Before you deep 6 the turps, I will encourage you to consider why you might want to do so, and to try turps first and make an informed decision based on your own information rather than relying purely on what you have read from others.

A couple of rules for ANY solvent you might use:

1. Keep the lid on it when you are not using it – solvents evaporate into the room and you breathe the stuff in. It is generally not harmful in limited quantities but it is a good idea to keep them covered when not in use. With straight turps, you know when you are getting too much where as with an odorless variety, you don’t and that can be dangerous. Use ventilation in your studio regardless of what you use.

2. Don’t leave any solvent in your brushes long term. Wash them in soap and water at the end of each day.

3. Empty your trash regularly if it has any solvent soaked paper towels, etc.

4. As with any dilutant or medium, don’t use too much if you are thinning your paints. Making the paint too thin can compromise the binding power of the oil.

Turpentine
Turpentine is a fine natural solvent for oil painting. You can buy it in pure gum form, or buying it in the distilled or rectified form. Triple rectified turp has been distilled to remove a lot of the resin that gum turp still has in it. Turpentine is a solvent that is absolutely compatible with oil paints and you can use it to thin your paints as well as cleaning your brushes. Turpentine has been used successfully in oil painting for more than 700 years.

It is good to use straight turps even for a while because you will really get a good idea of how the solvent evaporates into the air because you will smell it – realize that EVERY solvent does this, even if you cannot smell it. I have turps in my studio now and manage it to the point where you only smell it slightly when I am using it directly on the painting.

Mineral Spirits/Odorless Mineral Spirits
MS/OMS is a petroleum-based solvent. They make fine brush cleaners and can be used to dilute oil paints and even better, alkyds. There is some dispute as to whether they are good for diluting oil paints and using on the actual painting or not and different artists hold different opinions. The theory in the negative is that they effect the binder differently than turps would and don’t mix at all with any resin that may be in the paint. Making varnish like Damar with MS/OMS will yield a cloudy result whereas turps will make a clear varnish. I personally don’t use MS/OMS in my paintings, but do use OMS to clean my brushes and palette. MS/OMS are the slowest drying solvent. MS/OMS are fairly new on the scene – less than 50 years.

Oil of Spike Lavendar
Spike is my solvent of choice. Spike is a distilled essential oil of the actual Lavendar plant, not the flowers. I use it to dilute my paints. It is kind of slippery on the surface which is nice for handling and it will dry with a slight gloss (turps and MS in paint will leave the surface dull and sunk in). It is the strongest solvent of the three. It dries slower than turps, but faster than MS/OMS. Spike has been used in paintings since at least the 1600s, possibly earlier.

Citrus-based Solvents
I have not used these, but have my doubts about them in relation to their compatibility to mix with oil paints. It could be that they are fine, but I think further research needs to be done before I will feel comfortable using them in my work.

Solvent-free option
There are some artists here at WC that don’t use solvents at all in their studios and hopefully they will weigh in to give you the benefits of their experiences. A lot of people use walnut oil to clean their brushes and dilute their paints.

Hope that helps!

I agree, verdachio you are very heplful (as is linoxyn and many others)!
by the way…can I jump in with a really dump question I just can’t find an answer anywhere…when using retouch varnish do you paint on it while it is wet or after it has dried?:D
Thanks!

[i]Originally posted by Luzie [/i]
[B]…when using retouch varnish do you paint on it while it is wet or after it has dried?:D [/B]

Luzie, generally you should always wait until the paint is dry before you apply a retouch varnish, and then wait until the retouch is dry to paint over. If you don’t, depending on how you’ve constructed your painting or sometimes just to mess with the artist, the subsequent paint layer may take forever to dry and/or stay tacky for a long time. Some can get away with painting directly into it when it’s still freshly wet, again this is risky. Remember a little goes a long way, apply thin – make sure it’s solvent thinned enough to only provide a shine for a few days on the applied area. Use turpentine for this when using a natural resin like dammar, many other artists solvents won’t fully mix with dammar except stronger hydrocarbons – which of course we don’t want to breath in

[i]Originally posted by Linoxyn [/i]
[B] Remember a little goes a long way, apply thin – make sure it’s solvent thinned enough to only provide a shine for a few days on the applied area. Use turpentine for this when using a natural resin like dammar[/B]

Lino…what’s wrong with a Damar retouch spray? It’s use being two fold, for use on the dull sunken areas and a protective coat
after you have finished painting until sifficently dry for a final varnish? Seems easier than mixing up turps & damar…or am I misunderstanding you?

Cathleen~

[FONT=Times New Roman]~Be COURAGEOUS, It's one of the few places left still uncrowded~

[FONT=Times New Roman]~Life is not measured by it's length BUT by it's depth~

[i]Originally posted by Linoxyn [/i]
[B]Cathleen, I was talking about retouch from a bottle, home-brewed or store bought. In all cases it’s best to buy or use one that is made up from only resin plus turpentine. [/B]

Thanks for explaining that….I always like to put the spray out there, an easier method for people who are new and aren’t about or willing go to that trouble…but it’s always good to know alternative methods as well…:)

Cathleen~

[FONT=Times New Roman]~Be COURAGEOUS, It's one of the few places left still uncrowded~

[FONT=Times New Roman]~Life is not measured by it's length BUT by it's depth~

[i]Originally posted by Verdaccio [/i]
[B]I make my own retouch in the past and find it much better than the retouch I get in the can from the art store. You mix 50/50 Damar and Rectified Turp in a PreVal Sprayer and it works great.
[/B]

Michael, Rectified turp IS? What is a PreVal sprayer please?
Where can these be purchased?

Cathleen~

[FONT=Times New Roman]~Be COURAGEOUS, It's one of the few places left still uncrowded~

[FONT=Times New Roman]~Life is not measured by it's length BUT by it's depth~

… I would believe that the citrus products would be acidic in nature (although I have not taken the time to find out their Ph for sure) which is not a canvas friendly trait. It would also seem that any pigments containing metals in their oxide or elemental forms, would change in color over time. The Turpenoid Natural is a good product for cleaning brushes when they get clogged but not as a medium. Distilled Spirits of Gum Turpentine is definitely something you should try.