Cold Wax Questions

[Hermes2020]

I would appreciate any advice/tips on the use of cold wax for oil paints.

1. How hard does it get when dry?

2. Is it as durable as straight oils and alkyds?

3. Does it have to be varnished?

Please let me know if you have used cold wax successfully.

 

[Enyaw]

Hermes. It's all in how much you use. I like it about 50 wax / 50 paint. I am high but that's what i like. You can scratch a wax painting easier I think. They have used it since Egyption times so it is tried and tested. They say use it on panel and not floating or stretched canvas. I use it on paper and have seen no negative effects. It will produce a matte finish. Yo get back to semi gloss you coud use more oil in the wax. It dries your painting in a week or less. No need to wax. You could probably buffer a wax painting and some people buffer with wax instead of varnishing. It will dry your leftover paint in a few days. According to Dorlands the chemicals involved are so minute that unless you shoved it up your nose it's quite safe for your studio. I have used it for more than 20 years and my old works are still in pristine condition. I love the crap.

 

[Hermes2020]

Hermes. It's all in how much you use. I like it about 50 wax / 50 paint. I am high but that's what i like. You can scratch a wax painting easier I think. They have used it since Egyption times so it is tried and tested. They say use it on panel and not floating or stretched canvas. I use it on paper and have seen no negative effects. It will produce a matte finish. Yo get back to semi gloss you coud use more oil in the wax. It dries your painting in a week or less. No need to wax. You could probably buffer a wax painting and some people buffer with wax instead of varnishing. It will dry your leftover paint in a few days. According to Dorlands the chemicals involved are so minute that unless you shoved it up your nose it's quite safe for your studio. I have used it for more than 20 years and my old works are still in pristine condition. I love the crap.

Thanks, Wayne. I bought my first 500 ml can this morning, just to play with it, so have had zero experience. I was also thinking it could be used to patinate my concrete sculptures. It could probably be applied and then buffed to leave a residue in the low parts.

 

[Enyaw]

which brand did you buy .. some are different .. Gamblin and Dorlands are similar. Williamsburg is quite oily and I did not like it at all.

 

[laika]

I am high but that's what i like.

I knew it! I just knew it!

 

[Enyaw]

I am not sure but if you want intense color you had best paint remember to paint it intense as matte has a way of leaving things a little duller and you mix it in every blob of paint before you do your mixing. It's lovely when you can hang a painting on any wall without having to worry about the glare.

 

[Hermes2020]

which brand did you buy .. some are different .. Gamblin and Dorlands are similar. Williamsburg is quite oily and I did not like it at all.

It's a brand called Zellen, so probably not that well known, but I didn't want to spend too much.

 

[Hermes2020]

I knew it! I just knew it!

Ha, me too! That sentence just registered properly.