Artist Oil Paints For Staining. Question Re: turps

[Rodc]

Hi guys,

I have been using artist oil paints for staining my guitars. I have not used them on a a veneer top though.
I use 2 parts turps and one boiled linseed oil. I'm just concerned using the turps on a veneer could lift the veneer by weakening the glue.

Thinking of using metho. I remember someone saying use a light wipe of metho to show glue spots because it evaporates quickly but I don't think it would mix well with oil paints.

Thoughts?

Thanks, Rod.

[McCreed]

AFAIK, metho will not mix well with oil based paint.

As for turps & the artist's oil paint on the veneer, I'm going to go out on limb and say it would be no different than using an oil based stain like Feast Watson, and plenty of people have done that without issue.

Not sure why you need the BLO in the mix. I know artists do that when painting on canvas, but I thought that was about texture/consistency as well as acting as a drying retarder. I don't know where that came from as I have never done an oil painting in my life.

Light applications of a spirit or oil based stain/dye (or even water based for that matter) won't be a problem on veneer unless you absolutely saturated it. Then maybe it could have an effect on the adhesive.

[Rodc]

Thanks again Mc Creed..👍
I use the linseed oil for the drying agents. It does give a yellow cast as you know because of its colour.
Now it’s hotter weather I might mix up just turps and artist paint and see how long it takes to dry.

[McCreed]

I use the linseed oil for the drying agents.

Ahh, I had it backwards! I thought it was to slow the drying process so you could work it longer on the canvas.

[Rodc]

Not the boiled linseed. Apparently they call it boiled but it just has the drying agents added.

[Bakersdozen]

As for turps & the artist's oil paint on the veneer, I'm going to go out on limb and say it would be no different than using an oil based stain like Feast Watson, and plenty of people have done that without issue.
.

Remember FW prooftint stain is spirit based.

[McCreed]

Remember FW prooftint stain is spirit based.

You are correct BD!
I looked at MSDS earlier only to discover it is indeed alcohol based! All this time I presumed it oil based because it be used to oil based poly/varnish.
I have also diluted it with mineral turps before with out issue.

Makes me question my opening advice now...

Always learning here thanks!

[Sonic Mountain]

Be interested to see how using oil paints goes long term. I did a few works at art school with it, but generally used acrylic more often as it was faster and brighter.

Artist oil paint takes a very long time to fully cure, months and years, it's one of the aspects of the medium that people like as it allows really nice blending and adjustment during the period you are painting. You can see on old master works where the finished painting has been sealed, but overtime the underlying paint has continued to dry and shrink causing the top to 'craze' and crack. There is also the issue of colour stability over time, probably improved with modern pigments, but a lot of oil paint shifts colour over time, often darkening or losing pigment entirely.

Thinning it would speed up dry time I suppose. Somebody a while ago posted about doing this and I expressed caution for the above reasons, but I guess the best way to know for sure is to try it and see how it goes over time.

As already mentioned metho is not compatible with oil paint. We generally used white spirit or gamsol to thin it, but I'd suspect tehy would have a similar effect to turps on glue.

[Rodc]

Be interested to see how using oil paints goes long term. I did a few works at art school with it, but generally used acrylic more often as it was faster and brighter.

Artist oil paint takes a very long time to fully cure, months and years, it's one of the aspects of the medium that people like as it allows really nice blending and adjustment during the period you are painting. You can see on old master works where the finished painting has been sealed, but overtime the underlying paint has continued to dry and shrink causing the top to 'craze' and crack. There is also the issue of colour stability over time, probably improved with modern pigments, but a lot of oil paint shifts colour over time, often darkening or losing pigment entirely.

Thinning it would speed up dry time I suppose. Somebody a while ago posted about doing this and I expressed caution for the above reasons, but I guess the best way to know for sure is to try it and see how it goes over time.

As already mentioned metho is not compatible with oil paint. We generally used white spirit or gamsol to thin it, but I'd suspect tehy would have a similar effect to turps on glue.

Thanks SM. I tried a mixture of 1-1 turps and boiled linseed oil on some titebond spread on some ply. I let the titebond dry for 24 hours first. I actually saturated the titebond with the mixture. Scrapped a screw driver over the saturated area and the other area where I left just the glue and couldn't really notice anymore softness in the glue.
I've already done one guitar with artist oil paints so time will tell..

[Simon Barden]

Just a technical note, but by using oil paints, you are really painting the guitar, not staining it.