Where do you get it? I did a quick search of all the online vendors in my favorites list and came up empty.

Marvin,

Why did you switch from Murphy's oil soap to Ivory soap?

Hi Peter,

If you're asking about the walnut oil, check www.mgraham.com . You can also use walnut oil from the grocery store. It's cheaper, however as Marvin said earlier in this thread the M. Graham oil is superior.

Regards,

Holly

Holly, when I started using Murphy's oil soap was using natural bristle brushes and mineral spirits. The oil in the soap helped to replace the natural oils that the thinner removed. Since synthetic brushes contain no oil to begin with, I felt that the extra oil was making the brushes a little too stiff from oil residue build-up. My brushes are much softer with Ivory. And my hands are so lovely too!

So let me get this straight...
 

Hi, i'm new to alot of things. So let me get this straight about olive and walnut oils, and hope you'll be patient with me:

:bewildere

1. Olive oils are great for cleaning brushes after painting. But one needs to wash the brushes with soap and water, after cleaning with olive oils? So can olive oils be used to clean brushes for in-between changing colors during the painting sessions?

2. Walnut oils available in supermarkets are pure, and is a good "replacement" medium for the more-expensive artist brands. At the same time, it's a good brush cleaner? So can walnut oils be used to clean brushes for in-between changing colors during the painting sessions?

marcus

You need to wash brushes with soap and water following any cleaning method. Regardless of the solvent. It's like rinsing out your mouth with water after brushing with toothpaste.

I find a big difference between walnut oil that is used for cooking and walnut oil cold pressed for painting use. The cooking oil is thicker and the paint sludge doesn't settle to the bottom of your cleaning bucket. I don't like olive oil as much as the M. Graham and Co. walnut oil.

Using anything to clean brushes during painting will be added to your paint. Linseed oil makes a stronger faster drying paint film than walnut oil. The reason you see many brushes in the artist studio is because a fresh brush should be used for a fresh color mixture.

I use odorless mineral spirits from Gamblin for cleaning my brushes. I have a window open and a fan blowing the vapors outside all the time, and I keep my solvent container covered except when I'm actually cleaning a brush.

I don't use soap and water on the brushes after cleaning, though. I don't think I could get all the soap out and I'd rather have a small amount of OMS mix with the next day's paint (unless it has all evaporated by then) than soap residue.

Michelle,
I also use the Gamsol to clean my brush(es) all day. I used to cover it in between cleaning of brushes but I realized that I had the paper towel in my hand. Every towel with the smallest smidge of Gamsol would have to go in the covered metal trash can if I determined the Gamsol to be so toxic as to have to cover it up.

Now, girlfiend, where does that leave us? I am using the Gamsol unless someone will be so kind as to help me by giving me a health reason not to.

PS: My studio has a woodstove for heating and I have this fear of a big boom someday.

;)

Oh my goodness! You already have your "health reason" to switch. I don't want to read about you in the news. If I had a woodstove in my studio I'd switch to walnut oil for cleaning immediately. Or I'd buy a ton of brushes and clean them all at the end with soap and water only. I'd keep any solvents far away from any studio with a woodstove.

Thanks Michelle!

I've only used a woodstove for heat for ever and have only painted "near" it for 2 years. "near" is 25 feet away. I read the Gamsol label and low and behold it has the same warnings that other solvents have. Don't breathe it etc. Dang. I like watery paint. What do you think of using the Weber Res-n-gel as an extender? How else can I make my paint thin if no gamsol, not too much walnut oil, etc.?

This will be quite a problem for me if I get rid of all solvents unless I learn of an option..

Thanks.