The Van EYCK SECRET

GIORGIO VASARI and the VAN EYCK SECRET
In the year 1550, Giorgio Vasari ( 1511-1574) first published his multi-volume book,” Lives of the Most
Eminent Italian Architects, Painters and Sculptors”. In book Eight, titled, “ Antonello Da Messina ...“,
Vasari wrote that John of Bruges ( Jan Van Eyck) had invented painting with oils. Modern scholarship
shows oil painting is an ancient art, existing centuries before the Van Eycks. It is clear Vasari meant to
say, Jan Van Eyck ‘perfected’ oil painting. 100 years after the death of Van Eyck, Vasari accurately
wrote that Van Eyck’s oil paintings far exceeded the quality of the paintings of his (Vasari’s)day.

In book eight, Vasari says the following , (paraphrased in brief):
Before Van Eyck, artists used ’distemper’ [ a glue or egg medium]. Many artists all over Europe tried to
find a way to paint more realistically. They tried different liquid varnishes and colors but did not
succeed. Jan Van Eyck made a secret varnish that he would not share.
The full story from the actual text is available at the Internet Medieval Sourcebook, www.fordham.edu

Not only does the quality of the Van Eyck’s paintings stand out amongst those of their era ( 1385-1441)
(there were two brothers) but when compared to paintings of recent centuries and of today, the Van
Eyck paintings are held by conservators as being in the most remarkable condition. Frequently they are
referred to as being “jewel-like”. The radiant colors and the micro-fine details causes one to ask,
“What medium did the Van Eycks use to do this“?

That is the subject of this essay: The “secret” medium the Van Eycks used that allows full control of
the paint, allowing the painting of sharply defined micro-fine details and lines, with hard lustrous paint
and great depth of brilliant color. I believe the methods and materials described in my book will shed
light on the issue.
__________________________________________________________________________________

QUESTIONS and ANSWERS

Since Vasari did not know the ‘secret medium”, what oil painting method did Vasari and his
peers use?
Vasari and his colleagues used a method of oil painting still in use today and taught at the highest and
lowest academic levels around the world. This method needs several ingredients, each serves a specific
purpose, and it can be called the “solvent-resin-varnish-drier method" ( made more difficult by modern
alkali refined linseed oil).
1. SOLVENTS: Different types of solvents such as Turpentine, were used. The main purpose was to thin
the paint. It also helped the paint to dry faster. Solvents evaporate completely except old turpentine
leaves a sticky residue that does not dry well. Solvents have another purpose, which is to liquefy resins.
The defect of solvents is that they break the bond between the pigment powder and the oil.
2. RESINS: Resins are hard or thick gummy substances. This stickiness helps oil paint stick where it is
placed, and prevents the oil paint from dripping down. When a resin is mixed with a solvent, it becomes
thinned enough to be easily mixed with oil. Painters using these solvent-resin mixtures frequently have
to add more solvent to the oil paint, because as the solvent evaporates, the paint becomes stickier.
The defect of resins is that they become yellow and brittle with the passage of many years.
3. DRIERS: Unpolymerized oil ( i.e. oil that is not thickened) when used to make paint, dries very slowly,
taking 6 to 12 days. Driers are powders or liquids that accelerate the drying to within hours. The defect
of driers is that they cause colors to become dark and cause paint to become brittle over many years.

Was the Linseed oil the Van Eycks different from the linseed oil of today?
Yes, The Van Eyck’s oil was different from today‘s oil in that they had cold pressed, completely natural
and UNREFINED linseed oil. Today‘s oil is heat extracted, chemically cleansed, Alkali REFINED linseed
oil.
First, all linseed oils are not the same, even today. Linseed oil is pressed from the seeds of the flax
plant and the quality of the plants and their seeds vary according to different geographical regions.
Much like grapes that are used to make wine, the unique environmental conditions impact the quality of
the flax seeds.

