Since traditional oils use turpentine as the most common solvent (which is a necessary ingredient in oil paints), they tend to have a strong smell caused by this chemical, as well as paint fumes. Turpentine evaporates and causes health issues and dry skin. However, if turpentine is used in small amounts it is not dangerous. Also, most modern oil based paint hase non-toxic, completely safe solvents.
To be able to understand why some people believe that oil paint is toxic and can be harmful, let’s start by explaining what oil paint is in the first place. Once you understand the role of turpentine and solvent in general, you will be able to understand why oil paint ing is completely safe. So, Why Do People Say Painting with Oil Is Toxic? Keep reading on!
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What Is Oil Paint?
Oil paintings have been popular since they first appeared in the 15th century. Vivid colors and unique techniques oil paints provide make them popular even nowadays. But, there are several health issues connected with traditional oil paint. Let’s start with the basics, and define what is oil paint.
Oil paint is actually a combination of three elements – a pigment, a binder, and a thinner. A pigment is the oil color, a binder is an oil itself, and a thinner is a solution that is added to dilute the mixture and make it more suitable for paint brush use
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The binder is oil, and its purpose in this mixture is to transport the pigment to the painting. It is like a transmitter that allows the color to be applied to the painting, and to stay there. Without a paint thinner, it would be very hard to apply the colour, because the mixture would be too dense without it.
These three ingredients are essential, meaning that without them you cannot have a good quality paint. However, some paints may contain some other ingredients besides these three. Some paint mixtures contain ingredients that will speed up the drying process, the saturation of the color and the overall appearance, etc.
The main difference between oil paint and all other types of paints like watercolor, acrylic, gouache is the method of drying. Paints like acrylic or watercolor dry by evaporation, meaning that once the water evaporates from the mixture, the paint is dry.
Oil paints dry by oxidation, meaning that they are reacting with the oxygen in the air to start a chemical process, where the liquid form of paint is changed. During this process, the paint changes its state from liquid to gel and finally to a hard (dry) state.
What Types of Oils Are Used?
There is not a single universal type of oil that is used in all oil paints. Oil paint is usually crafted according to the preferences and needs of the painter. Some painters prefer slow-drying oil paints, while others like when the drying time is very short.
The most popular and most commonly used oil for oil paint is linseed oil. Other types of oils that can be used are oils like walnut oil, safflower oil, poppy seed oil… Linseed oil dries faster compared to other types of oils and creates a nice finish that will allow the painter to repaint some parts of the painting with more ease.
Besides the oil, the drying time can be influenced a lot by the type of pigment that is used. For example, if you are using charcoal black pigment, it will dry significantly slower than red or yellow-based pigments.
This is why the final combination of the oil and the pigment type will determine the performance of the specific oil paint mixture.
Back in the day, the painters used to make their own oil paint, but nowadays they can buy pre-mixed paint. However, the manufacturing process is still more or less the same. First, the pigment is ground and mixed with the selected oil. Then these two ingredients are being thoroughly mixed to ensure that the pigment is evenly distributed. In the end, solvent and a drying agent are being added.
Can Oil Paint Be Dangerous?
The whole stigma around oil paints being harmful to your health was created around the type of solvent that is being used. Some of the solvents that were used in the beginning were emitting fumes that were causing dry skin and headaches.
Some of the pigments like lead-white, cadmium, and cobalt can be dangerous if you eat or inhale them before they are mixed with oil (while they are still in a powder state). This was solved when synthetic alternatives were introduced and brought to the market.
It is a common misbelief that there is a toxic smell that accompanies oil paint, but this is not true. True oil paints have little to no smell, and that is how you can actually recognize if the oil paint is of good quality or not. If the oil paint has a smell, probably it has some ingredient that is not supposed to be there.
If the paint is having a strong smell, it is usually a sign that turpentine or white spirits have been used as the solvent in the mixture. When the turpentine bottle is left open and unattended, it will start a chemical process and fill in the room with toxic fumes.
Painters used to add turpentine or white spirits to their oil paint mixture to increase the fluidity of the paint, speed up drying time, and ease up the cleaning time. These substances were causing the oil paint to have a strong and distinctive smell. If you do notice that your oil paint smells, feel free to change it.
Myths Regarding Oil Paint
There are three most common misconceptions connected to oil paint – that it has a smell, takes ages to dry, and is difficult to work in the first place. The first myth about smell is already explained in the previous text.
