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Reducing Artist Oil Paint Drying Times


Gazzas

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Hi Gazzas - Interesting read and some good knowledge. I have been painting for - :hmmm: hmmmm to long 40 years plus with oils, so it's a medium I know well - lot of the quick dryers are fine and do what they say on the tin. I just use them sparingly when painting as I like to keep the working time for my paintings. As for modelling with them. the method I use is to stick blobs onto kitchen towel or a bit of cartridge paper - let as much of the linseed oils absorb out. I then mix the solids down in a pallet with Turpentine or Turpenoid, which ever I have at the time. I make this to whatever consistency I need - Goo to Thin Wash. This, as a carrying medium, evaporates out quicker so reduces the drying time. If you have used enamels make sure you give it a seal first. Also the less and thinner the paint used the quicker it will dry. If you click through some of my builds - eg Hurricane IID - you'll see how I'm using it. Also being a painter I am a bit addicted to the smell of the paint and Turps! :mental: :D So anything I said above could have been under the influence!!!!!

So drying mediums - yep do the job….. But I find buying kitchen towel or cartridge paper a lot cheeper and even on thickish paint I find this method comparable. So might be worth a try see how you get on!

Just to say I have never shot oil paints in my Airbrush - and not sure thats an experiment I'd want to do!!!! But hay let us know how it went? You never know we might all be missing a trick!

 

Happy Days - Taff :D

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That's a pretty ringing endorsement.  A bit too expensive to use as thinner.  If I could get away with a drop or two at a time...

 

 

I use SO little oil at any one time, the small bottle I have of the JD has lasted me several years now.   IIRC, I dont remember it costing very much either............like no more than $5 USD or so for a Tannex sized bottle of it. 

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Taff,

    I've seen the Hurri before, though not as weathered as it is here.   Your weathering with the oils looks great.  I've only weathered about 4-5 models with oils getting a little better each time.  I had my 'lesson' with enamels and oils.  Ruined the kit though I kept on because it was my first kit with rigging.

 

The oils go through the airbrush nicely.   Better than acrylics, for sure.  Though after four days of drying neither group is very hard.  They don't feel tacky, but they are both easily damaged by a fingernail.

 

Out2gtcha,

      Chemicals that aren't made here in Australia often require special shipping arrangements where the cost gets transferred to the buyer.  Some things just can't be found.  Japan Drier here cost over 12X what you paid for it.  ...then there is the cost of getting it delivered by courier.  It's not carried by the local art stores or nationwide art chain.

 

Gaz

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Out2gtcha,

      Chemicals that aren't made here in Australia often require special shipping arrangements where the cost gets transferred to the buyer.  Some things just can't be found.  Japan Drier here cost over 12X what you paid for it.  ...then there is the cost of getting it delivered by courier.  It's not carried by the local art stores or nationwide art chain.

 

Gaz

 

 

Wow!    Id probably not use it myself if I had to pay that

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It's not carried by the local art stores or nationwide art chain.

 

That's unfortunately the case with many things our overseas brethren take for granted. If you can get it at all, it's unjustifiably expensive.

 

Kev

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Thanks for the info Red Five!

 

Give up on the Liquol idea.  It's made for brush painting and not airbrushing.  Discovered this AM that you're supposed to shake before use.  After it's about the consistency of snot.

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copied from cavalierart.com.au:

 

Cobalt Driers (dries oil colours)

 

Acts as a drier for oil colours and mediums.

 

Constituents: Cobalt Octoate, White Spirit

 

Product Application

Added to oil and alkyd colours to increase the rate of drying. Oils ‘dry' or harden to a tough, insoluble film by absorbing oxygen. Cobalt Driers are known as ‘surface' siccatives (driers), accelerating the drying of the oil surface. They are not ‘through-film' siccatives and do not perform as succesfully with thick films of oil (i.e. impasto technique)

Cobalt driers made from cobalt octoate or cobalt naphtenate are the only recommended siccatives for artists oil colours and mediums as their addition in the correct proportion has a minimal effect regarding darkening and embrittlement of the paint film.

