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Hi guys,

I am about to take my first steps into oil washes and filters. I have already coated the model with gloss to protect it and facilitate pin washing, before you get worried!

From what I can gather, an oil filter could dry within 24-48hrs? This is quite quick for oils, which I only have fine-art experience with. But, considering how thin and dilute they are, it only makes sense.

On a similar note, considering how thin and dilute they are, does anyone think a hairdryer could work to dry them faster? Normally, with a canvas painting, this in inadvisable, as only the top layer will dry and then, as the under-layers dry, the top cracks. I want to give it a go, but would love a little re-assurance that it would work lol!

Cheers,

Use rubbing alcohol instead of water in your mix. It naturally evaporates faster.
Maybe not a hairdryer, as the heat would have added effects on your tints. Maybe one with a cold blast function.

But definately try the rubbing alcohol. Put 5 drops of water next to five drops of alcohol and you will literally be able to watch the alcohol evaporate while the water just sits there.

This is specifically oil paint dude, no water allowed lol! Or alchohol, only linseed or turp or other such thinners...

Depends on the thinner you used and how much needs to evaporate. Using 'low odour thinner' (Daler-Rowney) I find things are dry enough to wipe off excess 'spots' (eg panel line washing) after about 2 hours and seal after around 4 hours (assuming a very thin filter). I'd still leave things overnight in preference.

Wish I could be more help, but it does really depend on individual cases. Warm weather helps with the setting (so a hairdryer potentiall might too). You'd have to suck it and see.

Edit: Oils never seem to dry completely and absolutely must be sealed if the surface is to be touched - it's very easy to pick up the colour on your fingers and move it around to places where it ought not to be. It's also very easy to leave fingerprints behind - a painting handle is strongly recommended.

I wouldn't use a hairdryer directly - it might spread the wash around. Have you got an airing cupboard & a wife / gf who doesn't mind her bed linen & towels smelling of oil paint??

Also if using oil paint from a tube (ie artists paints), spread the paint on a piece of cardboard so the linaseed oil, that the pigment is suspended in, is soaked up. It's this oil that makes oil paint take so long to dry.

Thanks guys! Hairdryer did not do much of anything, from what I read, oil dries by oxidization, not evaporation so best to let it go on it's own.

That tip about the cardboard sounds interesting though!

For the record, I am using MIG abteilung oils and turpentine too, I will have to experiment with windsor newton water soluble oils too once day to see if they have similar properties... if so, much, much easier to clean up and work with!

MajorTom11 wrote:Thanks guys! Hairdryer did not do much of anything, from what I read, oil dries by oxidization, not evaporation so best to let it go on it's own.

If it dries by oxidizing, you could introduce an oxidizer to it... like Bleach or Peroxide...