Home Forums Explore Media Oil Painting The Technical Forum What is Stand Oil Used for?

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  • #995199
    Raybrite
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        I am trying to get back into oil painting with WMO and bought a bottle of Stand Oil. Can this be used to thin out the WMO? I notice there doesn’t seem to be the odor I had before with oil paint.
        ( Almost ran the wife and son out of the house when I tried regular oil awhile back.):angel:

        Ken
        #1271159
        Don Ketchek
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            You can use traditional – or non WMO – mediums with WMO paints. But keep in mind that they are not water mixable, which might become an issue if you add too much. I think pretty much every WMO maker also sells 100% water mixable oils (usually linseed, sometimes safflower) to be used if you want to use them to thin your paint.

            Generally speaking, you can add a 100% oil to thin your paint, or you can use a medium that includes an oil and a solvent. Most (but not all) traditional mediums include a solvent, and it is the solvents used in mediums (as well as to clean brushes) that are responsible for the smell.

            So, in order to avoid the smell (and the negative health effects) of solvents, you can use WMO paints or just paint without solvents when using traditional oils. A google search of “solvent free oil painting” should give you more info.

            Don

            #1271167
            MrsSellers
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                How does one replace the resins in traditional mediums when painting solvent free? I want to eliminate solvents but I’m worried about the durability of the paint film without resins.

                #1271160
                Don Ketchek
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                    How does one replace the resins in traditional mediums when painting solvent free? I want to eliminate solvents but I’m worried about the durability of the paint film without resins.

                    I am far from an expert, but I don’t believe there is any reason to doubt the durability of paint film without resins. I never use natural resins in either my WMO or traditional oil painting. My guess is that far more folks don’t use any resins than do.

                    Don

                    #1271168
                    MrsSellers
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                        I still consider myself an amateur, but it seems to me mediums introduce as many problems as they solve.

                        Don, I think I read that you paint straight from the tube. Is the film weaker without stand oil?

                        #1271161
                        Don Ketchek
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                            I still consider myself an amateur, but it seems to me mediums introduce as many problems as they solve.

                            Don, I think I read that you paint straight from the tube. Is the film weaker without stand oil?

                            As far as mediums go, my opinion is if they aren’t being used for a specific purpose, then you don’t need them. A properly prepared painting should not have any issues with a weak paint film. i noticed that you have mentioned this concern a couple times now and I’m not exactly sure what your concern is. The binder in most oil paints is linseed oil, which produces the strongest paint film, but other paints use walnut of safflower – neither of which seems to have any problems either. There is plenty of oil in every tube, so you don’t need to add extra medium to produce an adequately strong paint film.

                            I always suggest to new oil painters that they start with paint straight from the tube. Most painters find that the paint is too thick, so the main purpose of medium is to thin the paint and make it spread or flow more easily. For this, most mediums will do the job. Simple mediums such as a 50%-50% mix of linseed oil and OMS are popular. Also popular are the alkyd mediums such as Galkyd or Liquin, which also speed drying. For those wanting to paint solvent free, there are a number of choices such as M. Graham’s Walnut Alkyd medium or Gamblin’s solvent free gel.

                            You are correct, of course, that when mediums are added, more complications arise, which is why a minimum amount of medium that is added to your paint is always best. Using the same medium throughout the painting is also recommended to help simplify the process (and the chemistry).

                            Stand Oil is a popular medium – especially for glazing – in that it is thicker than other forms of linseed and is self-leveling (leaving no brush strokes). It supposedly yellows less and is slower drying. Again, there is nothing magical about any medium – they all have specific properties and if you don’t want those properties (slow drying, for example) – then there is no reason to use any particular one.

                            Hope this helps,

                            Don

                            #1271169
                            MrsSellers
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                                I guess it’s not so much concern as confusion. We have scientific sounding explanations for why artists add this and that to mediums, and that these ingredients serve a specific purpose, and then I start to wonder if the way I’ve been doing it has been all wrong.

                                I actually hate using mediums and prefer tube paint, but the more I read, the more worried I got that my paint film was lacking resins or polymerized oil for durability.

                                Thanks for the explanation, it was very informative. I am going to ditch the mediums for the time being and go back to the way I was working. Last night I discovered that 5 minutes of cleaning brushes with turpentine gave me a sore throat that lasted nearly 24 hours.

                                #1271164
                                Gigalot
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                                    I actually hate using mediums and prefer tube paint, but the more I read, the more worried I got that my paint film was lacking resins or polymerized oil for durability.