Second, the Van Eyck’s used ancient press equipment that extracted the oil by pure pressure and
without any heat. It is called Cold Pressed oil, and it was pure, natural and UNREFINED. It was not
refined by chemicals as is done today. Today’s chemical treatment of linseed oil has produced a linseed
oil that is slow drying. This slow drying property requires artists to use of driers and other additives.

Did Vasari have access to the same linseed oil used by Van Eyck?
Yes, Vasari and his colleagues did have the same SUPERIOR oil that was common to artists of his and
Van Eyck’s day. They never wrote about it because it was not an issue. It was the only Linseed oil they
had.
It is: UNREFINED, Cold Pressed Linseed oil that was slowly thickened in the sun. It was Vasari’s use of
this SUPERIOR oil that allowed him to minimize use of the additive ingredients. Yet, even he knew his
solvent based method did not give him the full control of the paint as the Van Eyck’s method. Vasari did
not know that the Van Eyck ‘secret’ medium required an important ingredient to maximize the properties
of the superior oil.

Do today‘s artists have access to Van Eyck‘s superior linseed oil?
Yes, it is abundantly available, and it is LESS expensive than the linseed oil sold in the art stores, but it
has to be processed. It is not for sale in art stores. My book gives information on this oil, and its
preparation.

Today, Art stores sell Alkali REFINED linseed oil in one of two conditions of viscosity.
(1) Stand linseed oil, which is thickened ( polymerized) through high heat.
(2) Linseed oil, (not polymerized), meaning it is thin and not thickened.

Alkali Refined oil, with its drying defect, requires the “solvent-resin-varnish-drier based method” to make
it effectively usable. As a youth, I learned to oil paint with this solvent based method and alkali refined
linseed oil, and it does not allow me to have full control of the paint. Although Van Eyck’s SUPERIOR oil
is available today, few artists are aware of its important properties or of how to obtain it or of how to
process it. This lack of information, causes them to settle for the slow drying chemically refined linseed
oil sold in the art stores.

Do you think Alkali Refined Linseed oil and the tube oil paints made with it should be
discarded?
No. Alkali Refined linseed oil and modern tube paints are here to stay…forever. In fact, the modern tube
oil paints, regardless of their deficiencies, are very usable if they are conditioned properly. My book
goes into detail on that point. Modern tube oil paints are convenient, relatively inexpensive, and
available everywhere. Of course they vary in quality from one manufacturer to another. Informed artists
can make wise choices, and once they read my book, many of them will.

Do some art stores sell Unrefined, Cold Pressed linseed oil?
Yes, some art stores do sell Unrefined Cold Pressed linseed oil, but some of the labels of American
produced oil, downplay its importance, and even denigrates it as an ‘inferior’ oil. This misleading
‘advertising’ is designed to promote the sale of the inexpensively mass produced Alkali REFINED oil.
Alkali refined linseed oil offers the artist of today two things: convenience and low price, and it provides
the manufacturers with two things: convenience and profits. Generally speaking, European produced
cold pressed linseed oil is much more expensive than the American brands.

How is the Van Eyck ‘Secret” medium made?
We will ever know EXACTLY. They did not leave a document with their formula, however, logic and
experimentation allows me to say the following:

The Van Eycks were trained as EGG-TEMPERA painters. The Egg-Tempera method ( NOT the oil
method) uses a mixture of egg and water with the dry pigment. Egg-Tempera is an ancient method still
in use today. Artists have always experimented with their materials, and at some point, Van Eyck, or
someone before his time, mixed egg and oil and found out the unique properties of this mixture which
we call an egg-oil Emulsion. Like anything else, RATIO of materials creates the result, making it useful
or not. In ancient times, lacking science and mass media, results of experiments were known and kept
by a few. My book shows how to make two important Emulsions.
With 19th century Industrialization, the ancient art studios disappeared and art students were trained in
colleges. The mass production of artist’s materials produced materials of varying quality and much
studio knowledge was lost. Linseed oil was mass produced, expressed with heat and cleansed with
chemicals, to the detriment of the oil and the artist.

