Titanium White – Winsor & Newton Artist Oils – WARNING: SOLVENT

[Sarah Sands]

Williamsburg Flake white in less yellowing safflower oil is safe to ship internationally but not their Flake in more yellow linseed.

This is a simple mistake on Dick Blick’s part and we are in the process of getting it corrected. Thanks for bringing this to our attention – there is absolutely nothing that prevents the Flake White from being shipped by air. No hidden solvents, alkyds, or other substances different from our other paints except for containing basic lead carbonate, which of course triggers toxicological warnings but no restrictions on air transport.

Sarah Sands
Senior Technical Specialist
Golden Artist Colors
Williamsburg Handmade Oil Colors

[Sarah Sands]

Just had a five minute type in chat with a Tech advisor at Blick. And they confirmed that all the paints I/they listed above as been unsafe to airship internationally do almost certainly contain a very small amount of solvent or volatile flammable addition, (alkyd was never mentioned)

Speaking of our own paints – namely the Flake White in linseed – that is absolutely false. There is absolutely nothing that prevents the Flake White from being shipped by air. No hidden solvents, alkyds, or other substances different from our other paints except for containing basic lead carbonate, which of course triggers toxicological warnings but no restrictions on air transport.

Sarah Sands
Senior Technical Specialist
Golden Artist Colors
Williamsburg Handmade Oil Colors

[Richard P]

Thanks for correcting that Sarah.

Is there any way artists like ourselves can determine if a paint does contain a solvent or not, as it seems to have caused some disagreement here

[Sarah Sands]

Thanks for correcting that Sarah.

Is there any way artists like ourselves can determine if a paint does contain a solvent or not, as it seems to have caused some disagreement here

Really the official SDS Sheets is your best bet, but keep in mind that an ingredient might not need to be listed if it falls below a set, minimum amount. So the SDS is certainly not a full chemical analysis, and trace amounts of various materials could be present – just at levels that are deemed safe. Of course “safe” is a moving target of sorts – one of the reasons Golden never uses or lists a material as non-toxic is our belief that it gives a false sense of safety and in truth, something is never proven to be non-toxic – it simply means it has passed currently known tests. There are too many cases where something thought safe, or at least safe at a specific level, is later revised downward.

Beyond that, we would recommend directly asking the company – which I know you have done in this thread. In my experience, companies of any appreciable size, with a reputation at stake, will tend to be honest about the presence of something that a customer could be sensitive too. But of course that’s just my read.

Lastly, one thought on the potential source of a solvent would be to look at any drier the paint might be using. A large number of driers made for oil-based paints come pre-dispersed in a solvent. Williamsburg, FYI, does not use any of those, but they are a very common option.

Sarah Sands
Senior Technical Specialist
Golden Artist Colors
Williamsburg Handmade Oil Colors

[Blick Art Materials]

Just had a five minute type in chat with a Tech advisor at Blick. And they confirmed that all the paints I/they listed above as been unsafe to airship internationally do almost certainly contain a very small amount of solvent or volatile flammable addition, (alkyd was never mentioned) And that their Blick oil paint whites and some of their cadmium range, a very small fraction of solvent though it might be, most definitely do. And they believe that solvent content is the main or sole cause of the unsafe for shipping listing in the other ranges.

It’s not beyond the possibility of of some of them containing a small amount of alkyd, but it seems to be more likely to be just solvent.

Mark-I apologize for the confusion, the Product Information agent who chatted with you was misinformed regarding products marked with the hazardous icon on our website.

While product flammability due to containing solvents is often the reason for a product to be restricted from air shipping, it’s not the only reason. There may be ecological factors, quantity factors, and sometimes additional restrictions by destination, to name a few.

Usually the hazardous designation is determined based on SDS information provided by our vendors, and any shipping regulations that are in force at the time the product is entered in our system. Taking into account all of the factors, if the correct designation isn’t completely clear, we will err on the side of caution to prevent shipping of potentially restricted items. If we do receive further clarification on any product that should not have that designation, we will make the necessary adjustments in our system.

Again I apologize that incorrect information was provided and led things astray on this issue!

~Annette

- your friends at Blick Art Materials

[Marc Kingsland]

Mark-I apologize for the confusion, the Product Information agent who chatted with you was misinformed regarding products marked with the hazardous icon on our website.

While product flammability due to containing solvents is often the reason for a product to be restricted from air shipping, it’s not the only reason. There may be ecological factors, quantity factors, and sometimes additional restrictions by destination, to name a few.

