Article number: | 153 |
Availability: | Out of stock |
Delivery time: | 3 weeks |
Eco solve is a major breakthrough in art material technology. A great axample of how artists become more concious and can start working more professional. When used with our Earth Oil Paints and walnut oil, it opens a door to a professional non-toxic oil paint.
the Benefits of Eco-Solve:
• 100% natural and non-toxic
• Archival, professional artist-quality
• Subtle, fruity licorice scent
• Does not irritate the skin
• Does not emit harmful vapors.
• Soy-based and vegan. Cruelty-free.
• Superb for creating washes, under-paintings, glazes, drip effects, etc.
• Excellent brush cleaner! Can be used to clean all oil painting tools, palettes, brushes, containers, and work surfaces.
• Does not pollute the soil or waterways.
Contains ca 1893 ml per can
Safety Data Sheet ECOLSOLVE
Notes: Eco-Solve dries a little slower than conventional turpentine/mineral spirits.
Conforms to US Safety Standard D4236. Tested by professional toxicologists.
Keep out reach of children - this is a strong substance and may cause stomach discomfort if ingested.
FAQ
ECO SOLVE |
Q: Can Eco Solve be used to rejuvenate dried out paint brushes, to soften them again? Even after using walnut oil wiped and dried? |
A: Eco-solve can restore dried up paint brushes. Just let the brush tip soak in eco-solve overnight and then clean with soap and water the next day. |
Q: It says that Eco-solve takes longer to dry. Is this because it has an oil in it? Does it leave an oily film on paper? |
A: No it doesn't have an oily film at all - all of the fatty acids have been removed from it. It has a water consistency. It just dries a little slower by nature. |
Q: I just opened your eco-solve medium and the smell it had and it's effect on me was not good. I had to open windows to air out the house as I was feeling kind of weird. IS this truly non-toxic? |
A: I'm so sorry that you experienced this reaction. Yes, it does have a strong smell and that might be affecting you. What "effect" did it have on you? It's composition is similar to that of essential oils - it's a very strong, concentrated natural liquid. It is made of simply soy oil and soy esters and the fatty acids have been removed. It's completely non-toxic and I will attach the safety data sheet here from the manufacturer (we don't manufacture it). It is a strong substance and you can see on the data sheet that it will cause mild stomach discomfort if ingested but inhaling it should cause no harm at all. I hope that helps and let me know any other questions you have. |
Q: Has Eco-Solve been certified to be non-toxic? I teach oil painting and would like to know before I recommend your product. |
A: The Eco-solve is made by a third party manufacturer - not us - and the ingredients are simply soy bean oil and soy esters that have been processed to remove the fatty acids. The exact method of processing is trade secret to them. It has been tested by their third party chemists and also by our certified toxicologist. It is completely non-toxic, however it is very strong - similar to therapeutic grade essential oils - certain essential oils are so strong they dissolve plastic. It is technically an oil however it has the properties of a solvent. |
Q: Is it possible to use your paints without having to use the Eco-Solve? |
A: Yes, if you don't want to use the Eco-solve you can simply thin your oil paints with walnut oil or linseed oil. You can clean your brushes with any oil plus soap and water or Murphy's Oil Soap + soap and water. |
Q: Does the Eco-Solve leave soy or other residues in your painting? Gamsol purportedly leaves absolutely no residues. Have you done testing to show what effect this might have on the paints' adhesion and archival longevity? |
A: Eco-solve doesn't leave any residues - it's very archival, non-yellowing, does not cause cracking, and adheres great. It's made of soy oil that has had the fatty acids / mucilage removed and soy esters added. |
Q: Can you use eco-solve in a plastic cup? Will it evaporate like a solvent? How fast will it dry? In other words dos it have the same properties that a comercial solvent has and if not how is it different? |
A: Eco-solve will evaporate yes and it is a little slower to dry than conventional solvent - although still quick drying. It's a very strong substance so it may dissolve or warp a very thin plastic cup. But some plastic it has no effect on. It's similar to essential oils which are very strong and can dissolve some types of plastic. It has all the same handling properties as conventional, toxic solvent. It is made from soy bean oil that has had the fatty acids removed so it is technically an oil which is nice because it can be carried on an airplane and shipped easily. |
Q: How can Eco-Solve be non-toxic and eco friendly when it is highly combustable? |
A: It is technically an oil - not a solvent - although it behaves like a solvent. All oils are combustible if left on a rag or something similar in a hot environment. Olive oil, linseed oil, walnut oil, etc. - all oils are the same in that way. This product is soy oil that has had the fatty acids removed, so it behaves like an oil in that regard. |