What is an Emulsion and how is it made?
An Emulsion is the mixing of two unmixable liquids, one being water-based and the other oil-based.
Vigorous shaking and certain components of the liquids allow the two to mix. An Emulsion can be made
with a variety of natural substances that contain natural water in their make-up, but not all are
successful. For example, mixing casein and oil creates an emulsion that becomes dark over time, as well
as being an extremely slow drying emulsion which is a hindrance. The more common substances for
mixing with oil are these:
1. The whole egg
2. The Egg Yolk only
3. The Egg clear only ( when beaten to a froth and allowed to settle, it is called glair)
4. Casein ( non-fat milk)
5. Glue
6. Others

There are many recipes for making Emulsions. Some are complex requiring the addition of more water,
different oils, resins, and or solvents. I believe none of those recipes are necessary, some are
hazardous, and some create issues of poor permanence.

My experiments support my belief that two different Emulsions having extraordinary properties are made
of TWO very special ingredients, but when mixed in certain ratios.

Is the Van Eyck method of oil painting of value to modern artists of today?
Yes it is, for these reasons. Our world is very different from the world of the Van Eycks. We live in a fast
paced, scientific, technological age. Our age is characterized by a demand for instant gratification ,
intolerance of anything that ‘wastes’ (requires) our time, and accustomed to using disposable items.
Modern styles of painting reflect this energized anxiety, with splashes, drips, and broad wet-in-wet
painting methods that are ‘best’ done within a few hours. Many painters have discarded ‘troublesome’
slow-drying traditional oil paints and use only fast drying acrylic paints that allow faster and greater
freedom, and the creation of multi-media works. Acrylic paints and their clear synthetic emulsion
adhesive, allows use of collage, with additions of paper, wood, crayola, ink, and other substances.
Even now, in the 21st century, artists have discarded the 20th century acrylic paints in favor of faster
computer graphics, which when combined with high resolution printing presses, can create exciting
visual art of huge proportions within minutes or hours.

The oil paintings of the 14th century Van Eycks and of other Masters of the era, were made slowly by
hand, with natural materials, and with methods guided by experience and understanding. Almost 600
years later, they are still here in an extraordinary condition of preservation. Their paintings took weeks,
or months, to complete with a layering process. The artists had understanding of thixotropic properties
of unrefined oil and the properties of natural emulsions. These paintings have brilliant color depth, hard
lustrous surfaces, extremely fine minute micro-fine details, sensuous textural applications and have
been called “jewels” by experts throughout history.

In our fast paced world, there are still many artists who wish to use the methods and materials of
the Van Eycks, Bellini, Rembrandt, Velazquez, and other Old Masters. I firmly believe the information
in my book, “ Oil Painting with ‘Calcite Sun Oil: Safety and Permanence without Hazardous Solvents,
Resins, Varnishes and Driers”, will allow them to accomplish this.

What are you offering today’s oil painters?
In two words: SAFETY and PERMANENCE. Sharing knowledge, facts and accurate information with
artists is important so they can make wise choices. I also offer my invention, ‘Calcite Sun Oil”, which
changes and improves modern tube oil paint giving it the properties and control, like that of the Old
Masters‘ paint. My “Calcite Sun Oil formula was patented by the US Patent and Trademark Office in
November 2006. It is patent # 7141109. My book also discuss the important uses of the “wonder
medium” of Emulsions in oil painting which allows us to eliminate ALL hazardous Solvents, Resins,
Varnishes and Driers, and gives us full control of the oil paint.

What is ‘Calcite Sun Oil”?
I call it ‘CSO’ for short. It is a carefully measured mixture of two ancient, time tested artist‘s materials that
are both completely non-hazardous and completely permanent. When made correctly, it is a viscous,
gel-like substance. It is not yet on the market and has to be made in the studio. I believe it will someday
be a standard part of the artist’s materials.

