Just curious if anyone has tried out Jerrys centurion oil primed linen panels?
Never used any linen panels, I would like to try tho.
Both the oil-primed and the acrylic-primed Centurion panels are excellent. They are a touch rougher than plate-smooth – that is, there’s a bit of weave, a fine weave, for a very shallow canvas effect. Each one is shrink-wrapped, so they stay pristine, though it can be a hassle to get the wrap off – no handy place to start to tear the clear plastic off.
With water-based media, you’ll want to swipe them with a cloth with cleanser then swipe with a damp cloth as a rinse, as there can be beading of acrylics or watercolor. I’m betting that the plasticizer in the shrink-wrap is the main culprit here.
Jerry’s now and then puts them on one of their ‘mega sales,’ where they become a real bargain.
I have no way of testing the substrate, so have to believe Jerry when he says they are archival. Smaller sizes stay flat, but 11 x 14 and larger tend to bow a bit, so your customer (or you) will want to Logan-point/glazer point them into a frame, which tames them just fine.
A stack of them can be quite heavy, if that’s a consideration.
Yeah I noticed they were on sale and was curious. There really isn’t much of a description on how the oil primed linen is prepared, I wonder if its sized before priming.
Considering that sizing was once rabbit/horse glue and gesso was rabbit/horse glue with whiting - or linseed plus whiting (calcium carbonate//marble dust) – I doubt that the modern far east factories churn these out with traditional sizing. I’d guess that the “gesso,” which is going to be a modern and pretty fast-drying chemical surface whether oil or acrylic, is simply spread mechanically across the whole surface of one side of quite a wide continuous web of fabric.
I once had to cut down one panel to make a custom aspect ratio painting. Clearly, the fabric has only a thin but effective single layer of white substance, whatever it is, on the painting surface side. The back certainly looked like unbleached linen.
Jerry’s is usually pretty open about what they sell, so you might send them an email with the question. This kind of linen panel is pretty much exclusive to them, so they should know the processes behind them.
At least at one time, members of the Goldstein family, the owners, were the ones who toured China, Malaysia & Vietnam to talk directly with (and negotiate with) the factories and exporters that make their Creative Mark, Centurion, and other house-brand goodies. That task may be delegated to others by now, but at least they (that is, whoever coordinates Jerry’s procurement) should know the processes.
If they play coy, explain that a single detail of the process doesn’t reveal what factory makes them, if they’re just trying to keep their source hidden. After all, half the value of importing is knowing where to source things, effectively squelching competition. Still and all, you don’t want the factory name, you just want one of the details of the panel’s manufacture.
I really appreciate your comments on Centurion panels. I have been using them for some time now and really like them. But I noticed that I had a difficult time with the paint not sticking when I use water mixable oils, so I started buying the acrylic primed panels which work better. Now I have a stack of the oil primed panels and have been hesitant to use them. I did not think of wiping them down. What kind of cleanser would you recommend?
Actually, there are a couple of strategies. If you want a water/solvent- or soap-free alternative, judicious roughing of the surface of the panel with fine sandpaper or wet-or-dry abrasive paper should work. Do that outside or wear a mask. Long ago, when everyone painted houses and walls with oil-based paint, those paints came with the instruction to dull the previous surface with sandpaper.
For less work (and less sanding dust), go with a liquid cleanser.
Look for a brand that explicitly says ‘cuts grease.’ If if also says, ‘requires no rinsing,’ then that’s even better. NOTE: you do still want to rinse, at the very least with a more-than-damp cloth.
‘Cuts grease’ and ‘no rinsing’ points to an ether-alcohol surfactant (fancy word for ‘soap’). Your water-soluble oils very likely include an ether-alcohol surfactant to make them friendly with water. Once that solvent evaporates, you have traditional oil paint… which is why it’s sometimes hard to add water to oil-soluble paints that have been left on the palette during a long session.
In the US, Formula 409 does well. I have a gallon of cleanser from home improvement big-box Home Depot labeled Zep Formula 505 that also works, though you have to use a very light hand with that one. Hmm, “Formula 505” - wonder if they knew about Formula 409 when they named this one? Wear gloves.
The EU has restrictions on ether-alcohols (AKA glycol ethers) in household chemicals, so I wouldn’t know what to suggest for those outside the US.
If you want some chemical fun, read the Wikipedia article on 2-Butoxyethanol, which is in Formula 505 and used to be in Formula 409, but may or may not still be there. Green groups don’t much like it, but I’m not sure I’ve ever read what they DO recommend.
Don’t over-wash with the cleanser or you’ll cut too deeply into the oil priming.
Thank you! Good information. I will try it.
I’ve just started using them (maybe 5 or 6 times now) for plein air painting and as someone used to the tooth on a Raymar cotton panel, they took a bit of getting used to. So far, I like them. They seem to be a happy medium between a duck and a regular linen. As mentioned, they have a slight tooth but are still pretty smooth. I have noticed anything above a 9"x12" seems to warp slightly but that is usually taken care of with framing (as mentioned previously). They are lighter than the Raymar panels and a bit more cost effective yet professional grade so, I felt they’d be great to use while hiking and painting.
I will also add, that I use them with standard, artist grade oils.
I think most are using a PVA glue or an acrylic sizing these days at least the ones who size like artfix, and claessans oil primed linen. I did just notice that masterpiece canvas puts a size on their vincent 12 oz cotton. So I went ahead and purchased a 18 x 29 vincent 12 oz thats only 10 bucks on amazon. I’ve just been painting these small paintings up to 8 x 10 thought I would try a larger size. Should be interesting. I did try a sample piece of claessans #66 oil primed from jerrys its really nice stuff.
I have used Centurion Oil Primed Linen panels for a while. I really like the surface, just a little tooth for texture but not craters to fill like cotton canvas. I am having another issue with them lately. I started with Oil Primed then decided I should be using Universal Primed because I use water-miscible oils. But when I went to put an 8x10 panel in a frame it didn’t fit. There is a variance in the width from 8 in to 8 1/8. Too tight to force into the frame. I was wondering if anyone else noticed this?