Turpenoid Natural can you will see that Martin F. Weber, the manufacturer, does not recommend that you put the product into your paint layers. You can see why if you pour out a small amount onto a clean surface, like a paint can lid, and then watch what happens to it over the next three to four months.


Thanks for asking for my input, sincerely,
Robert Gamblin

Chris,

Thank you so much for this research you did on our behalf. It makes so much more sense now. I completely concur with his thoughts about what happened to my painting. I bought a big bottle of Galkyd so I am so pleased that I don't have to be intimidated to use more of it. :) I will send for the brochure. Education is everything when it comes to trying out new things.

Thanks again!

Hard pressed to know about linseed oil?
 

Erica,

"Cold pressed" designates that the linseed oil has been created by pressing the flax seeds and expressing the oil. CP is prone to yellowing which can be reversed through exposure to daylight.

If the CP oil is then heated in a vacuum it becomes polmerized and is called stand oil. It is slower drying than CP, doesn't yellow, makes a flexible paint film, flattens the paint and reduces "sinking in." It is very fat. SO and CP have a great track records.

If the CP oil is further pressed it is called refined, although there are numerous other ways "refined" is processed. It dries slower than CP and faster than SO. It is less yellowing than CP but due to the additional processing and the resulting oxidation it forms a weaker paint film.

I use very little stand oil, in my initial layers since it can eventually create a beading up of paint in the upper layers. Therefore I add more stand as I near completion.

I use many brushes while I paint, one for each value of each color. I don't constantly dip in solvent or oil to clean them as I paint. I believe this muddies the colors and degrades the paint film.

Since the alkyd resin begins to set up immediately I find that my brushes have a far too short lived existance. One of the many reasons I choose to avoid resins.

It is very important for artists to understand the properties of the materials at their disposal, so that the proper choices can be made.

Hope this all helps.

Linda,

The title's for you!

LOL Marvin,

I'm not Linda but I appreciated both your plays on words!

My morning education has been extremely informative thanks to you and Chris. Good point on using a brush per value, it might be a practice I'll adopt; I usually have a brush for light and dark painting, especially when covering big areas. I appreciate your generosity with your knowledge, processes and sense of humor ;)

Take care

Re: Turpenoid Natural
 

Thank you Mr. Gamblin. I read the back, and I'm careful to not use it at more than 25% of the paint mixture, as the manufacturer states. Now, I'm a little concerned though, so I'll try pouring some out to see what happens over the next few months.

Thank you for your thoughtful response!

Lisa

Erika
 

Were you talking to me when you said, "Linda"? I never said anything about Liquin...

I'm a little confused.
Linda

ReNae--

I like anyone that likes what I like, of course. But be very careful with turps--it's toxic, toxic stuff. Everyone thinks it's benign because it comes from trees, and it's what all the old masters used because that's all there was. But just cause it's natural, doesn't mean it's not BAD for you.

By comparison, odorless mineral spirits are much safer, on the solvent scale, even though they're "man made."

Check out this discussion on the Gamblin site. They rank-order solvents in the order of their toxicity, and turpentine is WAY up there. I can't have turps around because I'm allergic to pine trees, but after reading this, you won't want to handle it with anything less than a HAZMAT suit.

You're better off with something else. Specifically, Gamblin has an OMS that's more highly refined than most others--Gamsol--and it's about the safest of all, if you have to have solvents in the studio.

Y'all be safe--TE