INGREDIENT #1: The SUPERIOR oil mentioned above: UNREFINED, Cold Pressed Linseed oil…THAT
WAS.. Sun Thickened in the sun SLOWLY. [ more on this sun thickening process shortly].
INGREDIENT # 2: Calcium Carbonate powder. There are several different Calcium Carbonate powders,
and having experimented with them, I find the best results are from Chalk of Champagne, France.

You mentioned SLOWLY sun thickening the oil. Why is it important to do it slowly?
Linseed oil can be thickened indoors or outdoors. It must be stirred and have moving air to thicken
evenly throughout. Linseed oil contains natural moisture and if thickened indoors, it remains a slow ( 7
days time) drying paint medium. If thickened outdoors, the sun’s heat evaporates the moisture, causing
it to become a fast ( 30 hours time) drying oil. If the oil’s thickening is ACCELERATED by placing it only
1/8 inch thick or less on a flat tray, out in the sun, it will QUICKLY thicken within 3 to 5 days. My tests
show that paint made with this accelerated thickened oil creates paint that wrinkles greatly. SLOWLY
thickening the oil by placing it at least 1 inch thick, will take 30 days to thicken, and if used CORRECTLY
it will not wrinkle.

Did the Van Eycks use mixtures of Calcium Carbonate with their oil paint?
I have read that some Aragonite, which is a calcium carbonate powder, was found in some parts of the
Van Eycks' paintings. The source was on the internet. How accurate or complete this is I cannot say.
But, there is much scientific evidence from several highly qualified sources ( included in my
bibliography) that Rembrandt and Velazquez added calcium carbonate powder to their oil paint. Of the
two, Velazquez used it the most, adding it to all his colors. Velazquez’ paintings are in remarkable
condition, with translucence and brilliance of his colors, in addition to sumptuous textures of paint-. End
of Essay copyright 2007

THE VAN EYCK SECRET MEDIUM FOR OIL PAINTING
Jacque Maroger's 1931 published claim of having re-discovered
the lost "Van Eyck" secret medium failed. My book explains how and why it failed.
No pun intended, but the reason he failed .... BOILS ... down to the oil he used

REMBRANDT DID NOT add BURNT PLATE OIL, to his oil painting medium
SCIENCE AND PRACTICALITY DISPROVE THE THEORY

TESTING BURNT PLATE OIL

The bottom photo shows some interesting test results of Burnt Plate Oil. The two jars show two
viscosities of BPO, #3 and # 8. They were in the hot southern California sun for 40 days, and they
both remained BROWN AMBER color. Given the increasing translucency of oil paint over much time,
this dark amber brown color will cause lowering of tone and darkening of light toned oil paint color.
This is ONE reason not to use BPO.

In my tests I can put Unrefined linseed oil in the sun , thinly on a tray and within 5 days, the very thin
layer of oil will bleach to a water white clear transparency
( note: this accelerated sun thickening method is not recommended because paint made with it will
wrinkle badly).. When the unrefined linseed oil is in a container, about 3/4 inches thick, it takes about
3 weeks to become bleached. THE FACT is that the oil WILL BE BLEACHED to water white clarity, but
the BURNT PLATE OIL WOULD NOT BLEACH OUT

Besides being an extremely SLOW DRYING oil ( a SECOND reason for not using BPO in oil painting
), the two grades of BPO I experimented with has this disadvantage of being permanently brown
amber in color.

THE VAN EYCK SECRET : TWO CONSIDERATIONS
I am convinced the Van Eyck secret medium was in fact TWO separate considerations.
1. A very simple Emulsion . 2. A crucial application method.

My experience with formulating emulsions, and formulating the ' calcite sun oil' grinding oil,
has given me intimate insight into how Emulsions work .