Again I apologize that incorrect information was provided and led things astray on this issue!

~Annette

I didn’t save the chat, but it’s possible I’d mislead a line of thinking by asking if the oil paints barred from shipping, were like W&N titanium white, also containing solvent. Rather than just asking why the paints weren’t available for overseas buyers. And not to prompt a certain reason.

insert pithy comment here.

[Anonymous]

Lastly, one thought on the potential source of a solvent would be to look at any drier the paint might be using. A large number of driers made for oil-based paints come pre-dispersed in a solvent. Williamsburg, FYI, does not use any of those, but they are a very common option.

Although the paint maker may not add any drier/solvent in formulating the paint, might a solvent borne drier already be added to a safflower oil as it is obtained from the vendor?
I have read that it is very common for artist safflower oil to have a drier added, otherwise safflower oil would dry too slowly to be normally acceptable.

[Sarah Sands]

Although the paint maker may not add any drier/solvent in formulating the paint, might a solvent-borne drier already be added to a safflower oil as it is obtained from the vendor? I have read that it is very common for artist safflower oil to have a drier added, otherwise safflower oil would dry too slowly to be normally acceptable.

No, at least I don’t see it as a likely probability, especially if implying they are doing this secretly. The oils we buy are sold as base raw materials and I don’t see the advantage of adding a drier and not highlighting that fact, especially if they felt this made their oil more convenient. Certainly, it is common for paint manufacturers to add driers, but keep in mind that they are added at such minute amounts, a fraction of one percent, that even here the amount of solvent would be very small. But it seems the most conceivable source for a solvent in an oil paint.

Sarah Sands
Senior Technical Specialist
Golden Artist Colors
Williamsburg Handmade Oil Colors

[Anonymous]

if implying they are doing this secretly.

thanks, no I wasn’t implying secretly. From our end, we shouldn’t expect full disclosure or all ingredients since it is not required, and may involve revealing proprietary information.
I would expect a titanium/zinc white paint, bound totally in a semi drying safflower oil, and with no driers added, to dry to touch in a week to 10 days.
The paint in question here has been reported to be fast drying.

[Pinguino]

As I have written before: The words “flammable” and “combustible” have specific technical meaning. May vary from nation to nation. The difference has to do with flash point, not toxicity or odor. Flammable liquids (including turpentine) have a low flash point, and many shipping restrictions. Combustible liquids (most OMS) have a higher flash point, and fewer shipping restrictions.

I have noticed the tendency for materials containing a teeny tiny amount of flammable component, to be treated as a flammable hazard. Whether there is a specific criterion for this, or a matter of excessive caution, is not known to me.

[Sarah Sands]

thanks, no I wasn’t implying secretly. From our end, we shouldn’t expect full disclosure or all ingredients since it is not required, and may involve revealing proprietary information.
I would expect a titanium/zinc white paint, bound totally in a semi-drying safflower oil, and with no driers added, to dry to touch in a week to 10 days.
The paint in question here has been reported to be fast drying.

Ah, thanks for the clarification. I agree that it is likely that the paint contains a drier – whether they chose a drier that is solvent free or a system that is in a solution I can’t say. In terms of our own practice, we do not use any driers that involve solvent, even if we could avoid listing it.

Sarah Sands
Senior Technical Specialist
Golden Artist Colors
Williamsburg Handmade Oil Colors

[Richard P]

It does dry quicker than other brands in my testing. Yet their Winton Titanium White (also in Safflower oil) dries even quicker and doesn’t have this smell.

I would assume they use the same safflower oil batches in both brands? So why one has this and not the other, I don’t know.. Confused!

[Gigalot]

Wax is a paint ingredient, that can be dissolved into solvent before using.

[Richard P]

I have a reply from W&N:

Dear Richard,

Thank you for contacting Winsor & Newton.
​
Apologies for the delay.

There is white spirit in our titanium white, a small percentage. This is one source of the total VOC on the formula. There are other contributors- (i.e driers + other formulation components),the unique smell of AOC titanium white is as a result of added white spirit and VOC’s from other components, this gives it a different smell from other colours on the range.

There is no alkyd resin added to the AOC Titanium white formulation.

[chamisa]

Richard, upthread you wrote that their Winton titanium doesn’t have any solvent.
How do you know that — from the ingredients list or from smelling?
I have a tube of their Winton soft mixing white I’ll try to smell later today.
Thanks

[Author]

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