Mineral Spirits

[Tom Edgerton]

Richard--

Let me clarify....the discussion of mineral spirits vs. turps is academic for me, as I can't use turps anyway. This is not to imply it's academic or irrelevant for anyone else. Quite the contrary--studio safety is vital.

Best-T

[Richard Bingham]

Tom, thanks for that. This subject strikes a chord with me, because I am interested in the mechanics of craft, and also because I'm one of those "nut-cases" who revels in the aroma of the studio and painting materials in general - the acetic-acrid smell of flake white, linseed oil, the various resins, turps, spike . . . all of it!

By the same token, I'm aware of the hazards of inadequate ventilation and careless exposure, and take every precaution against them. I know first-hand how serious problems allergic reactions and sensitivities pose to those affected.

A serious painter from his 'teens, in his 60's my father precipitately developed a sensitivity to turps which caused painful lesions to erupt on his hands upon contact. As his preferences for painting materials and methods were well established at that point in his life, it caused a lot of stress and inconvenience in his work, to say nothing of the physical discomfort and questions of health. Without rhyme or reason, after nearly a year the reaction to turps ceased abruptly as the onset had been, and he was able once again to work around it with no problems.

[Chris Kolupski]

After spending lots of money on Gamsol I have switched to Sunnyside Odorless Paint Thinner. It smells less than Gamsol, which is already pretty odorless, and costs about $6 less than Gamsol per gallon. Both products have less odor than Turpanoid. BTW: Turpanoid Natural is not even in the running. A horrible gooey citrus oil that never dries and is only good for stripping dried paint off tools.

Sunnyside Odorless Paint Thinner is available at Truevalue and Servicestar hardware stores but you will have to special order it. More and more art stores also carry it. I order mine from a local lumber store that deals in Sunnyside products.

http://www.sunnysidecorp.com/gold.htm

[Michele Rushworth]

Hardware store supplies are not a good substitute for artist-quality materials. There are many considerations other than what a solvent smells like.

[Chris Kolupski]

Michele, I agree with you, hardware store solvent is bad stuff. However, Sunnyside Odorless Paint Thinner is not typical hardware store quality. It is not stocked by hardware stores like the cheaper stuff but must be special ordered. Both Gamsol and Sunnyside have the same low toxicity rating on their MSDS: health-1 and flammiblity-2. Both also have the same recommended exposure limits of 300 ppm. The flash points are different: Gamsol is at 145 and Sunnyside is 120. But it is used at Shanks

[Michele Rushworth]

Hmmm... sounds interesting, especially if they use it at Incamminati. I'll have to take a look at it.

[Gary Hoff]

Originally Posted by Chris Kolupski

:Michele, I agree with you, hardware store solvent is bad stuff. However, Sunnyside Odorless Paint Thinner is ....not stocked by hardware stores like the cheaper stuff but must be special ordered....

Sunnyside materials are sold at Home Depot here in Iowa, but I haven't looked for "odorless paint thinner" there, I admit. Regular Sunnyside is among the cheapest of the paint thinnners they carry. I have tried Sunnyside turpentine (it's awful) and I routinely buy Sunnyside's traditional paint thinner but I only use it to clean brushes.

[Richard Bingham]

Originally Posted by Michele Rushworth

Hardware store supplies are not a good substitute for artist-quality materials.

Bah! These days, neither are art supply store supplies . . . all too often.