I believe the secret medium of the Van Eycks did not include use of solvents, resins, varnishes or driers.
Since my book goes into this in great detail, I will skip explaining myself on why I believe this.

The two extraordinary Emulsions I formulated are extraordinarily simple,
but very profound in their foundation. This also is explained clearly in my book.

If one does not know the crucial method of application, the medium itself FAILS.
If one uses the unique method of application I developed, the result is ASTONISHING.
My book clearly describes that application method and explains why it is important
for it to be applied correctly.
I believe I am the first to make this claim. Of course we will never know what the
' secret medium' of the Van Eycks was, unless one day a document from them or their students is
discovered.

REMBRANDT DID NOT ADD BURNT PLATE OIL TO
HIS PAINTING MEDIUM :BURNT PLATE OIL and BLACK OIL
are both degraded, carbonized, prematurely aged oils with a
shortened lifespan.

The FALSE theory that Rembrandt added Burnt Plate oil to his paint is
proposed in the website
http://www.northernlightstudio.com/burnoil.php,
which is authored by Sarah Belchetz-Swenson a painter and
printmaker in Williamsburg, Massachusetts., and
Phoebe Dent Weil, an art conservator.
Part ONE of this essay gives an overview of their theory.
Part TWO gives my rebuttal showing why the theory is
erroneous.
__________________________________________________

PART ONE: From their website:
Abstract ( in part)
Recent scientific investigations of Rembrandt’s pastose paint have
resulted in differing conclusions. We propose that Rembrandt used
burnt plate oil, a basic ingredient of printing ink, to produce his unique
range of impasto effects in painting.

Introduction ( in part)
… sources agree generally on Rembrandt’s pigments, including his
use of chalk to add body and translucency to the paint, but they
disagree on the composition and manipulation of his medium for
impasto effects.

Rembrandt’s studio: painting and printmaking ( in part)
Burnt plate oil is raw linseed (or walnut) oil that has been heated until it
ignites spontaneously (approximately 400oC), is reduced to one-half
or more of its original volume, becomes very thick and viscous, and
can be pulled out in strings of twelve inches or more.

Experimental tests and reconstructions ( in part)
To test our hypothesis we made three batches of burnt plate oil …. In
each case we started with one liter of Swedish raw linseed oil…. [the
first batch was not measured as to temperature] In our second batch
we reached a maximum temperature of 388oC at combustion. In our
third batch we reached a maximum temperature of 425o C.
__________________________________________________

PART TWO : MY REBUTTAL

IT IS AN ERRONEOUS THEORY THAT REMBRANDT ADDED BURNT
PLATE OIL TO HIS PAINTING MEDIUM
I offer two rebuttals to the erroneous theory of Rembrandt using Burnt
Plate oil as an additive to his painting medium.

The first rebuttal is the scientific paper named below citing the
decomposition of linseed oil when heated above 236 degrees
centigrade. The two ladies boiled their oil at a temperature far above
the safety level … 388 and 425 degrees centigrade.

The second rebuttal is based is my own testing of Burnt Plate Oil. Its
extremely slow drying is an unnecessary hindrance to painting, and
there are better options in choices of oil. Unrefined, organically
cleansed, flax oil that has been sun thickened, will dry naturally within
30 hours, compared to 5 days drying needed for Burnt Plate Oil. My
tests also show the films of Burnt Plate Oil become brittle over time, as
the high heat has caused loss of the natural pliability of the oil.

Scientific Document as rebuttal:
http://www.si.edu/MCI/downloads/articles/Tusoma_paper.pdf
Title: “The Influence of Lead ions on the drying of oils”
Authors: This academically peer reviewed and published paper is by
Charles S. Tumosa; PhD, and Marion F. Mecklenburg; PhD, and
warns of OVERHEATING the oil.
[See page 41, 3rd paragraph, left side for their Quote]:
"Care must be taken since Linseed Oil starts to decompose
in the 230-236 degrees Centigrade."

