Dorland's Wax Medium Instructions

Tempering

The pure medium is first thoroughly mixed and blended with each individual color (tube oil colors or pure pigments). Mix with a painting knife or spatula. This is known as tempering. After the virgin colors are tempered by the medium, they may then be intermixed and used in any fashion that the artist dictates. The proportions of medium to pigment depend largely on the characteristics of the pigment and the desires of the artist.

Oil Painting: Mix 10%-25% wax medium to 90%-75% color.

Cold Wax Painting: Mix 1/3 to 1/2 wax medium by volume with oil colors, dry colors, or desired colors. Apply at room temperature. It is fine for brush painting and excellent for knife techniques. The translucent wax allows light to penetrate into the paint body giving richness and vibrancy of tone. Cold wax paintings dry and cure faster than pure oil paintings, usually in one to three months. They may be polished when dry if desired. For a final varnish, use wax varnish only. (Wax medium thinned to liquid, see Wax Coating Paitings.)

Hot Wax Painting: Mix 50% to 90% wax medium by volume with oil colors, dry colors, or desired colors. Panels are usually preferred to canvas. Paint the picture cold in knife technique and then heat it to melt and fuse the wax colors. To heat, lay the painting level and suspend one or more heat lamps above it. Adjust the distance to keep the wax colors melted but not hot enough to boil or bubble. Additions and changes can be made during heating. One to six hours heating is sufficient to cure most hot wax paintings. Always guard against fire and fumes in heating wax or paints.

Mixed Media: Wax is unlimited in this technique. Thinned washes or thick translucent impastos of Dorland’s Wax Medium may be applied over drawn or painted artwork, or combined with a wide variety of media; dry or dispersed pigments, metallic powders, tempera powders, wood, etc. A Masonite panel with a painting gesso ground makes an excellent support. Canvas, wood, aluminum panels and masonary can be used. One rule is, wax will lie over other materials but other materials will not usually lie over wax. Use the wax for overpainting, glazing, finishing, as a “resist,” etc. Some artists use egg yolk and wax medium mixed 50/50 as a variant in standard egg tempera formulas.

Thinning

Use only turpentine and/or poppy seed oil for thinning to desired consistency. Adding damar or other good quality artist’s varnish will increase gloss and improve brushability.

Glazing

Thin the tempered color with turpentine to glazing consistency. Additional amounts of the pure thinned medium produce increased depth and luminosity.

Other Uses for Dorland's Wax Medium

Dorland’s Wax Medium is a museum-quality protective coating. Unexcelled for cleaning and preserving antiques, woodcarvings, bronze, plastics, and other items worth protecting.

Wax Coating Paintings: For oils, cold and hot wax, caseins, tempera, etc., rub wax medium over painting, brush off excess, smooth with brush (soft horsehair shoe brushes are excellent) and let dry several days or weeks before final polishing with a soft lint free cloth. Use directly from jar. For brushing or spraying, thin wax medium to liquid with turpentine or mineral spirits. For more gloss, add damar or modern water-white synthetic varnishes that are turpentine soluble.

As a Final Picture Finish: Dorland’s Wax Medium seals artwork with a clear, tough satin finish. It will not yellow or turn brown with age like some resin picture varnishes. Apply unthinned, brush smooth, and let dry several days if polishing is desired. Never varnish a wax-oil painting.

Cleaning Wax Paintings: Use water or water with a mild detergent to remove dirt and grime. (Wax paintings only. Do not use water on oil paintings.)

Frame Finishing: Use gold, silver, or other metallic powders, dry pigments, oil colors, dyes, etc., mixed with wax medium. Rub on frame, wipe off excess, and polish. For spray or spatter, thin to liquid.

Photo Sealing: Rub wax medium over photo, brush off excess, smooth surface with brush, polish immediately to desired surface.

Basic Cleaning Formula: Mix 1 part Dorland’s Wax Medium to 6 parts turpentine. Rub on with cloth or swab, wipe off, repeat as necessary. (For more “bite,” add alcohol, diacetone, or acetone to the above formula. CAUTION: These solvents may work faster, but are extremely flammable, toxic, and may remove paints and varnishes.)

Wax Coating Rub wax medium onto surface, brush excess out of cracks, brush smooth. To receive full benefit, let harden several days before final polishing. For spray coating, thin wax medium to liquid, spray on, air blast excess from crevices, let dry and harden.

Wax Polishing: Mix 1 part wax medium with 2 parts mineral spirits for a basic polishing wax. Rub on, wipe off, and polish immediately. (Heat speeds mixing, avoid fire danger by using a hot water bath or double boiler on an electric hot plate to warm formulas.)

Wax Stabilizing: For porous and weakened pieces, worm eaten wood, weathered and decaying objects, repeatedly coat the surface with wax medium while using heat lamps to keep the surface warm and aid in penetration. For increased stability, heat wax medium to liquid and inject with hypodermic wherever possible. For hard to move garden sculpture, apply wax medium in hot sun.