Hi Autolisp, I have never tried making OPs using tube paint but have made many using powdered pigment. I found that the biggest issue I faced was obtaining consistent results in opacity and texture. in the end i concluded that the oil absorbency of the various pigments was the root cause. so rather than using fixed ratios of oil/wax/pigment i instead would mix my powdered pigment with the mineral oil on a glass surface until i had a soft paste. By using tube paint i guess you have already got oil saturated colour. (my only concern would be the drying nature of linseed or walnut oils and that their presence may create more of an oil bar rather than oil pastel)

For wax, i experimented with numerous densities of parafin (petroleum based) waxes. Candle making suppliers have a dazzling array of textures from soft to hard. I also tried natural and bleached bees wax. my biggest success was using a medium parafin wax that delivered a smooth even lay down of wax similar to Neopastels or holbeins rather than the softer Senns which i struggle to control.
My technique was additive, i would add some wax pellets to my oil/pigment paste and melt together. ( i use an old microwave oven to melt the pastels in little plastic tubs rather than direct heat or a double boiler) once cooled in the pots the colour simply pops out as a in a mould and i have a sort of Oil Pastel brick. i test this for pigment load and hardness/softness…. if it needs to be harder it goes back in the microwave with more wax pellets, if it needs softening or pigment i add more colour paste.

once the consistency seems right i then re-melt and decant into my Oil pastel moulds which are plastic drinking straws that are extra wide diameter. I bought them from Ebay where they are listed as ‘bubble tea’ straws (i have no idea what bubble tea is but apparently it is big in Asia and the orient) …. they are perfect for making a slightly fatter than retail Oil pastels. I would say that my homemade OPs are far better than student grade but lack the smoothness of the full artist grade Neos, Senns or Holbeins. I also have difficulty obtaining the opacity that I love in the Neos, some pigments are naturally opaque such as the earth colours, Cadmiums and Titanium white, but i don’t know how Caran D’ache obtain their intense crimson reds and pinks as no matter how much quinacridone pigment i add to the sticks i make my crimsons and opera rose sticks are always transparent , same with the other synthetic pigments like Phthalo blue/green and Azo yellow. So in that respect my pastels more closely resemble Senneliers.

If the tube paint recipe results in OPs that don’t form a skin or harden with extended storage time i may be tempted to give that method a try too.

Steve

” …but i don’t know how Caran D’ache obtain their intense crimson reds and pinks as no matter how much quinacridone pigment i add to the sticks i make my crimsons and opera rose sticks are always transparent , same with the other synthetic pigments like Phthalo blue/green and Azo yellow.”

That will happen, since the quinacridone, phthalocyanine, and azo pigments are transparent. I suppose Caran D’Ache and Holbein add some sort of opacifying agent to these pigments in order to make these colors as opaque as their other colors based on cadmium, oxide, etc. pigments.

I want to know where you read that carnaubo wax is added to any commercial oil pastel, or read anything about the ingredients included other than wax, mineral oil, and pigment. I have had numereous discussions with Sennelier, Holbein, and Sakura, I have never managed to get this kind of information from any of them.

RG

I’m sorry Indraneel, I’ve never made my own oil pastels and am not able to help you with your question.

I’m new so bear with me:) Ive been playing with making soft pastels but also interested in oil pastels. I bought a cheap steamer today, boiled some water in the pan, placed the steamer on top, threw some beeswax into a cup, roughly an equal quantity of linseed oil, waited till it melted and added some cheap pigment. after a good stirring, I poured it into a foil carton and a few minutes later I had a very peculiar shaped oil pastel. After an hour in the fridge, my pastel was ready and works! Now I wish I’d measured quantities:)

Interesting. I am experimenting with beeswax and mineral oil.

I tried petroleum based wax, mineral oil and talcum powder filler yesterday. I obtained a product not unlike inexpensive oil pastels. The pigment settled while the wax cooled. The pigment, even though I mulled it with oil first, did not disperse evenly.

I am still experimenting. The bees wax/mineral oil is of sufficient quality to encourage further investigation.