Comments on: Lead white is not a fast drier http://rourkevisualart.com/wordpress/2009/03/02/lead-white-is-not-a-fast-drier/ Making and Thinking About Visual Art Fri, 03 Feb 2012 18:18:22 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Eric http://rourkevisualart.com/wordpress/2009/03/02/lead-white-is-not-a-fast-drier/comment-page-1/#comment-11496 Eric Sun, 19 Sep 2010 16:38:15 +0000 http://rourkevisualart.com/wordpress/?p=746#comment-11496 <p>basic Lead Carbonate is, in fact, a fast drier. Lead is a siccative chemical, making the the oil dry faster and the lead also create a more flexible film, improving the long term qualities of the finished painting. All but a few paint manufacturers adulterate their paints in some manner to modify the paints they are creating. In the case of basic lead carbonate, manufacturer often add titanium (to brighten the white and increase opacity without increasing the pigment density of the lead) which dilutes the fast drying properties of the lead. Some add Zinc, which varies the particle size of the paint, making the mechanically ground lead "act" like flake white, the consistency of which should be accomplished by variable particle size of lead, which doesn't happen in most mechanical grinding. Moreso, zinc is a well known anti-siccative pigment. Still others, in an effort to bring consistency to the drying times of their various paints, will add driers and retarders to their paints. And, as has been pointed out, still other companies use poppyseed, safflower, or walnut oils instead of, or added to the linseed to reduce linseed's natural yellowing but which also slows the drying times of the oil. And lasting, with very very few exceptions, almost all of the paint manufacturers add a great deal more oil than the pigment OA rate. More oil means more drying time AND the less lead there is to impart its siccative qualities on.</p> basic Lead Carbonate is, in fact, a fast drier. Lead is a siccative chemical, making the the oil dry faster and the lead also create a more flexible film, improving the long term qualities of the finished painting. All but a few paint manufacturers adulterate their paints in some manner to modify the paints they are creating. In the case of basic lead carbonate, manufacturer often add titanium (to brighten the white and increase opacity without increasing the pigment density of the lead) which dilutes the fast drying properties of the lead. Some add Zinc, which varies the particle size of the paint, making the mechanically ground lead “act” like flake white, the consistency of which should be accomplished by variable particle size of lead, which doesn’t happen in most mechanical grinding. Moreso, zinc is a well known anti-siccative pigment. Still others, in an effort to bring consistency to the drying times of their various paints, will add driers and retarders to their paints. And, as has been pointed out, still other companies use poppyseed, safflower, or walnut oils instead of, or added to the linseed to reduce linseed’s natural yellowing but which also slows the drying times of the oil. And lasting, with very very few exceptions, almost all of the paint manufacturers add a great deal more oil than the pigment OA rate. More oil means more drying time AND the less lead there is to impart its siccative qualities on.

]]> By: David http://rourkevisualart.com/wordpress/2009/03/02/lead-white-is-not-a-fast-drier/comment-page-1/#comment-11312 David Mon, 08 Mar 2010 02:37:00 +0000 http://rourkevisualart.com/wordpress/?p=746#comment-11312 <p>Albert,</p> <p>I'm not a big fan of alkyd mediums myself. If it's working for you, then great.</p> Albert,

I’m not a big fan of alkyd mediums myself. If it’s working for you, then great.

]]> By: albert http://rourkevisualart.com/wordpress/2009/03/02/lead-white-is-not-a-fast-drier/comment-page-1/#comment-11310 albert Sat, 06 Mar 2010 16:24:13 +0000 http://rourkevisualart.com/wordpress/?p=746#comment-11310 <p>Hey David, Nice painting blog, sure appreciate your little skits on canvas primers. Yah, I will admit that today people are sh-mucked with so called acrylic gessos. What i've been doing is taking a basic cotton canvas making sure it's not to cheap..:).. and then applying some flake white with a little liquin. To my surprise it dries to a nice shiny surface and usually within 2 days. If people only knew the difference between painting on natural primer than acrylic rubber.</p> Hey David, Nice painting blog, sure appreciate your little skits on canvas primers. Yah, I will admit that today people are sh-mucked with so called acrylic gessos. What i’ve been doing is taking a basic cotton canvas making sure it’s not to cheap..:).. and then applying some flake white with a little liquin. To my surprise it dries to a nice shiny surface and usually within 2 days. If people only knew the difference between painting on natural primer than acrylic rubber.

]]> By: david http://rourkevisualart.com/wordpress/2009/03/02/lead-white-is-not-a-fast-drier/comment-page-1/#comment-10047 david Sun, 21 Jun 2009 22:09:41 +0000 http://rourkevisualart.com/wordpress/?p=746#comment-10047 <p>old holland-scheveningen has a great lead white, very stiff and fast drier. Also Michael Hardings cremnitz white is great. Dry in two days, and more buttery than Old Holland. These two products are really fine. Rembrandt and Velazquez mixed some egg yolk with it to make it more stiff and structural. I prefer to use cobalt blue as a drier above umber, because it makes mixed tones softer/cooler.</p> old holland-scheveningen has a great lead white, very stiff and fast drier. Also Michael Hardings cremnitz white is great. Dry in two days, and more buttery than Old Holland. These two products are really fine. Rembrandt and Velazquez mixed some egg yolk with it to make it more stiff and structural. I prefer to use cobalt blue as a drier above umber, because it makes mixed tones softer/cooler.

