Recognizing the increased flexibility and speed of drying in alkyd paint films over linseed oil/stand oil paint films…
1. Would you recommend the use of alkyd mediums or alkyd paints over traditional oil mediums and paints for the most permanent, strong, flexible, non cracking and non-yellowing paint film?
2. What are the disadvantages of alkyd mediums, if any?
3. As alkyds in artist oil paints are only a few decades old, how confident are you that alkyd mediums will continue to out pace oil mediums in producing superior paint films?
4. To minimize the use of driers, would it be advisable to seek an alkyd synthesized from drying oils, linseed or walnut, vs non drying oils, safflower, soy, sunflower, etc?
Thank you so much for your expertise.
Richard
I would hesitate to make definitive statements, especially since so much has to do with how one uses a material and not simply which material. The only real issue I see with the alkyd over oil is the reality that this procedure invariable means that you are applying a faster drying layer over a slower drying layer. One point though, stand oil makes a very flexible film it is really just that it is too viscous to serve as a primary binder for an oil paint. It is far better as a component in a paint medium or additive. I believe that we have had a good length of time to judge the longevity of alkyds but certainly not the hundreds of years that we have for drying oils. As to the choice of oil in the alkyd medium. It does not seem to be a huge factor. See the other threads on the subject. https://www.artcons.udel.edu/mitra/forums/question?QID=181 & https://www.artcons.udel.edu/mitra/forums/question?QID=179