Questions about oil:
What is Burnt Plate OIl? ..What is BLACK OIL?
BURNT PLATE OIL and BLACK OIL are both degraded,
prematurely aged oils with a shortened lifespan.

These oils are NOT archival permanent.
Both oils have been PREMATURELY AGED (DECOMPOSED)
by the carbonization caused by the HIGH BOILING HEAT
far beyond the safe temperature for linseed oil.

REMEMBER the disaster of MEGUILP?.
Meguilp is linseed oil BOILED with lead, then mixed with a soft resin
solvent varnish. Artists believed it was " THe secret medium of the Old
Masters". The artists that used MEGUILP argued that their paintings
"looked just fine, 20 years after being finished". BUT we know that 40
years later the paintings cracked and became dark.

My Practical Testing in the studio as rebuttal:
Unrefined, organically cleansed, flax oil that has been sun thickened,
will dry naturally within 30 hours… compared to 5 days drying needed
for Burnt Plate Oil.

My Additional testing in the studio as rebuttal:
The two ladies completely ignored the most important treatment of
natural cold pressed unrefined flax oil:
That of removing the mucilage from the oil.
My website shows photos proving how mucilage
becomes brown over time.

THE OLD MASTERS' THERMOMETER
Even the Old Masters knew NOT TO OVER HEAT their oil, and lacking
modern thermometers....they used a feather, which they inserted into
the oil as it was being heated, once the correct SAFE temperature was
reached, the quill would burn black, and the heat removed.
Professor Ernst Van De Wetering's recent DVD on Rembrandt has a
Demonstration of this ancient procedure, and shows the quill becomes
black at a SAFE temperature of 200 degrees Centigrade.

ALL THE IMPASTO EFFECTS ACHIEVED BY REMBRANDT
can be achieved EASILY, by using the SUPERIOR UNREFINED
FLAX OIL DESCRIBED IN THIS WEBSITE . IF and WHEN USED
WITH TWO SIMPLE INGREDIENTS :
CALCIUM CARBONATE POWDER and EGG GLAIR

THESE THREE ARCHIVAL, SAFE, PERMANENT and SIMPLE
INGREDIENTS ALLOW US TO DUPLICATE REMBRANDT'S
TECHNIQUE , IMPASTO, GLAZES and SCUMBLES WITH
COMPLETE CONTROL OF THE OIL PAINT MEDIUM

CONTINUE TO READ THE ESSAY BELOW,
GIVING ADDITIONAL INFORMATION REBUTTING
THE ERRONEOUS THEORY.

In modern times, Rembrandt’s methods and materials have received
much attention by world renowned and lesser recognized scientists
using the most advanced equipment available. Scientists using these

debatable. Scientists are human and make errors, bad guesses,
perform incomplete or defective experiments, just like persons in any
profession.

Anthony Bailey’s book on the Rembrandt Research Project discloses
the effect, that ego and the position of the scientist on the ‘pecking
order’, had on settling the disagreements as the seven members
determined which Rembrandt paintings were authentic and which
were not. Later RRP groups made of different members, have
reversed de-attributions made by an earlier RRP group.

Recently, I was given a website in which two contemporary scientists
THEORIZE that since Rembrandt was an etcher, that it was POSSIBLE
that he used the extremely thick linseed oil used in etching, and mixed
it with his oil painting medium. The two scientists used old recipes and
by boiling linseed oil at high temperatures they attempted to recreate
what they believe was the thick oil used by Rembrandt for his
etchings. Their report calls this oil, “BURNT PLATE OIL”. I have sent
them copies of this essay, and they have not acknowledged receipt of
it.

