Oil painting mediums

Materials Oil Painting
1

Just wondering if anyone has tried or currently uses spike lavender oil?

2

Joe,
I have put Spike Lavender oil on a crumpled paper towel and closed it up on my sealable palette. It keeps the paints on the palette from drying out for a lot longer than if you didn’t use it, but it does have to be in a sealed container.

Someone I knew put it into her paints and found that her painting wasn’t drying - or drying very fast. I’m not sure what the final status was.

Linda Olsen

3

It is interesting that the Lavender oil should delay drying so much. I’m trying out different mediums and experimenting a bit, so it’s good to hear how they affect things.

4

I started using the lavender oil and love it! One it smells so good, and two a little goes a long way, (use sparing). If you want to keep your palette from drying out clove oil works better than the lavender. Do not use clove oil for painting, can’t even imagine how long it would take the painting to day …if it ever did.

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5

I’ll be purchasing some next order. Everything I read about it says it works like thinner and was used before turps back in the day. I’m wondering if the not drying issues experienced was something other then spike of lavender oil for painting.

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6

This article suggests that it speed up drying. https://www.arttreehouse.com/store/content/spike-oil-highlights.

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8

There is one spike lavender oil for thinning your paint for underpainting; very expensive and VERY strong oder. I can’t handle having it in my studio although I love the smell at first. I heard that if you let it sit outside (cover with a paper towel to keep the bugs out) the smell will dissipate some.

There is also a lavender oil for cleaning your brushes; less expensive.

The clove oil is fantastic for keeping paint from drying out in a closed container. I got a plastic box with a snap on lid that my palette fits in. A felt pad that go under chair legs stuck inside the lid (or use a cotton ball) with a few drops of clove oil from health store or grocery store. Don’t mix with paint. I never throw away paint.

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