{"id":4993,"date":"2015-04-18T07:25:46","date_gmt":"2015-04-18T11:25:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/?p=4993"},"modified":"2016-03-17T07:57:46","modified_gmt":"2016-03-17T11:57:46","slug":"what-is-mineral-spirits","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/2015\/04\/what-is-mineral-spirits\/","title":{"rendered":"What is mineral spirits"},"content":{"rendered":"

What is mineral spirits and how is it used in oil painting? Mineral spirits, or white spirits, is a petroleum-derived solvent. It is distilled from crude oil, and is related to kerosene. Mineral spirits and paint thinner are essentially the same thing. Paint thinner is less refined than mineral spirits and has undesirable byproducts, and, therefore, costs less.<\/p>\n

Use mineral spirits<\/em> in your oil painting; only use paint thinner<\/em> to clean your brushes. The products marketed as odorless mineral spirits<\/em> are the most refined and are suitable for painting. Because mineral spirits is a petroleum product, care must be taken with its use; however, many find it less an irritant than turpentine.<\/p>\n

History<\/h3>\n
Read more<\/span>In the Studio Oct. 14 2012<\/span><\/a><\/div>

There is a lot of confusion about the history of mineral spirits in art. Some commentators claim that it came into use during the late 19th century. Some commentators even claim it came into use during the 1920’s, dating its use in dry cleaning as its origin. But contra these claims,  Théodore de Mayerne<\/a>, writing in the 17th century<\/em>, mentions its use in painting. Charles Lock Eastlake<\/a>, in his wonderful Materials for a History of Oil Painting (1847),<\/i> maintains that its use in painting was widespread from earliest times. The fact that these authors writing hundreds of years ago are familiar with it means that mineral spirits was used in painting well before the 19th century.<\/p>\n

Mineral spirits vs turpentine<\/h3>\n

Turpentine<\/strong> is a workhorse; it’s the most widely used solvent. It dries more rapidly than mineral spirits and can sustain the thinnest brushwork before running, which makes it ideal for sketching. Because it’s a stronger solvent than mineral spirits, broad areas created with it are uniform and show none of the streaks often left by mineral spirits. In mediums. it enables fine detail work in the thinnest layers.  Because it’s not as powerful as oil of spike<\/a>, and dries so rapidly, it can be used over other layers without effecting them. I.use it every day.<\/p>\n

Read more<\/span>Smooth Move—Smooth Painting Surfaces<\/span><\/a><\/div>

Mineral spirits<\/strong> Mineral spirits is such a mild solvent, it can’t dissolve damar crystals. Because of its mildness, it doesn’t thin paint as thoroughly as turpentine. Paint layers remain open longer than those painted with turpentine. Thin layers painted with it cover better than turpentine-thinned layers. That combined with its modest solvent power make it ideal for glazing. As already mentioned, it’s more streaky than turpentine which can, in the right circumstances, be charming. Note that it runs easier than turpentine if too thin. I use it every day. My typical painting setup includes a cup of turpentine and a cup of mineral spirits.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"My<\/a>
My solvent cups–the larger two<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Read more<\/span>In the Studio—10\/28\/12<\/span><\/a><\/div>

Tip<\/strong>: Add some drier to your solvent. You’ll be surprised at how well it preserves brushwork in even the thinnest layers. Plus it retards running.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Read more<\/span>Hurricane Sandy<\/span><\/a><\/div>

