Dorlands Wax...pros And Cons Please

[Kevin D.]

Ok, I have been playing with acrylics for some months now and am not all that happy with the process nor my results. I started playing with Dorlands wax and white spirits in my oils this week and found that it gives great brush control, dries in a relatively short time while still allowing blending. I am intrigued and pursuing this direction....have had some very satisfying results.

Question...can someone tell me the pros and cons. It is a wax but has resins in it so, does it melt with heat after dried? Will a dull cote help the overall effect? Enion, or others, can you enlighten me please?

Much thanks!

Kevin D.

 

[theBaron]

Hi, Kevin, I use Dorland's, too. It's main purpose is to give a matte finish to oils that would otherwise dry with a glossy sheen, by dissolving into very fine particles, that scatter light and provide the matte effect. I don't know that it melts, but I know that it dissolves into the mix of oil paint and mineral spirits or turpentine that I use.

I'm of mixed opinion on using it. I've noticed inconsistent results. For example, I used it with Mussini prussian blue, and the finished product was still relatively shiny, not as matte as I had expected. I suspect, though, that that has to do with the composition of the pigments used. I used it with a red from the same line, which dried much to a much more matte finish. I'm not through experimenting with various colors and ratios of the wax medium.

Hope that helps, prosit!
Brad

 

[Einion]

I recommend giving this a skip myself Kevin. But you already have it and it's helping you with some aspect of application so why not?

The main thing it's intended to help with (same with nearly any wax medium) is matt drying, and there are much better ways to that end. They're listed in a number of previous threads but it's not a lot to retype all it is is soaking out some excess oil before mixing and force-drying the paint using heat.

Question...can someone tell me the pros and cons. It is a wax but has resins in it so, does it melt with heat after dried?

Yes it can, but the temperature would depend on the amount in the mix - with enough oil paint the melting point will be near to that of the unmodified paint, if there were a significant proportion of medium in the blend it would be closer to that of the Dorland's itself.

Einion

 

[Einion]

In case anyone is interested, it's a snap to make wax mediums at home. The raw materials are now easily available through online vendors and there are many formulas one could try.

Making a small quantity from a supply of wax should only take about half an hour so it's very easy to play round with proportions and any additional ingredients (e.g. alkyd medium, more than one wax, stand oil, OMS v. turps).

Einion