Safflower or Poppy least yellow?

[tidal]

Have researched it for over a couple of years on and off but get conflicting info about it’s yellowness (live in the middle of nowhere so don’t have an art shop to hold one in my hand and see)and struggled to come to terms with the fact that best white is acrylic but came to conclusion just don’t like working with it …so of to purchase least yellow or yellowing oil for my whites and cool colours .Am accepting of the fact 9and know in depth of there issues already ,but not concerned here with issues of drying or paint film etc.Not interested in the bleached ones as they only revert back. Would be interested to see the overall consensus about these two oils in terms of color..cheers

Sculpture is what you bump into when you back up to see a painting..Barnett Newman

[Marc Kingsland]

Very little difference, and there are yearly seasonal variations in the acid levels of linoleic safflower oil that could perhaps make it more yellow one year or less yellow another but only marginally. The reputation is that poppy oil is very, very slightly less yellow.
The least yellow aging linseed oil is Stand oil.

insert pithy comment here.

[Richard P]

If you have no concerns about film quality, then I would say a titanium white with a small percentage of zinc ground in poppy oil or sunflower oil would work the best.

In my testing linseed oil based titanium white without waxes or zinc yellows remarkably when more linseed oil is added to increase the flow.

[tidal]

Thanks Marc hadn’t considered that at all about the variations think it’s time I found an actual real shop (however far away they are) as it would be worth being able to be more choosy when buying it. Yes had heard difference is marginal.Yes Titanium and linseed will give you that yellowing is a problem to some. In a previous thread under “issues of zinc” on here i give details and linkn of how to use a layer of zinc and poppy oil with other steps and layers that can overcome the issues of brittleness cracking etc..Am about three quarters way through the many layers however the zinc test (forgive me I forget who by) was 28 yrs so I could be senile by the time i get to judge the results lol .

Sculpture is what you bump into when you back up to see a painting..Barnett Newman

[Gigalot]

Permalba White is less yellowish oil paint ever.

[Trond]

Why don’t you test them and find out? If you have lead white that would be best, although it wouldn’t be 100% the same of course. But lead white dries faster and yellows faster than other whites.

Most manufacturers use safflower oil, but I’m not sure why. Perhaps poppy dries a bit slower.

[Richard P]

Safflower is cheaper than walnut and poppy.

[Marc Kingsland]

Thanks Marc hadn’t considered that at all about the variations think it’s time I found an actual real shop (however far away they are) as it would be worth being able to be more choosy when buying it.

Slight acid variations in safflower oil won’t translate to revealed variations in the art shops, just different bottled brands, possibly made from the same harvest.

Warning; don’t buy safflower oil from the supermarket unless you know which type you’re getting. Safflower oil is commercially available in two types: Oleic and Linoleic. Do not get Oleic. As this safflower will not dry, possibly ever. Abstract expressionist Willem de Kooning used food store safflower oil in many of his most famous paintings, and many of these have had to be framed behind glass, because after half a century or so, they’re still sticky.

insert pithy comment here.

[Anonymous]

Why don’t you test them and find out?

That is the only way to find out.
You can’t rely on the report of which oil yellows more or less because of the different formulations in different brands, which introduces significant variability.
I didn’t realize how much the brand and formulation mattered until I did some testing and found pure safflower oil based white that yellowed more than other linseed whites, another poppy based white yellowed about half as much, yet they are supposed to yellow less than linseed and roughly about the same. But that is the case specifically with the oil, not with the final paint brand and formulation.
Why is this the case?
Driers and their percentage.
Zinc oxide presence and the percentage
probably other factors and additive formulations that I don’t even know about.

[Michael Lion]

Most manufacturers use safflower oil, but I’m not sure why. Perhaps poppy dries a bit slower.

Safflower oil has a reputation for drying faster and making a stronger better paint film than poppyseed oil.

However, there are then those who say that only linseed oil can provide a properly strong paint film, but I don’t feel like there is enough long-term evidence to make a conclusion either way. Back many decades ago when oil paint was still used commercially, safflower oil was the preferred oil for commercial paints.

Safflower oil DEFINITELY yellows less than linseed oil, but there are other factors besides the type of oil that affect yellowing.

[tidal]

Yes Sidbledsoe have read this before about the driers.Am make my own with pure pigment and oil and bleached beeswax nothing more nothing less so to avoid this issue.Only reason don’t want to get one of each and test is rather on a tight budget have bought half my shopping list of various mediums pigments etc and now have little left which to purchase the remaining things I need hence put the feelers out on here then I buy one or other.Confused as to why zinc drier make it yellow (am I being dumb here?) as I thought titanium pigment the one with the yellow undertone not zinc?

Sculpture is what you bump into when you back up to see a painting..Barnett Newman

[Anonymous]

yes if you make it yourself then I think they perform similarly.
I think you may be referring to a zinc drier which is not the same as zinc oxide.

[Anonymous]

Most manufacturers use safflower oil.

it is not the best oil to use, but it is the cheapest, even with added driers needed to dry suitably for oil painting, and then it yellows nicely. Most high end paints use linseed.

[tidal]

Ah are you reffering to driers as in resin based ? as I was referring to the pigment zinc.

Sculpture is what you bump into when you back up to see a painting..Barnett Newman

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