Safe, Effective Turpentine Substitutes

[Michele Rushworth]

Anyone have comments on Mineral Spirits as a paint thinner and brush cleaner? I know it's not "non-toxic" but how do people feel it works?

Thanks!

[Douglas Drenkow]

Once again, as for questions of mineral spirits, I can only refer to the solvent chart from Gamblin...

http://www.gamblincolors.com/materials/solchart.html

...which is the most comprehensive I've found, and to Ralph Mayer's "bible", The Artist's Handbook.

I'm very glad if BioShield is non-toxic (Does the container carry the "AP Nontoxic" or similar certification label, as does SafeKlean?). All I know is what that Gamblin chart said, that solvents based on citrus peel have harmful vapors (When one source says one thing, and another another, who am I to say?).

As far as cleaning brushes, hands, etc. with soap and water after using SafeKlean, I'm willing to do so for a safe solvent that works like turpentine (which, of course, is very toxic and flammable).

SafeKlean, however, is not "of the same ilk" as Turpenoid Natural, which it was specifically designed to out-compete. In particular, according to Turpenoid Natural's own literature, "since the proportion of Turpenoid Natural in paint mixtures should not exceed 25%, do not use Tupenoid Natural to create washes, glazes or to 'wet' canvas before painting." I was assured from the SafeKlean people that it may be substituted 1:1 for turpentine in the Ralph Mayer standard glazing medium.

Every person's physiology is different, as are every artist's sensibilities. It's good there is a variety of solvents to choose from.

[Douglas Drenkow]

Despite assurances from the manufacturer, Safe Klean did not work as a turpentine substitute in making the standard Ralph Mayer painting medium: Although it dissolved almost all the damar resin, Safe Klean formed an emulsion, not a true solution, with the stand oil -- unless I shook the mixture, to form a cloudy liquid, the mixture would separate into two fractions (remarkably not in the same proportions as the Safe Klean and stand oil -- something in the Safe Klean separated out). I cannot recommend Safe Klean for use as a painting medium.

In addition, as Karin pointed out, because Safe Klean contains linseed oil, it is not to be preferred for cleaning brushes. A dedicated brush cleaner, such as the Silicoil she uses (including the clever bottle with the coil in the bottom they sell, to help recycle the solvent), would be preferable, as would a typical solvent.

For cleaning hands, I use "Goop": It is very inexpensive and available at hardware, home, and auto supply stores -- it is used by painters and auto mechanics, both professional and amateur; and because it contains lanolin etc., it prevents hands from chapping, which is particularly good in cold weather (However, because it contains such waxy ingredients, I would not use it to clean brushes). It can also take some paint stains out of clothing.

What then is a safe and effective substitute for turpentine, for clean-up and painting media?

Well, the choice basically comes down to citrus-based products and odorless mineral spirits (OMS). Once again, that chart from Gamblin is instructive...

http://www.gamblincolors.com/materials/solchart.html

...and in addition, you may find similar information from Winsor & Newton (Read the "refresher notes" on solvents and Sansodor)...

http://www.winsornewton.com/Main/Sit...ivencyclo.html

Note that neither recommends citrus-based products (although it should be noted that neither manufacturer sells such a product).

Gamsol, the OMS from Gamblin, has a permissable exposure level of 300 ppm, tied with Sansodor, from W&N: Both are, thus, the safest odorless mineral spirits on the market, as far as inhalation.

The flashpoint of Gamsol is 145 degrees Fahrenheit, slightly lower (and thus more flammable) than that of Sansodor (with a "closed cup flashpoint" of 70 degrees Centigrade, that is 158 degrees Fahrenheit, according to their representative who returned my phone call).

However, to my hypersensitive nose, Sansodor has a slight odor (not entirely unpleasant); whereas Gamsol is virtually odorless -- it is my personal choice.

In the end, if one is to paint in oils -- and to enjoy all their benefits of handling and aesthetic appeal -- then one must either use the water-miscible oil paints (whose whites are ground in oils inferior to linseed and whose handling I personally find difficult) or accept the fact that using solvents is an occupational hazard.

Citrus-based products tend to attack the liver and kidneys; OMS, the nervous and respiratory systems.

The key, as I believe Karin pointed out, is studio safety, for which I refer all to the good advice from Robert Gamblin...

http://gamblincolors.com/safety.html

Good luck to everyone!

[Karin Wells]

Hey Doug, I looked up my BioShield citrus based thinner and it does indeed have d-Limonene (4-Isopropenyl-1-methylcyclohexene in it. I need to rethink my painting materials. A suspected liver and kidney toxicant is something that I wish -at all costs- to avoid!

I now believe that Bioshield is not touting its benefits as a low toxic solvent but because it is biodegradable when poured out in the back yard. Here is the MSDS on this product: http://www.bioshieldpaint.com/24msds.htm I would like to find out the TLV/PPM....but don't know how to read it.