Q: Can Eco Solve-be used as a standalone medium or does it need to be mixed with walnut oil or other oils and if so what proportions. |
A: It can be used on it's own mixed with oil paint to make thin washes. |
Q: What amount of eco-solve should be used for cleaning brushes. Eg should the jar be filled just up to the ferrule and does the brush need to sit overnight? |
A: It depends on what you're doing. If you want to restore brushes - yes let them sit in eco-solve- covering all the fibers - over night. If you're just cleaning them after a painting session, I usually just pour in a small amount - maybe 1/4 - 1/2 inch in the bottom of a glass jar and swish the brushes around. Then wash with soap and water. |
Q: As an oil solvent is this considered a fat layer and what would the expected drying times be if used as a medium. |
A: It's made with oil but has the consistency and feel of a solvent. It dries a little slower than mineral spirits/ solvents but dries alot faster than any oil, a few hours -2 days max. The fatty acids have been removed from the oil so it's not a fat layer. |
Q: Does the brush need to be cleaned off with soap and water after using the oil as a thinner/brush cleaner. |
A: Yes, that's always a good idea to make sure all residue of paint is off the brush. |
Q: I can't get your eco-solve where I live. How can I clean my brushes non-toxically. |
A: You can clean oil paint brushes with any oil at all (maybe corn oil or coconut or soy oil if that's what you have available) - although I would avoid hardware store linseed oil because they add toxins to it. Then clean with soap and water after that. The benefit of Eco-solve is that it can be used in the painting process to replace solvents. I don't know of a substitute that thins paints like a solvent for washes, drips, underpaintings. But many people just don't use a solvent at all and just use oil to then paint - just gives a different consistency |
Q: I put my eco-solve in a small plastic bottle and now if kind of warped. Has this messed up the Eco-solve inside? |
A: Soy is naturally aggressive toward plastics and it can warp and affect the shape of the plastic, but not dissolve the plastic itself. It will not contaminate any coating." Note: eco-solve is made from soy oil. |
Q: How is your Eco Solve different from Gamblin's Gamsol? |
A: Gamblin's Gamsol is still toxic to breathe, to get on skin and to be disposed of. I can go into the exact chemicals it contains and health issues it causes if you like. ANything that says "odorless" is still toxic to breathe, it just has less or no odor. Eco-solve is completely non-toxic - made from soybean oil that has had the fatty acids removed, so it behaves exactly like a solvent but is completely and truly non-toxic. Well-known, professional artists around the globe already use this product exclusively and rave about it. |
Q: If I use Eco solve for an underpainting how long does it take to dry? |
A: Eco-solve dries to the touch in a few hours - 2 days - varies depending on your humididty level. It dries slower than regular solvents. For my oil paintings, I paint the underpainting with eco-solve, and either wait a few hours or wait until the next day. |
Q: Will eco-solve perform the same with conventional oil paint as it does with your oil paints? |
A: yes, you can use the Eco-solve with all conventional products - it's compatible with everything. |
Q: I'm just wondering if your Eco-Solve works as well with linseed oil earth-pigment paint mixes as it does with the walnut? |
A: You can use linseed oil interchangeably with all of our products and it works great. |
Q: What are the different effects of mixing paint with eco-solve compared to mixing with walnut oil? |
A: The difference between the Eco-solve and the walnut oil is the consistency - Eco-solve has the consistency of water or conventional solvent, so people use it to put "watery" washes on their canvas or do thin under paintings and create drip effects. The walnut oil is the consistency of oil so it's thicker and thins the paint that way - has more oily flow. SO it just depends on what effect or consistency you want. Hope that makes sense. |
Q: Do I need to mix Eco-solve with linseed or walnut oil to use as an underpainting or can it be used alone? |
A: No, you don't. You can use it alone as you would use regular solvent. (*NOTE: this means with premixed paint, and NOT PURE PIGMENT). |
Q: If I want the underpainting to dry faster, should I use the walnut alkyd medium and if so how much? Should I mix the walnut dryer with oil and Eco-solve or can I just use the walnut dryer with the Eco-solve? |
A: No, you don't need to use the walnut alkyd medium to make the underpainting dry faster. Eco-solve dries faster than Walnut Alkyd Medium, so just use the eco-solve by itself. |
Clean Up / Rag Disposal / Spontaneous Combustion |
Q: How do you properly dispose of eco-solve after using it for a month? |
