Artists’ White Spirit Product Information

Product Application

Langridge Artists’ White Spirit may be added to oil colours, drying oils and compatible oil mediums in small quantities, used to dissolve and dilute artists’ synthetic varnish and used to clean brushes and painting equipment.

Although not recommended, it can be used as to dilute small quantities of oil colours to add extra fluidity.

Extreme care should be taken, however, in diluting purely with Artists’ White Spirit as its over-use can easily underbind paint and lead to a dull, dry lifeless film with potential for dusting or flaking off.

Artists wishing to create very fluid working qualities should refer to painting mediums constructed for that purpose.

If wishing to home manufacture an artists’ synthetic varnish (Paraloid B67MT, Laropal A81, etc.) or using a varnish or a medium with a synthetic resin content Artists’ White Spirit should be used when wishing to dilute or remove. Artists’ synthetic resins are only fully dissolved in petroleum distillates.

Damar resin is only fully dissolved in Gum Turpentine, petroleum distillates only partially dissolve natural resins such as damar and prevent full hardening of the resin film.

Artists’ White Spirit has particularly good detergent action making it a highly useful all purpose solvent from the cleaning of artists’ equipment to removal of surface dirt from paint films (Langridge does not recommend thorough cleaning, including varnish removal, of artworks except by a trained conservator).

For cleaning brushes Langridge recommends the use of brush cleaning units or containers which have an airtight lid. Reducing exposure to solvent fumes is to advised at all times as well as preventing evaporation of solvent in the container.

Artists’ White Spirit leaves no residue after evaporation.