 

- Langridge Cobalt Driers are to be used sparingly as its over-use will destroy paint films.

- It is recommended that Cobalt Driers should be added to an oil medium or artists' drying oil rather than mixed directly into the oil paint.

- Measuring quantities of driers directly into small amounts of colour is difficult and prone to miscalculation. Langridge recommends addition to mediums and oils to reduce the likelyhood of over use and to simplify the artists' studio practise.

- Once mixed with an oil or medium, the artist can dispense with concerns about constant ongoing additions of driers.

- Add Cobalt Driers as an approximate 1% addition. (i.e. To 500ml of Linseed Oil add 5ml of Cobalt Drier.) Shake or stir well together.  

- When initially mixed together, the driers will impart a blue/green cast to the oil or medium with which it is mixed. Exposed to indirect sunlight for a few days will remove this colour difference (Exposing the oil or medium to indirect sunlight will not sun bleach or thicken the material). If used in correct proportions, the colour of the cobalt drier will not interfere with oil paints' brightness or colour saturation.

 

 

Additional product information

 

Problems with ambient temperature and humidity.

Because artists drying oils (oils that dry to a hard, non-reversable film) absorb oxygen to harden, so the ambient temperature and humidity have an effect on the speed and success of film hardening. Oils, oil paints and oil mediums should not be applied in temperatures below 10o F or above 40oF. Relative humidity level should not exceed 50%. Moisture in a high humidity environment will create a fine layer of water on top of the paint film preventing oxygen from being absorbed. This will dramatically slow the hardening of the oil, potentially weakining the paint film even when fully dry. Temperature and relative humidity can be controlled in the artists studio with heating/cooling devices and the use of dehumidifying devices.

 

Accelerating the drying rate of a completed painting.

Cobalt Driers should not be applied to a painting to accelerate the drying of an already laid paint film. If a painting is taking longer to dry than is expected, it is recommended to place the artwork in a dry, warm, dust-free area with a steady airflow across the surface. Once paint has been applied to a painting no attempt should be made to add driers or rapid drying mediums on top to accelerate drying. This can lead to cracking and potential flaking of the paint film.

 

Accelerating the drying rate of varnishes.

Cobalt Driers cannot speed the drying of artists' varnishes as they contain no oil. Artists' varnishes dry by evaporation of the solvent. If a varnish remains tacky for longer than is recommended by the manufacturer, this may be due to latent solvent trapped in the preceding paint film. As it attempts to evaporate through the surface it will solubilize the resin of the varnish. Place the artwork in a dry, warm, dust-free area with a steady airflow across the surface.

 

Working properties

Thinning
For best results thin with Artists White Spirit. However, Langridge Low Toxic Solvent may be substituted.

Appearance
Langridge Cobalt Driers is a dark blue colour liquid with characteristic White Spirit odour.

Clean Up
Clean brushes with any artists' solvent (eg Gum Turpentine, Low Toxic Solvent, etc.). For further washing apply a small quantity of Marseille or other pure olive oil soap and massage the bristles of the brush to release any remaining colour. Wash thoroughly in warm water. Leave to fully dry before using for oil colours.

 

100ml for 11 $

Edited by Gazzas
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Oil medium is anything you thin the oil paints with.  Linseed oil, types of turpenoid.  White spirit...whatever your method.    The chart on their page basically shows that the cobalt stuff halves the drying time.  So, it's not like Uschi.  Drying is still measured in days, not hours.

 

As much as I love the way oil paints spray and cover, I might just use them for weathering and acrylics for painting.  Seems too complicated.

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"Oils, oil paints and oil mediums should not be applied in temperatures below 10o F or above 40oF".  THIS modeler also does not apply himself  in temps below 10C or above 40C.  Actually, my range is a LOT narrower!   :tumble:

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Dan,

    That's an impressive drying time.  The ammo can looks realistic...I can't think of a finer compliment.  Though now I'm confused between the pictures and your words.  Liquin, or Liquol?  And I have no knowledge of humbrol enamel thinners.  Another turps relative?  Or Maybe a laquer thinner?

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