A: You can actually re-use Eco-solve nearly indefinitely just like regular solvent. After cleaning your brushes, let it sit in a covered glass jar for a few days to a week and then the paint sediment will settle to the bottom. You can carefully pour the "clean" eco-solve that is on top into another container, then the paint sludge left in the jar can be wiped out and disposed of in the trash or washed down the drain if the paint is non-toxic and safe for waterways. |
A: Sometimes the Eco-solve reaches a saturation point where there's so much paint residue in it (or the percentage of paint to eco-solve is so high) that it doesn't settle anymore at which point just dispose of the full jar/cup. |
Q: Is Eco-solve fire-hazardous, flammable or combustible? How do I dispose of drying rags? |
A: While the Eco-solve behaves like a solvent, it is technically an oil, and all oils are potentially combustible if left on a rag or something similar in a hot environment. Olive oil, linseed oil, walnut oil, etc. - all oils are the same in that way. This product is soy oil that had the fatty acids removed, so it behaves like an oil in that regard. If you don't want to store used rags in a closed metal container, you can lay out or hang the oily rags in a single layer in an outdoor area that is out of the sun and is well-ventilated. Be sure to lay them on a noncombustible surface, such as bare soil or concrete. Let the rags dry fully for at least three days, but possibly longer, depending on your environment. Once they are fully dried you can dispose of them in the trash, or even the compost pile if you use paper towels. |
Q: After you wipe your brushes on a rag to clean them, how do you recommend disposing of fully used rags? In the garbage after letting them dry out? Washing and reusing? What is the most eco-friendly method? |
A: Yes, I throw them away in the garbage. I don't wash them because oil paint sometimes sticks to sides of washers. It's natural earth based paint on cloth so it will easily decompose in trash. |
Q: Could you please advise me of a few oil painters you know who are using Eco-Solve to thin paint on works they are selling. I have scoured the internet and not found much information with regard to adoption of the product by professional artists. Also, I'm assuming that there are no harmful vapors that are being masked, as such is the case with OMS. |
A: Yes, I completely understand, it's hard to trust new products. There are many professional artists and art universities out there using eco-solve but I unfortunately can't give out any contact info as that would violate their privacy and we guarantee that to our customers. We can garauntee that there are no toxic vapors as there definitely are with OMS. OMS is a completely different animal with toxic VOC's and xylene - which is what causes the nausea and dizzy feelings when you inhale it. Eco-solve is made with archival soybean oil that has had the fatty acids removed and also soy oil esters (dibasic esters) added which are very powerful, which is why it works so well as a brush cleaner and restorer. Linseed oil is very close to it's chemical structure. except this oil will not spoil like linseed oil and is refined to being pure & light like a thinner. The SDS also shows that there is no toxic aspect to the eco-solve. I am a professional artist and have been for 18 years and have been using this great product for 7 years and love it. I don't manufacture the product here, I simply re-sell it because it's such a great product that doesn't exist anywhere else - a non-toxic solvent that you can also paint with! Hope that helps. |
Q: What are the ingredients in Eco-solve and why is it emitting VOCs? Should I be worried... I thought it was non-toxic? |
A: The Eco-solve is made with 100% soy oil that has been processed to remove the fatty acids and then soy esters are added. There are no other ingredients. As for VOC's, yes, it does emit low VOCs but please recognize there are both toxic and non-toxic VOCs. Roses emit VOCs...most plants emit VOCs. You can find more detailed information on the internet, but a quick search from Wikipedia regarding VOC's states the following: "VOCs are numerous, varied, and ubiquitous. They include both human-made and naturally occurring chemical compounds. Most scents or odors are of VOCs. VOCs play an important role in communication between plants,[1] and messages from plants to animals. These VOCs are rapidly degradable in nature, and they do not accumulate in the body or the environment." |
Smell of Eco-solve and Walnut Oil |
Q: Which of your mediums are the least smelly - I'm very sensitive to smells - even ones that are natural ones. |
A: Yes, if you're doing oil painting than the medium needs to be either an oil or a solvent. Our Eco-solve is non-toxic but it does have a scent unfortunately - kind of like licorice. You could just use oil as your medium and to clean brushes (linseed or walnut). That's what the renaissance Masters used and it's just the mild oil smell. |