Good quality oil paint should have little to no smell at all. It should be a red flag if you notice that the oil paint is having a strong odor, you should probably change it.
The second myth is about the time oil paint needs to dry. As aforementioned, oil paint dries by oxidation, not by evaporation, so naturally, it will need more time to dry (compared to water-based paints).
The drying time depends on the thickness of layers you are painting. If you paint thicker in thicker layers, your painting will take some extra time to dry. However, if you paint in thin, opaque layers, then the painting will most likely be dry within 24 hours.
If you find it hard to paint with oil paint, it is not because there is something wrong with the paint, it is because the technique needs to be perfected. Like any other paint, this type of paint has its own specific technique and you need to perfect it.
Sometimes when you are having difficulties with oil paint, the mixture is probably not done with the proper ratio, meaning that there was not enough thinner added to dilute the mixture. This issue you can solve on your own, by adding thinner of your choice. Make sure not to exaggerate and add too much of it.
What Is an Extender?
There are certain chemicals that take the role of an extender when they are put into the mix with other ingredients of oil paint. Extenders are not something that was recently invented – they exist as long as the oil paint itself.
Extenders’ role is to increase the amount of oil paint without changing the pigmentation. It is actually a way to increase the available quantity without diluting the pigments in the paint, making them less opaque.
The most common extenders used nowadays are known under pw21 and pw24. Behind these codes, you will find barium sulfate and alumina hydrate. These two substances have no tinting properties at all, which makes them perfect for the task they were given.
If you add either of them to oil paint, they will increase the quantity of the paint, without affecting the color or other properties of the paint. One remark – you can add one or another, not both at the same time. Theoretically, nothing bad would happen, but the practice has shown that the best results are achieved when you stick to one chemical at a time.
Tips for Safer Oil Painting
There are several things you can do to make your painting sessions the safest possible. Further in the text, you will find three tips on how you can make painting safer. Also, you will find some useful tips on how to clean your paintbrushes properly.
Try Water-mixable Oil Paint
The traditional oil paint does not include the water in the mixture, but some newer paints on the market have this feature. Instead of using turpentine and other chemical solvents, these new oil paints use water to dilute the paint and make it easier to use.
Beginners would probably not notice any difference, but more experienced painters may notice that something is a little bit “off” – the paint will behave slightly differently. However, with this type of oil paint, you can be sure that dangerous substances are avoided.
Water-mixable oil paints can be used the same way you would use regular oil paint – they do not require special equipment nor special canvas.
It is crucial to understand that water can be added only to those oil paints that are water-mixable. Most oil paints on the market can be diluted only by adding turpentine or other solvents. If you add water to this type of mixture, the oil paint will be “spoiled” and it will not perform well.
Use Low Odour Solvents
When you are sticking to low odor solvents, then using turpentine to dilute your paint or to clean your brushes is a part of your everyday life. One alternative you can find on the market is the Zest-it.
Zest-it is a little bit on the pricey side, and it will definitely cost you more than the regular solvent, but it is an environmentally friendly alternative you can use for your oil paints. This solvent is non-toxic and has a strong citrus smell.
To people who are bothered with strong smells, this product may not be the perfect one to use, but the smell evaporates really quickly, so you don’t have to worry about that.
Use Oil to Clean Brushes
Paintbrushes are usually cleaned with a solvent like turpentine, but a safer and cheaper option is to use oil. For this purpose, you can use even the regular sunflower oil from your local grocery shop.
To clean your brush, prepare a jar with oil. Before you dip the brushes inside the jar, make sure to remove the excess paint from the brushes by using a cloth or piece of paper. Dip the brush in oil and leave it to work for a few minutes. After this, the paint should be coming off easily from the brushes.
Once you remove the paint, use water and soap to further clean them and prepare them for the next painting session. You can use regular soap, but there are also special brush-cleaning soaps available on the market.
Before you can use brushes again, they need to dry completely. The best way to dry them is to hang them, so the water can dip from them. If you leave them in a horizontal position, the brushes will soak some water and they will be ruined faster.
If you don’t clean your brushes straight after you finish using them, you are risking damaging them to the point where they are no longer usable. Paintbrushes need to be properly maintained if you want them to serve you for a long time.
If you don’t clean them properly while the paint on them is still fresh, the paint will dry and it will be very difficult to remove it next time. Also, it will be harder to use brushes with some paint on them.