HI guys did this and I got a question. This ws painted over 5 hours ago and is still wet. How do i speed up the drying or can go ahead and aplly a matt finish with it still wet?? any help would work.

thanks guys STUG

Hi Steve

5 hours! I'm afraid you've got a while to wait yet... oils can take days to really dry. It was the long drying time and (hence) the danger of dust that made me go back to trying water colours for a wood effect.

If anyone knows a way to speed up oils once they're on, I'd be really interested too - I'd love to give them a second chance...

All the best

Rowan

If that's an artist oil.... it's going to take some time to dry.

EDITED: a crock pot may help, but you run the risk of it warping or melting.

Hi again

Thinking about it - a heated drying cabinet is a help - but you're still going to have to wait a while.

The long drying time is both the strength and weakness of oils; strength in that you can continue to work them for a long time and create subtle gradations etc.; weakness, in that dust is a constant problem and the finish is easily damaged until it's dry.

All the best

Rowan

I seem to remember something called "Jap" that dries oils faster. Since I don't use them much except for figures and the amount is usually minute I never use it.
Good Luck.

Japan Dryer, added to the oils before use. They put a really glossy finish on the oils. Use to use it way back in the college days, when painting on canvas.
For future reference Steve...
Put the oils on a white index card, let the card absorb as much of the linseed oil as possible, which is what gives the oils the long drying time. Use plain mineral spirits to thin and make workable, and then it shouldn't take more than a day or two to dry.

You could use a thinner dampened brush to remove as much as possible, and start over. If your base coat is acrylic. if enamels leave it to dry for several days, otherwise you run the risk of removing your base coat.

It's really not recommended to apply any kind of over coat over wet paint, since they will dry, and shrink at different rates, causing you many more head, and heart aches.

Thanks guys, this is my first time using them so i'm at a loose as to how to work them seeing i few more wood peices to do i'll try the index card trick...

Rowan i went to 3 difffernt hobby/craft store and did find your acrylic stuff, but i did find acrylic gauche. would that work???? STUG

As has already been mentioned, oils do take quite sometime to dry and definitely can take up to days to dry. This is often why many choose to try washing with acrylics.

I certainly would not recommend applying your matt finish yet as it will certainly warp the whole paint.

If you want to try shaving some drying time off, try thinning your paints with turps although i only do this to apply a wash, not a base coat.

Keep us updated.

Hi Steve

I'm not sure it would - the reason poster / water colours work so well is that they don't dry waterproof. I've never used acryic guache, but most acryllics are pretty impervious when dry. You could try using a solvent like isopropyl alchohol, but I don't know what the results would be like... hmmm... I can feel an experiment in the wind...

All the best

Rowan

Thanks again guys. I'll have to go and try some more expiraments my self. lol STUG