Question: Pure Winsor&Newton Dammar Varnish for transfer

[Arnaud Van Tilburgh]

Last week when I was in Brugge, I bought some Winsor&Newton Dammar Varnish.
Before I used one from Talens and added 25% Zippo Fluid like I learned from Mike Cirelli.

Now this time I tried the Winsor&Newton Dammar Varnish just like it is, pure. And I must say the transfer works even better than before.
Of course I don’t know if it is the brand or the fact that it is pure.

Is there someone out there who also uses the Dammar pure and why at fisrt we added some % Zippofluid?

arnaud

 

[scott99]

Dammar varnish

Hi, I have been using Dammar varnish and Zippo fluid for a bit now and find the results very good.
I have never tried it pure, and have been putting in more fluid than you list.I put in as much as 75% Zippo fluid and get a very thin coating and very fast tack time.:clapping:
To me the thinner it is the better it is. I don't like to stand around while the stuff tacks up.
Also the thicker undiluted varnish makes it harder to get a super thin coating,the thinner the coating the better it is as far as I can see.
How long do you have to wait to do your transfer? Do you have trouble with flaking using it undiluted?:thinking:
I find if I am too thick I get a white residue flaking off when I cut.Not a real problem just a bit annoying.

Have a good one

scott99

 

[Sam]

Arnaud: This doesn't answer your question, but I think 100% pure is powdered damar, and that's what they make damar varnish with. It might be interesting to experiment with the powered stuff the next time you make transfer solution.

Is your Zippo fluid naphtha? I just bought a new can of Ronson fluid and it's says "petroleum distillate". The old stuff was naphtha. Not sure if this makes any difference. :thinking:

 

[Willem Parel]

and added 25% Zippo Fluid like I learned from Mike Cirelli.
arnaud

I thougt (and use) 25 % Dammar and 75% Zippo and it works great.
Add Zippo is for getting a thinner layer I think, because the Zippo fluid is vaporizing.

 

[Arnaud Van Tilburgh]

Sam, yes, The Zippo Fluid says Nafta. I know there is a new formula but not sure if the Nafta is the new one.
Anyway, I mixed the Dammar Varnish and the Zippo fluid some years ago like what we know as The Cirelli Solution.
And sure it works great for years, and normaly I would not have bought a new flask of Dammar Varnish, but as I saw it from Winsor&Newton, I thought it only could be a better brand.
That is why I used it first pure, just to experiment.

It is dry enough after a few minutes while printing. If not I just use compressed air gun or heating gun.

arnaud

 

[scott99]

Hi again, Dammar varnish is Dammar varnish. I am not a painter but my father was,he always liked Windsor & Newton and said that brand was the most refined he could find. He was very particular in this choice so that's what I started with. Its very easy to find here. He also used Japan dryer to speed up the dry time a bit. As for the 75% 25% formula it drys with just a breath,a tiny breath and you are set to go. I will tell you that adding Japan dryer to the mix actually makes it dry too fast. With a bit more testing Japan dryer might work great at a different concentration.

Have a good one.

scott99

 

[DKanger]

Arnaud,
I use mine straight and it works fine. A varnish is a resin or combination thereof which is dissolved in a solvent. The amount of dilution can vary from very thin to thick. This is why some find it necessary to thin and others don't. The dilution only affects drying time. Purity relates to the resin, not the final diluted product. Depends on how much they refine it. Dammar is a gum obtained from certain trees and dissolved in turpentine. Sam, naptha is a petroleum distillate (but you probably already knew that) that has a faster rate of evaporation than turpentine.

 

[maplesm]

I also use Winsor&Newton Dammar Varnish straight with better results on ivory.

 

[monk]

hmmm my only gripe with my "cirelli sauce" is the drying time. guess i'll add some naphtha to thin a bit. as far as mikes' "sauce" goes, i like it. a bottle seems to last forever. jm2cw

 

[Ray Cover]

I have used damar straight with great results. The secret it so brush it on as thin as your brush can get it. It will dry VERY quickly and leave a very fine film. Let it tack until you can rub the back of your finger across it and make a squeaking sound ( an old gold leafers trick I learned from CJ Allan).

 

[Arnaud Van Tilburgh]

Thanks all, seems I'm not the only one able to use the Dammar straight from the bottle.

arnaud

 

[James Roettger]

Damar varnish is powdered resin dissolved in turpentine. I also oil paint and have used it for years. Windsor Newton is definitely top of the line in art materials, brushes and white water color etc. I've always bought the powdered resin and mix it myself with turpentine to desired consistency.