Hello! I'm new. I'm especially interested in oil painting techniques, including different mediums, etc. In fact, this was an obsession with the Old Masters, who kept many secrets from each other. Something which has caught my attention is Hard Wax Oil, which is used as durable finish for wood. It is made from drying oils, waxes, and resins. It is designed to be non-yellowing and to retain a degree of flexibility.
On the surface, it seems ideal for oil painting, to be used as medium. It shortens drying time and should create a durable paint layer. It seems ideal for glazing, too. "Hard" means that it contains no additives which could be incompatible with oil paint, such as water.
I am right now testing Herdins Hard Wax Oil (a Norwegian brand). On a canvas, I painted some patches of oil paint with much wax oil in them. After a few hours it is almost dry to the touch. I think oil painters should investigate this alternative, because regular linseed medium causes diverse problems, such as yellowing. Nor is it particularly archival, because most old paintings show signs of craquelure. I suppose different brands of Hard Wax Oils have different formulas. They ought to investigated properly, and their different properties compared. Herdins has about the same viscosity as regular oil painting medium (linseed oil + solvent), so it should be ideal for most painters.
The Hard Wax Oil which I linked to ("unearthed") contains the following ingredients: linseed oil, carnauba wax, tung oil, linseed stand oil, tung stand oil, colophonium glycerine ester, lead-free drying agents. All these ingredients are compatible with oil paint, as far as I know.
Mats Winther
On the surface, it seems ideal for oil painting, to be used as medium. It shortens drying time and should create a durable paint layer. It seems ideal for glazing, too. "Hard" means that it contains no additives which could be incompatible with oil paint, such as water.
I am right now testing Herdins Hard Wax Oil (a Norwegian brand). On a canvas, I painted some patches of oil paint with much wax oil in them. After a few hours it is almost dry to the touch. I think oil painters should investigate this alternative, because regular linseed medium causes diverse problems, such as yellowing. Nor is it particularly archival, because most old paintings show signs of craquelure. I suppose different brands of Hard Wax Oils have different formulas. They ought to investigated properly, and their different properties compared. Herdins has about the same viscosity as regular oil painting medium (linseed oil + solvent), so it should be ideal for most painters.
The Hard Wax Oil which I linked to ("unearthed") contains the following ingredients: linseed oil, carnauba wax, tung oil, linseed stand oil, tung stand oil, colophonium glycerine ester, lead-free drying agents. All these ingredients are compatible with oil paint, as far as I know.
Mats Winther