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Hello Mitra, I have a bottle of propylene glycol and I am going to use it as a drying retardant.
I have read and tried different brands of retardants and each of them gives different ratios.
I assume that each brand uses different products and different dilutions.
-How much propylene glycol is safe to form a good paint film?
-Is there a more effective product than propylene glycol apart from using golden open gel medium?
Thanks!
Hi –
While propylene glycol will be a major ingredient in most retarders for acrylics it is not the only one, and will be included at different ratios, hence the difference in recommendations.
Adding straight propylene glycol would present a small potential to shock the system, so adding a touch of water(a % or 2) to PG first is typically suggested. The amount really depends on your technique and substrate – use very small percentages in thicker applications, say a maximum of 15%, while very thin applications on an absorbent surface could possibly accommodate 30-40%. Do some testing, watching out for increased water sensitivity and prolonged stickiness as signs that you should lower the concentration. We have also found that the more the surface is sealed, say with a layer of gloss acrylic medium, will have a large impact on the open time of paints. So its another variable to look at.
Thanks Sarah and welcome back.
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