What white?
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Hermes2020
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JohnEmmett
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musket
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Lead white is perfectly safe to use if you aren't an idiot. It has many advantages over titanium, though maximum opacity isn't among them. If you just gotta have titanium and faster drying time, you can either go alkyd as Hermes suggests, or use a drier, say from James Groves, who has a very high reputation for his mediums and varnishes.
Thanks, All.
LOVE lead white, just hate to use it as a drier for titanium. Ill try liquin.
Arty, I used that titanium with a bit of raw umber several years ago as cover a large canvas, and finally scraped it off several months later as it STILL had not dried.
In the present application, I mixed it with zinc which is also supposed to speed the drying time but I guess I didn't get enough zinc in it. I worked over an old canvas board to see what I could do with it.
LOVE lead white, just hate to use it as a drier for titanium. Ill try liquin.
Arty, I used that titanium with a bit of raw umber several years ago as cover a large canvas, and finally scraped it off several months later as it STILL had not dried.
In the present application, I mixed it with zinc which is also supposed to speed the drying time but I guess I didn't get enough zinc in it. I worked over an old canvas board to see what I could do with it.
Artyczar
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I've used Liquin to dry things faster, but it makes it thinner--that's the only issue, but if you do it in a couple of layers, it works very well and will dry faster. Very fast in fact. This is if you don't like lead white of course, otherwise musket has a point. I've never used lead white because I like titanium's opaque-ness.
P. Barrie
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“Titanium” white?
Winsor Newton’s Artists Titanium white is a mix of PW4 and PW6; zinc and titanium. The oil used is Safflower oil, which dries more slowly than other some oils, (linseed, walnut) but supposedly doesn’t Yellow. Many of the current “Titanium” whites on the market use this formula. Read the labeled contents! The Winton line of WN used to use linseed oil as the binder in the Titanium white. They were pretty good when they were made in England.
I use several different MFGs titanium and titanium-zinc mixed ( Permalba, Utrecht, M Grahm) and have not had drying problems. Some of the MFGs use an alkali refined safflower oil which evidently speeds the drying time. Permalba is one. Alkyd mediums mixed in paint will make it dry faster, but be careful with your brushes.
It’s a good idea to have different single pigment whites on hand; Titanium, Lead carbonate, strontium, zinc, lithopone, etc.
Art Treehouse white is made with walnut oil, no zinc, and has some other ingredients that they claim improves its quality. A 5oz. Tube is $19.95. I may give this a try.
arttreehouse.com
Winsor Newton’s Artists Titanium white is a mix of PW4 and PW6; zinc and titanium. The oil used is Safflower oil, which dries more slowly than other some oils, (linseed, walnut) but supposedly doesn’t Yellow. Many of the current “Titanium” whites on the market use this formula. Read the labeled contents! The Winton line of WN used to use linseed oil as the binder in the Titanium white. They were pretty good when they were made in England.
I use several different MFGs titanium and titanium-zinc mixed ( Permalba, Utrecht, M Grahm) and have not had drying problems. Some of the MFGs use an alkali refined safflower oil which evidently speeds the drying time. Permalba is one. Alkyd mediums mixed in paint will make it dry faster, but be careful with your brushes.
It’s a good idea to have different single pigment whites on hand; Titanium, Lead carbonate, strontium, zinc, lithopone, etc.
Art Treehouse white is made with walnut oil, no zinc, and has some other ingredients that they claim improves its quality. A 5oz. Tube is $19.95. I may give this a try.
TREEHOUSE WHITE - SHORT & BUTTERY - Art Treehouse
Treehouse White, made with walnut oil, is formulated in response to common problems that artist whites have. Lead white is highly toxic, and Zinc White might
arttreehouse.com
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musket
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Interesting. But... what is "Permanent White?" I see no Color Index name. From where have they sourced this "new grade of titanium white?" If it's so great, why aren't other manufacturers talking it up? Kremer Pigments doesn't have it, just plain old common titanium dioxide rutile -- and Kremer has everything.
They're right about calcium carbonate, historically speaking. Colloidal silica, I'll take their word because I've used it.
Whence came this test that compares "common" titanium white with their proprietary mix?
It is true that lead white is highly toxic--if you eat it or inhale it. If you're going to mull your own from dry pigment, better be careful. But once it's bound, long as you don't go licking your brushes, or rubbing it into cuts (actually I don't know how dangerous that is with lead white; with genuine vermilion it is dangerous indeed), it's quite safe to use.
Interesting as well that they claim their Naples yellow is "Naples yellow without the lead!" Sorry, but despite the enthusiastic exclamation point, by definition, if it ain't got lead it ain't Naples yellow. You might just as well claim there's such a thing as lead-tin yellow with no lead. It would be more honest to do what everybody else does, and call it Naples yellow hue.
I'm sure they're a good company. Just remember--if it doesn't have a Color Index name, you don't know what's in it.
They're right about calcium carbonate, historically speaking. Colloidal silica, I'll take their word because I've used it.
Whence came this test that compares "common" titanium white with their proprietary mix?
It is true that lead white is highly toxic--if you eat it or inhale it. If you're going to mull your own from dry pigment, better be careful. But once it's bound, long as you don't go licking your brushes, or rubbing it into cuts (actually I don't know how dangerous that is with lead white; with genuine vermilion it is dangerous indeed), it's quite safe to use.
Interesting as well that they claim their Naples yellow is "Naples yellow without the lead!" Sorry, but despite the enthusiastic exclamation point, by definition, if it ain't got lead it ain't Naples yellow. You might just as well claim there's such a thing as lead-tin yellow with no lead. It would be more honest to do what everybody else does, and call it Naples yellow hue.
I'm sure they're a good company. Just remember--if it doesn't have a Color Index name, you don't know what's in it.
WFMartin
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P. Barrie recommended the Art Treehouse White (which is titamium) offered by The Art Treehouse. I'll second that, because I am using it at present, and have found it to be a really excellent White, as Titanium Whites go. It exhibits most of the characteristics of a good, lead white, without any of the toxicity associated with Lead Carbonate.
However, I also agree with Musket, in that true, Lead White is quite excellent, and not really very dangerous to one's health when used sensibly. My problem with Lead White today, is that it is terribly expensive. The absolute BEST Lead White I have ever used was a trial gift of hand-mulled Lead White that rroberts once sent to me, when he and I were on Wet Canvas. Really excellent paint!
However, I also agree with Musket, in that true, Lead White is quite excellent, and not really very dangerous to one's health when used sensibly. My problem with Lead White today, is that it is terribly expensive. The absolute BEST Lead White I have ever used was a trial gift of hand-mulled Lead White that rroberts once sent to me, when he and I were on Wet Canvas. Really excellent paint!