I will be the first to say that Rembrandt’s inventive, creative approach
to his use of materials in oil painting makes the possibility of
Rembrandt having made a ONE TIME ‘experiment “ a possibility.
Rembrandt was the first of the Old Masters to apply his paint in thick,
high impasto by using a palette knife. My tests of BPO, convinced me
Rembrandt WOULD NOT have used his etching oil as his grinding oil
for oil painting. This essay will explain.

TESTING THE THEORY AND CONCLUSION
A friend asked me to try out the theory. I painted a painting using BPO
and simultaneously painted a painting using the ‘Calcite Sun Oil‘ (the
CSO method described in my book). After testing BPO as a painting
medium, I concluded that Rembrandt would NOT have used this
medium in his oil paintings ...except for a one time experiment. A one
time experiment would have demonstrated to Rembrandt the
important reasons why he would not have continued its use.
Rembrandt followed established methods of mixing smalt ( ground
glass) with his paint to accelerate the drying and Rembrandt added
dry Calcium Carbonate powder to create high thick bodied impasto
textures. At the conclusion of this essay I show photos and will
expand on additional reasons supporting why Rembrandt would NOT
have used BPO as his standard oil painting medium. I begin with a
review and research of BPO.

RESEARCH ON BURNT PLATE OIL
I offer the following research on the Burnt Plate Oil I purchased from a
local Art store. For privacy, I must leave out the names of the
company representatives I spoke with. In fact, I was told by one
contact person , that they were not allowed to give out information on
their suppliers. It was only through perseverance and reaching a
person in a higher position and after explaining the purpose of my
inquiry, I was able to get the leads I needed. I was asked not to
divulge the information.

BPO is designed for the industrial commercial Printing industry, and is
used in the fine arts of Etching, and Lithography. BPO can be bought
in various degrees of viscosity from thin to thick. Various blacks and
colors can be mixed with these BPO varieties for desired colorist
effects. The Art store I purchased the BPO from informed me that
they do not MANUFACTURE the BPO but buy it from a SUPPLIER,
and only resell it. I was given the names of two Suppliers, from which
they purchase the BPO. Price considerations cause this art store to
buy the #00 (very low viscosity) and the #3 ( medium viscosity) from
one supplier, and the #8 ( very viscous) from another.

I had a lengthy conversation with the representative of the supplier of
the #00 and the #3 BPO. In brief he stated (paraphrased): We do not
manufacture this product. We buy it from the manufacturer and re-sell
it, but I do not have their name. We don’t call it Burnt Plate Oil, we call
it dark bodied Litho oil. Though we do not make it, I can answer some
of your questions. The oil used is linseed oil. I do not know if it is
refined oil or not. Alkali refinement removes all the fatty acids by
treating the oil with a caustic chemical called Sodium Hydroxide. After
it removes the fatty acids, the chemical is washed out. This lightens
the color and removes the impurities from the oil. The oil is boiled
under a nitrogen blanket to keep oxygen out. The longer it boils, the
darker and thicker it gets.

Another representative informed me of the following (paraphrased) :
Burnt Plate Oil and Litho Varnish are actually exactly the same
product. We do not manufacture the BPO. We buy it from a supplier
and re-sell it. They do not have solvents or driers mixed into them. I
do not know what method of refining of the linseed oil is involved.
Linseed oil is boiled and then at the end of the process an ignition
source is added to the varnish kettle to flash off (or burn) the light
ends. The light ends are the naturally occurring solvents in the
linseed oil. The difference between raw linseed and bodied linseed
(which is what burnt plate oil and litho varnish are) is the removal of
the solvents – and the fact that by cooking the material for longer
periods of time, the resulting oil gains body ( viscosity). As the body of
an oil increases the oil tends to darken. Varnish kettles accommodate
approximately 20-30 drums of 55 gallons each

TEST PAINTINGS COMPARING BPO and CSO
The two paintings were painted on the same date, 8/11/07 beginning
at about 8AM. Each took about 45 minutes to complete. The BPO
painting was painted first. These are not works of art, they are only
demonstrations of using the materials.

