Has cold weather done me in?

Richard Budig · 01-28-2003, 10:59 PM

Can cold affect oil/alkyd paint and mediums like Liquin?

I recently stored my stuff for a month or so (Nov/Dec) here in Tulsa while out doing a walkabout.

I recently got started painting again, and my Liquin doesn't seem to be doing its stuff, and my paint seems VERY slow to dry.

I can't believe a little cold (it hasn't been that cold hereabouts) could change the chemistry of pigment and oil. I read about landscape painters out in driving snowstorms trying to brave wind and hail while painting. Tell me I don't have to go buy all new paint/medium.

Thanks for any comments.

Dick Budig
Tulsa (Skiatook, actually) OK

Michael Georges · 01-29-2003, 10:43 AM

Richard:

If anything was affected, I suspect it was the Liquin. That is certainly the cheapest thing to replace and see if it fixes the problem.

Normal oil paints can be put into a freezer and will be unaffected - they are pigment ground in a natural drying oil like linseed or safflower or walnut. I wonder about alkyd paints, however, as I believe that they are pigments ground into a synthetic petroleum-based oil and an alkyd resin binder.

Try the least expensive fix first.

Sharon Knettell · 01-30-2003, 10:11 PM

I recently had my house painted. The painters rushed to finish before the weather turned cold. I queried them. They said you should never paint in weather or store your paints in temperatures below 47o. They were using a combination of akyld (oil based) and acrylic paint.

Interested in my own situation, vis-a-vis acrylics, I called the technical support people at www.goldenpaints.com to query them about my use of acrylics in cold temperatures. They said do not do it! Not below 49o! This company has one of the best tech supports around, this according to Ross Merrill, head conservator of the National Gallery of Art. I would suspect this is true of alkyds and oil paints. Prolonged exposure to cold temperatures can affect the chemistry of paint. Do not store it in the refridgerator, If you can find me factual verifiable, information to the contrary let me know.

Your Liquin is toast, do not use it.

Sincerely,