                                    If you need tube paint consistency to work properly you do not need to add any mediums. Moreover, those mediums will affect paint consistency and make it fluid. If you want to improve paint durability without reducing it’s working properties, then you can try Alkyd Gel. Alkyd is the most durable and stable resin ever used for painting purpose. Try this product:
                                    https://www.naturalpigments.com/epoxide-oil-gel.html
                                    ” DETAILS
                                    Epoxide Oil Gel is a thixotropic painting medium made with dicyclopentadiene copolymer linseed oil and pyrogenic silica. Epoxide Oil Gel is a translucent yellow gel that adds transparency and thixotropic body to oil, resin-oil or alkyd paint. Add directly to your paint to give it transparency without thinning its consistency. Add pigments or extenders to thicken it for creating impasto effects that do not sink in.

                                    “Epoxide Oil Gel does not contain driers or solvents, so it is safe to use in oil painting without worry of cracking. When mixed with oil colors, Epoxide Oil Gel will decrease the drying time. Epoxide Oil Gel is tacky, so we do not recommend adding more than 20 to 30% to your paint.”

                                    And this:
                                    http://ingridpainter.blogspot.com/2017/07/experiment-with-rublev-epoxide-oil-gel.html

                                    “Because I avoid all the smelly alkyd mediums in my studio, this is a big deal. This gel acts somewhat like an alkyd gel (though it’s stickier) but it’s made out of “reinforced” linseed oil (don’t ask me) and so has no smell or associated health issues. Like the alkyd gels, it transparentizes the paint and increases gloss. I’m not a huge gloss fan, but found that if I used it sparingly, it wasn’t too shiny for my liking.”

                                    Last night I discovered that 5 minutes of cleaning brushes with turpentine gave me a sore throat that lasted nearly 24 hours.

                                    You can clean brushes into sunflower oil. After cleaning wipe brush with paper towel to remove exceed oil. After painting session you can also clean your brush in oil and then with water and soap. I use sunflower oil to clean my brushes since 2010 year.

                                    #1271162
                                    Don Ketchek
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                                        I actually hate using mediums and prefer tube paint, but the more I read, the more worried I got that my paint film was lacking resins or polymerized oil for durability.

                                        Thanks for the explanation, it was very informative. I am going to ditch the mediums for the time being and go back to the way I was working. Last night I discovered that 5 minutes of cleaning brushes with turpentine gave me a sore throat that lasted nearly 24 hours.

                                        Turpentine is by far the most toxic of the solvents normally used in painting and paint cleanup. I would avoid it – especially as it seems to effect you. You definitely need very good ventilation when using turpentine.

                                        If you want to use a solvent, I would recommend Gamsol (an Odorless Mineral Spirit – OMS) by Gamblin. You still need ventilation, but it is far less toxic than turpentine.

                                        You do not need any solvent to clean your paint brushes as long as you don’t let paint dry on the brushes. While solvents definitely make clean up easier, you can clean brushes with just soap and water – especially if you use a soap such as Masters Brush Cleaner. Of course, soap and water cleanup is even easier if you use any of the Water Mixable brands. That is all I use these days.

                                        If you prefer using no medium and using tube paint alone then you have simplified painting a great deal! There are many complications and potential problems when using too much medium. There are no issues with the durability of your paint film when using paint just from the tube.

                                        My advice: read less – there is much bad and misinformation to be found on the internet – and paint more!

                                        Don

                                        #1271166
                                        kin3
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                                            I thought water mixable oil was used to get rid of solvents, etc.
                                            I have never used them but was under the impression that you clean/thin with just water and maybe soap.

                                            #1271170
                                            MrsSellers
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                                                You’re right Don, I’ve been overthinking it.

                                                Kin, I’m switching to WMO to get away from solvents.

                                                #1271165
                                                Gigalot
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                                                    Kin, I’m switching to WMO to get away from solvents.

                                                    Water is not a good solvent for oil painting purpose.
                                                    I use traditional oil paint instead of WMO since I can paint solvent free using normal, durable and waterproof oil paint. To argue to “clean brushes with water” I can answer to “clean brushes with sunflower oil”. I do not need to run every five minutes towards bathing room to clean brushes, I can do that into 100 ml jar, filled with sunflower oil. No odor at all.

                                                    #1271163
                                                    Don Ketchek
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                                                        I thought water mixable oil was used to get rid of solvents, etc.
                                                        I have never used them but was under the impression that you clean/thin with just water and maybe soap.

                                                        Yes, WMO paints were created primarily for solvent free painting – but you can paint solvent free with traditional oils as well – and many folks do. I have done both and I find it considerably easier to paint solvent free with WMOs. Mainly because I can rinse out my brushes – while painting – with water, which is a big advantage, in my opinion. Clean up after painting with soap and water is also easier with WMOs – but, again, it can be done fairly easily with traditional oils.

                                                        Don

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