Five DAYS after completion, the BPO painting was still wet in the thin
blue paint area, and also in the thicker paint, impasto areas ( on
8/16/07 at 8PM ). On 8/17/07, some areas of the paint surface were
still able to be smeared by gentle rubbing. The dry time was 5-6 days.

Thirty HOURS after completion, the CSO painting was solidified to the
touch in all areas.
The drying was sufficient that gentle rubbing in all areas did not cause
any smearing. The dry time was 30 hours.

CONCLUSION:
REMBRANDT WOULD NOT HAVE USED
BURNT PLATE OIL AS AN ADDITIVE TO HIS
OIL PAINTING MEDIUM
1. Rembrandt would not have used the BPO for the following reasons:
* BPO has an extremely slow drying quality, even with thinly applied
paint. Rembrandt knew that Sun Thickened, UNREFINED cold
pressed linseed oil was a sufficiently fast drying oil. It dries within 8 to
30 hours or less, depending on the pigment choice, thickness of film,
and environmental factors.
* Rembrandt knew that the addition of driers - to unnaturally
accelerate the drying of oil paint made with linseed oil - was a
dangerous practice that resulted in darkening and cracking of the
paint film over time.
* Rembrandt’s knowledge of paint application methods ( thin paint
dries faster) and use of naturally fast drying pigments ( umber dries
fastest ), and his use of inert natural ingredients that can impact
drying by natural means ( smalt and Calcium Carbonate) would
eliminate Rembrandt’s use of extremely slow drying BPO as a
standard oil painting medium.
* Recent scientific studies have found a protein additive to
Rembrandt's paint. This could be considered a 'secret' of
Rembrandt's paint medium, as the protein additive gives the artist full
control of viscous paint.

2. The #8 dark thick BPO has a strong odor. Though I painted in a
well ventilated open garage, the fumes of BPO gave me a headache.

3. The fine art craft of oil painting as practiced by the Old Masters
required much time for preparation of their materials. Today, we have
industrialized production and readily available oil painting materials in
great quantity and variety of quality and price. One can still prepare
the very IMPORTANT Unrefined linseed oil easily and efficiently, as
explained in my book.

4. Some artists want convenience. I do not fault artists for seeking
easier ways to obtain their materials or for settling for inferior products
because of their personal circumstances and needs. I support the
experimentation of all art materials, as Rembrandt himself paved the
way for us to follow.

5. Some artists have found the use of BPO to be an effective and fun
way to oil paint. Artists that want an inexpensive, readily available,
extremely viscous linseed oil , much thicker than standard ‘STAND
LINSEED OIL” might want to experiment with all the various viscosity
grades of BPO and with a variety of inert additives such as calcium
carbonate, ground glass, marble dust and others.
-End of essay
copyright, 2007, Louis R. Velasquez, all rights reserved, not to be
used without written permission .

Oil Painting with 'Calcite
Sun Oil':
Safety and Permanence
Without Hazardous
Solvents, Resins,
Varnishes and Driers' by
Louis R. Velasquez

AVAILABLE WORLDWIDE
See it on any Online
Bookstore.
READ THE REVIEWS on
AMAZON

THIS PAGE EXPLAINS WHY
REMBRANDT DID NOT USE Burnt Plate Oil
230-236 Degrees Centigrade = DECOMPOSITION BEGINS / Carbonization/ Reduced Lifespan
200 Degrees Centigrade = The Old Masters use of a goose quill to indicate SAFE heating temperature
300 Degrees Centigrade = Modern Stand Oil - heated/ without Oxygen
300 Degrees Centigrade = Oil smokes and produces TOXIC Carbon Monoxide and Acrolein gas vapors
343 Degrees Centigrade + = Oil begins to BOIL
343 Degrees Centigrade + = Oil Ignites / Catches fire
380 - 425 Degrees Centigrade= Burnt Plate Oil made by modern testing