Tim,
I can't speak for Schmid but I know why I made my own easel. It is custom the way I want it. And I also have a hard time giving money to someone else for something I feel I can do as well or better. I also enjoy working with wood.
Another thing is I just have a desire to know how the things I use work and that goes from my heating system, to my computer and my car. I almost never call a plumber or carpenter when I need work in my home but I also know my limitations so far I have not exceeded them. I hate working on cars although I could do the work I just don't want to anymore.
I was told once that it is more economical to pay someone for their expertise and spend your time doing what you do to earn your money but sometimes I just can't help myself. Besides we all need a hobby and since my profession is what others might have as a hobby I do what others consider a profession as my hobby.
Back to the topic. Putting oil paint in the freezer keeps it from hardening for two reasons. One is that modern freezers are almost airtight boxes so the amount of oxygen is limited. But more important is that the chemical reaction that causes oil paint to cure is slowed or even stopped at the low temp. I do not think the paint actually freezes since there is no water in oil paint but the oil in it just gets very thick at the cold temperature. But it returns to normal when it warms. Now the water drops that form after you take it out are from the moisture in the air condensing on the cold mounds of paint. They should evaporate away as it warms unless you are in a very humid environment. It will not mix in to the paint oil and water don't mix.
As for Ralph Mayer's advice he is correct but the point of putting it in the freezer is to stop that oxidation. Also the more you thin oil paint at all with thinner be it a mineral spirit based or turps the more you weaken it even if it was not oxidized. Now it is my opinion that once oil paint cures you can't thin it back to it's original form even with oil. But most oils cure from the outside in so if you dig through the dried crust the paint inside is still fresh because the outside crust cuts off the oxygen and slows the curing. Oil paint does dry (like water based paints) some since the oil can evaporate but if that was all that was happening you could just add oil to dried paint and it would be like new. But most of the oil do not evaporate, they cure and once that happens you cannot reverse it. Well maybe some chemist at MIT might know of a way to reverse it but I don't know of any way.
Linear Mode