Gamsol does seem to have the highest TLV of any true solvent on the market: 300 PPM.

Does anyone know the TLV/PPM on SafeKlean? Is it considered a true solvent?

I am also looking into this product: # 125 NEUTRALTHIN (Eco-house.com). It is described as "...a practically odourless, general-purpose thinner, brush cleaner and volatile painting medium for oil-based paints and artist paints. This hypo-allergenic formula without essential oils has been used successfully for chemically sensitive persons for more than a decade. However, due to the individual uniqueness of allergic reactions, exceptions are possible..."

I have just written for a MSDS on this product also..

[Michele Rushworth]

After reading everyone's thoughts on this thread and reviewing all the charts people have so kindly posted links to, I think I will settle on Odorless Mineral Spirits and Liquin as my thinner/painting medium combination.

The only downside I see is that I'll have to dispose of these substances at the local hazardous waste facility and I'll have to keep my window open and my fan running. Can anyone see any other drawbacks to this combination that I'm missing?

What I like best is that both Liquin and Odorless Mineral Spirits seem to have been well tested and I'm not likely to have discoloration over time with my paintings as I might risk from some relatively new medium or thinner that has not been tested by art conservationists.

[Douglas Drenkow]

Hi, my fellow "chemists" (Karin & Michelle)!

Let me say up front that I'm expecting a reply about all this and some other questions soon from a "world-class authority" (which I surely am not).

Isn't it so very frustrating having to go through all this, when we're really not chemists? Even my old high school chemistry teacher seems baffled by some of this obscure organic chemistry.

And the toughest part is that we really get most of our information from manufacturers or retailers (bless 'em) who, of course, are touting the benefits of their own products while downplaying the downside, and visa versa for the products of their competitors (Notice how the Gamblin chart doesn't even mention Sansodor, and how the Winsor & Newton site doesn't mention Gamblin by name). That's understandable, but it makes it difficult for us.

However, I think we're all in the same ballpark now -- even though there's probably no best solution for every problem (or every nose), so we may end up making different decisions...at least we'll make better informed decisions (Thank you for the forum, Cynthia).

That's great you're getting the MSDS, Karin -- I'm glad such data sheets are available. That's really the only way to know the "whole story".

Even then, though, some things seem omitted. Like the MSDS for BioShield really doesn't mention a permissible level (even the Gamblin solvent chart indicates "not applicable"), although it says it may cause irritations (That's a pretty mild warning). It does list the flash point as "1160 F" -- which the Gamblin chart translates into 116 degrees Fahrenheit (I assume that's correct, and that there's some flammability warning on the container, as there is on at least one of the other citrus products I can remember).

However, the BioShield data sheet doesn't mention anything about "suspected liver damage", as indicated in the Gamblin chart. However, yesterday at an art store, I checked products containing limonene (chemically related to the "pinene" of turpentine) -- in particular, Grumtine, from Grumbacher -- and plastered all over the container were warnings of liver and kidney damage.

I also read the following in the Winsor & Newton site...

"Some solvents, particularly hardware grade turpentine or mineral spirits, as well as many of the recently introduced citrus-based solvents for oils, are not fully volatile, leaving all kinds of impurities and detritus behind to sully your precious paint film."

That sounds a lot like the data about Turpenoid Natural.

By the way, all the container for Safe Klean said was that it was non-toxic and non-flammable, although it did bear a nontoxic certification label, so that's probably not its main drawback -- I still don't know how I could mix 6 oz. of that solvent with 1 oz. of stand oil and get it to separate into an approximately 3 oz. bottom layer and a 4 oz. top layer (ugh!).

Anyway, all that info about the citrus stuff sort of put me off of it, even though I consider myself something of an environmentalist (I'm actually educated in the biological sciences, and one of my main thrusts was promoting safe, effective alternatives to chemical insecticides).

Karin, didn't I read in one of your other posts how your child had been poisoned with lead? I admire you as a champion of safe materials (as well as an artist, of course). Although as I learned in chemistry, everything's toxic in certain amounts (ugh).

Incidentally, I like the non-toxic "flake white replacement" from Gamblin; and like you've mentioned in another post, their new, unleaded "Neo Megilp" sounds intriguing (I believe I read that book you mentioned in yet another post, where that man "recreates" paintings by Rembrandt and others, ironically in his own unique style, almost always using a black-oil medium -- even though that new Gamblin sheet says that medium wasn't introduced until the 18th Century. I still enjoyed the man's book -- very "tactile" descriptions of brushwork).

The 3 EcoHouse products listed on their website seem to be a powerful citrus product, a weak citrus product mixed with petrochemicals, and a petrochemical product -- I bet that MSDS shows the NeutralThin to be an OMS. We'll see how it compares to Gamsol and Sansodor.

