Non-toxic solvent

[Annie Cullen]

"Can anyone tell me a good non-toxic solvent for oils? I use an odourless solvent but goodness knows what that's made of..." I notice Richard uses walnut oil as thinner - I'll try that but for cleaning brushes etc?

[Dorian Aronson]

Hi Annie

I have been using Walnut oil and love it.  I use it with my water soluble paints..........smiles : )) 

Annie Cullen said:

In case anyone is still following this - I've started using Walnut oil (bought it online - the Graham and Co one) and love it - got rid of all the fumes in my studio! works for thinning oils and for cleaning brushes.

[Birdie]

I had tried the Windsor & Newton water mixable oils but found them to be way too thick and hard to work with. A friend recommended Lukas Berlin, and I absolutely love them. They are very buttery and easier to work with. Limited colours and availability though. One thing I did learn was to talk to their rep. I didn't think they were available in Canada at all, but saw they had a Canadian rep, so gave them a call. While most of the local stores don't carry them, they can all order them in, so I'm waiting for an order. 

[Wendy Cunningham]

Annie - I found that Jack's Linseed Oil Soap is the best stuff for cleaning oil paint out of brushes, and Is very gentle to hands and smells good...you can also clean a lot of other stuff with it too.  But it keeps my bristles very clean and soft.

[Annie Cullen]

Thanks Wendy - I'll look for it or something similar.

[Stuart J. Gourlay]

The Jack Richeson linseed oil soap is terrific.  The other soap I like is the Mona Lisa Pink Soap by Speedball (www.speedballart.com).  This comes in an 8 oz liquid container and the label says that it contains a conditioner and "leaves no greasy afterfeel".   The label also says that it "Contains  NO chlorides, alkalies, phosphates, solvents, alcohol.  Brushes really smell good after this stuff.  After wiping my brushes and rinsing them in Gamsol, I thoroughly saturate them with the linseed oil soap and let them sit for awhile.  I then rinse this off and use the Pink Soap and let them dry.   Stu
 
Wendy Cunningham said:

Annie - I found that Jack's Linseed Oil Soap is the best stuff for cleaning oil paint out of brushes, and Is very gentle to hands and smells good...you can also clean a lot of other stuff with it too.  But it keeps my bristles very clean and soft.

[Karlo Bonacic]

also i just put used brushes in linseed oil during night (or more), and just wipe with cloth or similar before use (not to clean them every time. For that i use flat plate and brushes are almost horizontal in it ( in that way you do not deform the tips, but they must be in oil..)

[Darya Vassina]

Hi Annie and Eric,

I've been using Holbein's Duo Aqua for a couple of years now. They are, probably the best of the water-solubles, for as long as you do not use water as a solvent! :-) You need to dip the brush into either Holbein's linseed oil or walnut oil to get them flow better. The drying time is faster than regular oils, but not as fast as acrylics. I've also noticed that they do not darken as much as oils when drying. Some pigments are stickier than others, but, overall they are very nice to work with. The cheapest Holbein's are probably found on dickblick.com  As to regular oils, I really like Graham's and their walnut oil and alkyd as thinners. I clean the brushes with oil, citrus-based cleaning liquid and daVinci soap. The latter has a conditioner of some sort which helps to shape the brushes. Hope this helps!

[Doug]

Eric, you could order via the internet. For example: Dick Blick in the US or Jackson's Art Supplies in the UK.

Eric said:

Hi Annie: I wanted to try the Duo Hoblien brand but the store where I shop doesn't carry them. Where I live there's not a lot of choice:( The Artisan paints are good and the colors are fine so I'll stick with them for now. How are the Duo Hoblien working out?

[Annie Cullen]

I haven't tried them yet but am definitely going to try the linseed oil soap if I can find it. I have a lot of oil paints to use before I change to water solubles - but I really appreciate all your feedback everyone.

[Robin Sage]

Stuart - I've just been reading this discussion and as I'm considering trying to paint with oils took your advice and checked out the Gamblin website. I see their products are available online. Do you use their paints as well as their medium and are they archival and of good quality. Would love some advice if you have a minute.

[Stuart J. Gourlay]

Robin, I do use Gamblin's paints with the exception of a few colors they don't have, and I also use Michael Harding's paints (these are high end hand made paints and I like his transparent colors).  I use Galkyd lite most often as my medium of choice.  Gamblin has an excellent reputation for high quality, archival materials.  I painted for a long time with Grumbacher paints, but found the consistency of the product better with Gamblin.   I have met the product manager Scott Gellatly; he's a great guy and an avid out door painter.    I hope this answers your questions  Stu
 
Robin Sage said:

Stuart - I've just been reading this discussion and as I'm considering trying to paint with oils took your advice and checked out the Gamblin website. I see their products are available online. Do you use their paints as well as their medium and are they archival and of good quality. Would love some advice if you have a minute.

[Robin Sage]

That is really helpful - thank you Stuart.

Stuart J. Gourlay said:

Robin, I do use Gamblin's paints with the exception of a few colors they don't have, and I also use Michael Harding's paints (these are high end hand made paints and I like his transparent colors).  I use Galkyd lite most often as my medium of choice.  Gamblin has an excellent reputation for high quality, archival materials.  I painted for a long time with Grumbacher paints, but found the consistency of the product better with Gamblin.   I have met the product manager Scott Gellatly; he's a great guy and an avid out door painter.    I hope this answers your questions  Stu
 
Robin Sage said:

Stuart - I've just been reading this discussion and as I'm considering trying to paint with oils took your advice and checked out the Gamblin website. I see their products are available online. Do you use their paints as well as their medium and are they archival and of good quality. Would love some advice if you have a minute.