]]> By: David Rourke http://rourkevisualart.com/wordpress/2009/03/02/lead-white-is-not-a-fast-drier/comment-page-1/#comment-9776 David Rourke Tue, 21 Apr 2009 02:37:40 +0000 http://rourkevisualart.com/wordpress/?p=746#comment-9776 <p>Matt,</p> <p>It depends to some degree on which paints you're using. I myself think it's better to get fewer paint colors of higher quality than more paints of lower quality.</p> <p>You may also be getting some "sinking in." That means that different pigments, which have different amounts of oil, dry to different degrees of gloss. You can fix that when the painting is done using varnish.</p> Matt,

It depends to some degree on which paints you’re using. I myself think it’s better to get fewer paint colors of higher quality than more paints of lower quality.

You may also be getting some “sinking in.” That means that different pigments, which have different amounts of oil, dry to different degrees of gloss. You can fix that when the painting is done using varnish.

]]> By: Matt http://rourkevisualart.com/wordpress/2009/03/02/lead-white-is-not-a-fast-drier/comment-page-1/#comment-9775 Matt Mon, 20 Apr 2009 23:41:04 +0000 http://rourkevisualart.com/wordpress/?p=746#comment-9775 <p>Hi, I am fairly new to oil painting. I am having a problem with my darks. I like to have really rich, deep darks, but they are drying considerably lighter than I want and a little chalky. Do you know of a way to fix this? Is there something I should be adding to my medium? I use a basic OMS/linseed oil medium. Thanks, MT</p> Hi, I am fairly new to oil painting. I am having a problem with my darks. I like to have really rich, deep darks, but they are drying considerably lighter than I want and a little chalky. Do you know of a way to fix this? Is there something I should be adding to my medium? I use a basic OMS/linseed oil medium.
Thanks,
MT

]]> By: David Rourke http://rourkevisualart.com/wordpress/2009/03/02/lead-white-is-not-a-fast-drier/comment-page-1/#comment-9744 David Rourke Sat, 11 Apr 2009 03:20:54 +0000 http://rourkevisualart.com/wordpress/?p=746#comment-9744 <p>I appreciate your vast expertise, George. Next time I need more lead white, I'll buy some from you.</p> <p>*For readers not familiar with Mr. O'Hanlon, he is the proprietor of the excellent <a href="http://www.naturalpigments.com" target="_blank">www.naturalpigments.com</a> web site. Check it out if you haven't already.</p> I appreciate your vast expertise, George. Next time I need more lead white, I’ll buy some from you.

*For readers not familiar with Mr. O’Hanlon, he is the proprietor of the excellent http://www.naturalpigments.com web site. Check it out if you haven’t already.

]]> By: George_O039Hanl http://rourkevisualart.com/wordpress/2009/03/02/lead-white-is-not-a-fast-drier/comment-page-1/#comment-9721 George_O039Hanl Tue, 07 Apr 2009 06:09:19 +0000 http://rourkevisualart.com/wordpress/?p=746#comment-9721 <p>The reason why so many authors in the past considered lead white to have drying properties in oil is that lead white (basic lead carbonate) has one of the lowest oil absorption numbers of any pigment. Less oil for an equal volume of paint when compared to other pigments makes it a faster dryer than most. However, when you consider that most modern flake white oil colors contain stearates that increase the oil absorption rate of pigments, then lead white is certainly an average drying color.</p> The reason why so many authors in the past considered lead white to have drying properties in oil is that lead white (basic lead carbonate) has one of the lowest oil absorption numbers of any pigment. Less oil for an equal volume of paint when compared to other pigments makes it a faster dryer than most. However, when you consider that most modern flake white oil colors contain stearates that increase the oil absorption rate of pigments, then lead white is certainly an average drying color.

]]> By: George_O039Hanl http://rourkevisualart.com/wordpress/2009/03/02/lead-white-is-not-a-fast-drier/comment-page-1/#comment-9722 George_O039Hanl Tue, 07 Apr 2009 06:09:19 +0000 http://rourkevisualart.com/wordpress/?p=746#comment-9722 <p>The reason why so many authors in the past considered lead white to have drying properties in oil is that lead white (basic lead carbonate) has one of the lowest oil absorption numbers of any pigment. Less oil for an equal volume of paint when compared to other pigments makes it a faster dryer than most. However, when you consider that most modern flake white oil colors contain stearates that increase the oil absorption rate of pigments, then lead white is certainly an average drying color.</p> The reason why so many authors in the past considered lead white to have drying properties in oil is that lead white (basic lead carbonate) has one of the lowest oil absorption numbers of any pigment. Less oil for an equal volume of paint when compared to other pigments makes it a faster dryer than most. However, when you consider that most modern flake white oil colors contain stearates that increase the oil absorption rate of pigments, then lead white is certainly an average drying color.

]]> By: George_O039Hanl http://rourkevisualart.com/wordpress/2009/03/02/lead-white-is-not-a-fast-drier/comment-page-1/#comment-9723 George_O039Hanl Tue, 07 Apr 2009 06:09:19 +0000 http://rourkevisualart.com/wordpress/?p=746#comment-9723 <p>The reason why so many authors in the past considered lead white to have drying properties in oil is that lead white (basic lead carbonate) has one of the lowest oil absorption numbers of any pigment. Less oil for an equal volume of paint when compared to other pigments makes it a faster dryer than most. However, when you consider that most modern flake white oil colors contain stearates that increase the oil absorption rate of pigments, then lead white is certainly an average drying color.</p> The reason why so many authors in the past considered lead white to have drying properties in oil is that lead white (basic lead carbonate) has one of the lowest oil absorption numbers of any pigment. Less oil for an equal volume of paint when compared to other pigments makes it a faster dryer than most. However, when you consider that most modern flake white oil colors contain stearates that increase the oil absorption rate of pigments, then lead white is certainly an average drying color.

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