[Tom Edgerton]

ReNae--

I like anyone that likes what I like, of course. But be very careful with turps--it's toxic, toxic stuff. Everyone thinks it's benign because it comes from trees, and it's what all the old masters used because that's all there was. But just cause it's natural, doesn't mean it's not BAD for you.

By comparison, odorless mineral spirits are much safer, on the solvent scale, even though they're "man made."

Check out this discussion on the Gamblin site. They rank-order solvents in the order of their toxicity, and turpentine is WAY up there. I can't have turps around because I'm allergic to pine trees, but after reading this, you won't want to handle it with anything less than a HAZMAT suit.

You're better off with something else. Specifically, Gamblin has an OMS that's more highly refined than most others--Gamsol--and it's about the safest of all, if you have to have solvents in the studio.

Y'all be safe--TE