And speaking of odor, I found Gamblin's Galkyd to have less of a "bite" than W&N's comparable alkyd medium, Liquin; but of course, that's certainly a matter of personal "taste".

And Michele, you've hit the nail on the head, as far as I'm concerned: We artists, especially painting portraits of loved ones and others, have to really be concerned about the longevity of our artworks. Absolutely! So if we have to open a window and fan out the fumes, so be it (or at least, as one of the containers I read said, get some fresh air every so often, and of course taking precautions for fire hazards). And I just hope that the home heating bills don't "go out the window" and that the guys down at the Pep Boys auto shop will take my OMS "sludge" with their motor oil for recycling (The "toxic waste round-ups" are few and far between).

I'll get back with a post about the reply to my questions put to the "world authority" as soon as I can. But for at least the time being, I'm probably going to use an alkyd medium, like Karin uses, and Gamsol and/or Sansodor -- seems like the safest, most effective combination of proven quality.

[Virgil Elliott]

You're stuck having to use strong solvents when you use natural resins in your painting medium. I would also caution against considering Ralph Mayer's book as tantamount to the Gospel. He had his own prejudices, as do most authors. A lot of new information has come to light in the 23 years since Mayer's death.

All the natural resins have their drawbacks as ingredients in oil painting mediums, and increase the likelihood of problems developing at some point in the future. The most permanent paint films result from the simplest mixtures of linseed oil and pigment. I am less leery of alkyds than I am of damar, mastic or copal, if for some reason I feel a need for a resin in my paint. I find I can paint every bit as well without resins as with them. Our health will suffer less if we can find a way to keep the air in our studio free of solvent vapors. When the paint contains no resins, safflower oil and a rag will suffice for cleaning brushes while one works, and for that matter, afterwards, if it is followed with soap and water. I use different brushes for different colors, and do not clean brushes until I'm done painting for the day. Not only does that keep me from breathing harmful vapors, it keeps my colors cleaner in my paintings.

Virgil Elliott

[Clayton J. Beck III]

Originally Posted by Virgil Elliott

All the natural resins have their drawbacks as ingredients in oil painting mediums, and increase the likelihood of problems developing at some point in the future. The most permanent paint films result from the simplest mixtures of linseed oil and pigment. I am less leery of alkyds than I am of damar, mastic or copal, if for some reason I feel a need for a resin in my paint. I find I can paint every bit as well without resins as with them. Our health will suffer less if we can find a way to keep the air in our studio free of solvent vapors. When the paint contains no resins, safflower oil and a rag will suffice for cleaning brushes while one works, and for that matter, afterwards, if it is followed with soap and water. I use different brushes for different colors, and do not clean brushes until I'm done painting for the day. Not only does that keep me from breathing harmful vapors, it keeps my colors cleaner in my paintings.

Virgil Elliott

Good for you Virgil,

As to which thinner to use, safe practices with solvents will go along way to dealing with them safely. The biggest problem I see with painters is that they leave their solvent cans open. When not in use all thinners should be covered. This reduces the airborne vapors and therefore reduces the risk. Good working habits with most solvents will render them safe enough for most people. Those with severe allergies must be extra careful. The good ventilation and or filter system is absolutely necessary in one's studio. Please paint safely and realize we're using some painters and calls here if not handled properly.

My advice to students is to first see if the effect they are after is something they can get with a simple mixture of pigments. I look at the works of Sargent and Schmid (both of whom are well documented in this area) and for nearly their entire careers (with few a exceptions) they used paint and a little thinner in the early stages of a painting and paint straight out of the paint tube to finish the work. Most of the effects of light, I have to admit, were quite well expressed by these two gentlemen.

If after looking at many examples and finding that the effect you're looking for is quite impossible without the use of mediums, then and only then, do I suggest experimenting with chemistry. My further advice is that you don't become an amateur but a master of chemistry if you expect any of your work the last. If you are unwilling to become a master chemist, my advice is to leave it alone, there are too many variables that you cannot control.

Best of luck to all,
Clayton

[Virgil Elliott]

Originally Posted by Clayton J. Beck III

If after looking at many examples and finding that the effect you're looking for is quite impossible without the use of mediums, then and only then, do I suggest experimenting with chemistry. My further advice is that you don't become an amateur but a master of chemistry if you expect any of your work the last. If you are unwilling to become a master chemist, my advice is to leave it alone, there are too many variables that you cannot control.

Best of luck to all,
Clayton

Clayton,

Good advice.

Virgil

[Michele Rushworth]

Gamblin recommends oiling out with a mixture of 50% Galkyd Lite and 50% Odorless Mineral Spirits. How do you both feel about that, Virgil and Clayton?