You can try Garden stuff Lead White paint and then inform us how can it performs!
As for me, I alway use fingers, fingernails and whole palm to paint with oil. Also, I use oil paint inside living room. However, I am widely informed, that Lead ions can improve Raw Umber paint due to a lack of normal metallic ions content in such kind of paints (unless it contains 25% of manganese oxides). That Umber will sunk, lost of binder and finally goes to powder or grease film formation. I have four ways to solve such trouble:

1. Add another metal into Umber. (Powdered Copper or bice – manufactured blue copper carbonate for example)
2. Add properly drying paint into Umber
3. Add Alkyd medium into Umber
4. Use Acrylic paint for underlayer. Acrylic do not need to follow fat over lean; do not necessary to have metallic ions into the paint; it is flexible and it dries quickly. Solvent free as well.

It has been suggested the accumulation of lost lead sinkers can pose a toxic threat to some water fowl.

If it was a problem where I live someone would write a law against it. People looove to write laws. Lead pumped out of car exhaust is more of a problem. Not to mention all the critters and people that are run over every day. Why are cars not being banned? Why are people looking for something wrong with what others do when they themselves are part of a much larger problem.

Actually, none that I can think of. It is the most useful, durable, mixable, applicable, compatible material that one can apply to an oil painting, in my opinion!:D

Of course, hand-mulled White Lead Carbonate is the best, and its ropy consistency was used by Rembrandt to create many of the jeweled, and brocade effects that his paintings display. Many of the commercial Lead White paints do not exhibit this unique consistency that allowed the old masters to achieve the effects that they did.

Lead White has a rather transparent quality similar to that of Zinc White, but without the disastrous weakness, cracking, and flaking, attributed to Zinc White. Lead White is actually one of the [I]strongest[/I], in terms of paint films.

Relatively fast-drying, transparent, durable, ropy consistency when hand-mulled; what more could an oil painter want?:lol:

When creative entrepreneurs begin realizing that there is a market for it, and once again begin making it, and offering it for sale at [I][B]affordable prices[/B][/I], I will be one of the first to begin using it, even if it is a black market item. Until then, I will continue to seek out Titanium Whites that exhibit much the same characteristics in handling that hand-mulled, Lead Carbonate White does.

I’m just curious, Bill, about whether you’ve ever tried any of the Flake White replacements. I’m familiar with the Gamblin and W&N versions, and they seem nice enough, but since I’ve never used an actual lead paint, I have no idea if they’re considered an acceptable substitute and would love to hear your thoughts. I’m also curious if you’ve tried either Holbein Ceramic White (No CI – Strontium Titanate) or Williamsburg Porcelain White (PW5 – Lithopone) and if so what you think.

Lead White has a rather transparent quality similar to that of Zinc White, but without the disastrous weakness, cracking, and flaking, attributed to Zinc White.

I will be even glad to find any of such attributes of Zinc White on my paintings, but can’t.
I can understand people who read too many and too much Tumosa-Mecjlemburg articles about Zinc White decompositions, but I can’t do anything to make them happy with that. You will be quite disappointed with my Zinc White paint layers. There are nothing to be cracking, flaking or weakeness. :confused:
Artists can continue to use Titanium-Zinc White, as it is a good regular white, whiter than Lead, less expensive, non-toxic and finely opaque.

I’m just curious, Bill, about whether you’ve ever tried any of the Flake White replacements. I’m familiar with the Gamblin and W&N versions, and they seem nice enough, but since I’ve never used an actual lead paint, I have no idea if they’re considered an acceptable substitute and would love to hear your thoughts. I’m also curious if you’ve tried either Holbein Ceramic White (No CI – Strontium Titanate) or Williamsburg Porcelain White (PW5 – Lithopone) and if so what you think.

Well, as someone has mentioned, there truly is no “replacement” for Lead White. However, if one is only interested in experiencing one, or perhaps two of the characteristics of Lead White, Zinc White demonstrates a bit of transparency, probably even more than Lead White. But, that is only if one wants to risk the possibility of its reported cracking, and flaking as it ages.

In terms of handling, I actually ran across a Titanium White that exhibited a stringy, ropy characteristic much like hand-mulled Lead White. That brand was Fragonard, by Pebeo. I actually don’t know if that brand even exists any more. I think that Pebeo still makes paint, but I’m not sure about their Fragonard line.

The Fragonard was bound in all sorts of oils that I generally avoid like the plague. As I recall, it included Safflower Oil, Sunflower Oil, and Poppyseed Oil, to name a couple. However, even with all these slow-drying oils, that paint seemed to dry at an acceptable rate. It was probably laced with all sorts of driers to cause that to occur.

Anyway, I used that Fragonard Titanium White up, and it was probably one the best imitators of Lead White, in terms of handling that I’ve ever experienced.

At present, I use Art Treehouse White (Titanium) from The Art Treehouse. It seems to be a bit more transparent than most Titaniums, and it does tend to be just a bit ropy.

Oh….and, no, I have not tried either Gambliln’s or W & N’s “replacement whites” for Lead White.

Only thing I ever read was something about lead white powdering of…however as long as you don’t eat it ..your’e good to go and plus a painting is varnished sealing in any thing.Was thinking about lead white due to the many articles about the brittleness of zinc…maybe do some small practice pieces using different said whites see how they fair

the M.H stack lead white made with using horse dung and vingegar or something is like 250ml for nearly the price of an arm and a leg lol eating into the profits lol

FWIW, Gamblin makes a non-toxic Flake White Replacement that contains no lead. Supposedly it mimics the characteristics of the real thing without the hazards. Why not give it a try? I have a tube. I haven’t used it much but it definitely had a “ropey” consistency.

https://www.gamblincolors.com/getting-the-white-right-by-robert-gamblin/