Need Some Help

[Neal Moore]

I used some odorless mineral spirits to thin artist oils on one of my projects. It's almost as thin as stain when applied to the wood but will not dry. It's been over five days now and almost as wet as when I colored it. Does anyone know if there's a "spray on" that will accelerate drying???

[Old Mooner]

I don't know what kind of "oderless mineral spirits" you used Neal, but if it had linseed oil in it it will take forever to dry. Back when I was a "painter" in art school, we used turpentine or linseed oil as a medium because that is all there was and it takes "oil" paint a long time to dry no matter what you use. I am not aware of any kind of accelerant that you can spray on, but a hair dryer works fairly well if you don't have it set too high or get too close to the surface. Of course with oils there is also the danger of fire if you aren't careful. Maybe someone else has an answer. If you find an accelerant I would like to know what it is.
Moon

[Neal Moore]

Moon....When I carved decoys I used oils exclusively to paint them but I used turpentine as a medium. I tried this stuff by "Klean Strip" in an effort to reduce the odor in my poorly ventilated basement shop. It's touted on the label as being compatible with oil based paint as a thinner but I've discovered that doesn't mean "oil paints"!!! Oh well, if it doesn't dry in a few weeks it will at least burn quickly. LOL!!!!

[pete00]

Oh well, if it doesn't dry in a few weeks it will at least burn quickly. LOL!!!!

Hmm i see a smoke sale comming ......

[Neal Moore]

Well Pete, I put it out in the direct sunlight this morning and just let it cook!!!! To my surprise....it's drying!!! Might salvage it after all.

[William Young (SE BC)]

Good luck with that Neal.
The odorless paint thinner (mineral spirits) that I get here in Canada works exactly the same as the ones with the strong odor. No difference in drying time or anything else that I noticed. Must be a different brand name than what you are using.
The only reason I don't use it very often in place of regular mineral spirits is that it costs so much more . I just use more ventilation instead.
W.Y.

[minowevie]

Neal , I am not sure this will help. http://www3.shopping.com/xPO-Qtica_Q...ator~CLT-HSNLF also. http://www.jamestowndistributors.com...%29&match_type= dont know if this might help but . here goes. your frined evie. i might of done this rough but if i did. sorry,. your friend evie

[Neal Moore]

Thanks for your efforts Evie.....I've got it headed in the right direction now. Left it out in the hot sun all day and it's drying nicely. Just needed more air flow for evaporation I suppose.

[minowevie]

thats ok Neal, just my birthday wish , that i could just help somone. ok drats. you ben there done that. just trying. love ya evie

[MacS]

Odorless MS

Neal

Is there a possibilty, that you added to much oil colorant, and that the linseed oil in the paste colorant is retarding the drying?

You should have wiped it off after a few days if you saw it was not drying, you probably could have used the remaining stain on the wood for your color, and then you only would have needed to clear coat it.

Normally, odorless MS is boiled at a higher temperature to reduce the odor, so, it should dried a little faster?

[Forester21]

Left it out in the hot sun all day and it's drying nicely. Just needed more air flow for evaporation I suppose.

So, is it fully baked yet?
T

[Neal Moore]

Dried

Oh yeah!!! It dried very nicely out in the sun. The white oil paints were the last to dry but they typically take longer anyway. I have it framed and hanging now. Thanks for everyones suggestions.

[sheltiecarver]

Neal,
I'm glad it is finally dry. Be sure it is dry all the way through, though - sometimes just the surface gets dry, and there is a layer of un-dry stuff under it. In the future, you might try mixing in a very small amount of one of the earth colors (umbers, siennas, ochres), because they can speed up the drying a lot. My favorite is burnt umber - and you need only - say - half a pea for a big blob of paint. I find it is almost undetectable even in the white, but I probably never use stark white anyway - it can look so dead.
Sandy
PS OK, i guess undry is called wet - senior vocabulary deficit!!

[Neal Moore]

Sandy....my original intent was to thin the oils to a "wash" consistency so the grain would still be visible. I found that artist oils really don't lend themselves well to that application. The problem was just too much mineral spirits retarding the drying of the paint. I like the initial results and I think, with a little experimentation, the artist oils will do what I want. I haven't used them in years because I switched to acrylics for painting the birds and decoys I once carved. I never learned to blend acrylics very well although I have tried and tried with no real success. Some folks can do it...I just don't have the "feel". I can push artist oils around and pretty much achieve what I'm looking for. I think if I switch to turpentine for a thinner I can get the wood grain to still be visible while retaining the colors. I just feel that segmentation is really in it's infancy and still evolving as an art form. There's so much that can be done with the cutting, relief, coloring and shading that just hasn't been done yet!! Down the road I plan to incorporate texture and possibly wood burning in the individual segments. Basically I just enjoy experimenting to see where it takes me. BTW...I love the effects one can achieve with burnt umber and burnt sienna...especially when a little alizarin (sp) crimson is incorporated.

[MacS]

You do need some help <lol>

Hi Neal,

I am very familar with all of the paste pigmented colorants.

Your comment about "oil colorants" do not lend themselves well to this application, it is not the colorants, it is the finisher that should take the blame.

Professional finishers commonly use pigmented stains, glazes, and washes all the time, and when use "properly" they do not hide the wood grains or the figuring, and they certainly don't paint the woods. As I said, its the finishers who are "painting the woods".

Mineral Spirits - are basically used to 'thin out' the oil colorants, and to put these colorants into solution, some call it a "carrier". Mineral Spirits will evaporates in minutes, if you want to extend your 'open time' as in a colored glaze or a wash you add a "little" of either one of these 'drying oils' like Tung Oil or BLO, in a 'pinch' you can add a liitle danish or watco oils.

The first thing you need to learn, is that you always make up a "start to finish" sample, this allows you too see if all your materials are compatible, it allows you to learn the materials you have to work with, and it allows you to see the end finish, it also allows you to see if the finish needs any further adjusting.

It also, will make you a better finisher.

I'm only, trying to help you.