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

What is mineral spirits and how is it used in oil painting? Mineral spirits, or white spirits, is a petroleum-derived solvent. It is distilled from crude oil, and is related to kerosene. Mineral spirits and paint thinner are essentially the same thing. Paint thinner is less refined than mineral spirits and has undesirable byproducts, and, therefore, costs less. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":61,"featured_media":4999,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[208,24,113,1],"tags":[247,248,50,246],"class_list":["post-4993","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-materials","category-shop_talk","category-tips_tricks","category-uncategorized","tag-mineral-spirits","tag-oil-of-spike","tag-painting-material","tag-solvents"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/solvent-cups.jpg?fit=386%2C375&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":8868,"url":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/2020\/07\/turp-oms\/","url_meta":{"origin":4993,"position":0},"title":"Turp? OMS?","author":"Tom Hudson","date":"July 7, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"There is a lot of confusion among artists about turpentine and mineral spirits. Some YouTubers promote Gamasol as an alternative to turpentine. One even recommends Gamsol as a natural substitute for mineral spirits.(?) This particular artist provides commercial seminars on oil painting! Turpentine is distilled from the naturally-occurring resin from\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "materials"","block_context":{"text":"materials","link":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/category\/materials\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/studio-2020-7-5.png?fit=800%2C633&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/studio-2020-7-5.png?fit=800%2C633&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/studio-2020-7-5.png?fit=800%2C633&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/studio-2020-7-5.png?fit=800%2C633&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":6436,"url":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/2016\/10\/how-i-paint-mediums-and-thinners\/","url_meta":{"origin":4993,"position":1},"title":"How I paint: mediums and thinners","author":"Tom Hudson","date":"October 16, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"This photo shows painting cups in front of my custom-made palette. \u00a0I always use this selection of mediums and solvents when I paint. In the left-most container is my medium. \u00a0My medium\u00a0is very drying which means, among other things, that it is very rough on brush heads. \u00a0Not only\u00a0does it\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "materials"","block_context":{"text":"materials","link":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/category\/materials\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/cups.jpg?fit=800%2C437&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/cups.jpg?fit=800%2C437&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/cups.jpg?fit=800%2C437&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/cups.jpg?fit=800%2C437&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":5821,"url":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/2016\/02\/in-the-studio-22116\/","url_meta":{"origin":4993,"position":2},"title":"In the studio 2\/21\/16","author":"Tom Hudson","date":"February 23, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Several busy days in the studio. \u00a0I worked on 10-12 paintings over the past few days, including Sunday Parade. \u00a0Sunday Parade\u00a0is finally locked into a good place (even though I still haven't settled on its name). It felt like I was pushing it uphill for a long time. \u00a0I'm on\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "aesthetics"","block_context":{"text":"aesthetics","link":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/category\/aesthetics\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/studio-2016-2-21.jpg?fit=666%2C494&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/studio-2016-2-21.jpg?fit=666%2C494&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/studio-2016-2-21.jpg?fit=666%2C494&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3472,"url":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/2014\/04\/in-the-studio-462014\/","url_meta":{"origin":4993,"position":3},"title":"In the studio 4\/6\/2014","author":"Tom Hudson","date":"April 6, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Two Cakes is 48\" x 48\". Unfinished, of course, as are most of the paintings shown in the \u00a0\"In the studio\" posts. The left-side of the small container holds my standard medium: cold-pressed linseed oil+turpentine, + drops of copal varnish and coutrai drier. When I want firm, and fast-drying passages,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Bio"","block_context":{"text":"Bio","link":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/category\/bio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/studio-2014-6.jpg?fit=555%2C664&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/studio-2014-6.jpg?fit=555%2C664&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/studio-2014-6.jpg?fit=555%2C664&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":5009,"url":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/2015\/04\/oil-of-spike-lavender\/","url_meta":{"origin":4993,"position":4},"title":"Oil of spike lavender","author":"Tom Hudson","date":"April 16, 2015","format":"status","excerpt":"Someone recently asked about \"oil of lavender.\" \u00a0Oil of spike is an essential oil distilled from lavender flowers. It\u00a0has\u00a0been used in oil painting for hundreds of years. Of the three most commonly used solvents, oil of spike (spike lavender) is the most powerful, followed by turpentine. Mineral spirits is the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "materials"","block_context":{"text":"materials","link":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/category\/materials\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":9921,"url":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/2021\/11\/naphtha\/","url_meta":{"origin":4993,"position":5},"title":"Naphtha","author":"Tom Hudson","date":"November 7, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"I've written before about the difference between paint thinner and OMS (spoiler: they're just different names for the same thing). I've also written about the turpentine that I routinely use. Why haven't I written about Naphtha? I use Naphtha to clean etching plates but for painting, I use it less\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "materials"","block_context":{"text":"materials","link":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/category\/materials\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/the-fair.jpg?fit=800%2C1073&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/the-fair.jpg?fit=800%2C1073&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/the-fair.jpg?fit=800%2C1073&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/the-fair.jpg?fit=800%2C1073&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p2Gw6F-1ix","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4993","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/61"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4993"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4993\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4999"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4993"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4993"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4993"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}