Hi, I seem to be having breathing issues after using odorless mineral spirits and heat set paint.
I had a chest cold and it was going away and then I painted a lot yesterday and it seems to be back, my chest cold.
Does anyone notice breathing issues? Its too cold to open windows yet.
I thought of switching to air dry but im afraid of the expense and I have so much GHSP and odorless mineral spirits left.
Thank you.
PS
I know people like air dry but I would be afraid of it rubbing off.
Can anyone recommend what they use for air dry? The brand and if you can mix with water or if you need a medium to mix.
Mona Lisa odorless thinner irritates my mucous membranes- I get a runny nose and drainage and a scratchy throat. It’s subtle but not pleasant. But Gamsol odorless thinner does not.
Air dry won’t rub off, I use a mix of golden fluid acrylics and ultimate fusion. I like golden better and am slowly switching to that as I run out of UF. I also very heavily varnish my dolls…not to the point of being rough or chalky. Never once had a problem with any paint rubs.
Haha sorry about that, I didn’t answer the whole question.
After I wash the kit really good I use Americana soft touch matte varnish to prep for paint. That has seemed to be a really good starting point for me. I use distilled water to dilute my paint. I get golden brand at Michael’s, but you can also order online if you just put it in your search. I haven’t checked if BB is still selling it or not…they used to, so maybe still do.
I usually don’t seal or varnish first, just paint after cleaning with alcohol and then Dawn. I mix my paints (golden fluid acrylics and a discontinued line) with golden glazing liquid (satin) and distilled water. I use mostly the glazing medium with the paint, and only a little water. The acrylics are very concentrated so you only need a drop or two of paint depending on how much you are mixing up. Sometimes less than a drop, especially with blue. I varnish with Americana sof touch varnish with the cornstarch and water mixed in, Angie’s recipe.
I am sensitive to all odorless thinner brands. That was why I gave up Genesis for so many years. Now I found a solvent I can use. Ecohouse Extra Mild Citrus Thinner. It has given me back my heat set paints and I love them!
On another note, please do not be baking indoors breathing those vinyl fumes. They are known to cause all sorts of health issues.
Air dry has come a long way! You can get really great results these days and they won’t rub off if used correctly. The key is used correctly. Air dry can be quick to paint, but takes days or weeks to cure to permanency. It’s not perfect but neither is heat set. I’ve had more paint rubbing issues with GHSP and more red fading issues with air dry. (Edit: to clarify this is just my perspective and everyone has different experiences )
There are a few brands out there now that are designed specifically for reborning. Those are the ones I recommend. I think it’s worth it to invest in the good stuff. (Golden Fluid Acrylics are an excellent product too, but aren’t designed for rebroning. They have a steep learning curve, especially for people who started with heat set, but it’s definitely possible to get great results with them too.)
My favorite air dry brand is Ultimate Fusion because it doesn’t collect dust and lint the same way most other air dry does. It’s amazing! That makes it similar to heat set. The only time you need to worry about dusty is the sealing and varnish layers, because those are sticky even with UF.
I follow Sue-Ellen’s tutorials for UF on Patreon and I’ve had great results. If you don’t want to use UF then WaterBorne and RebornFX are also good and designed to work with vinyl.
It isn’t really necessary to use paints ‘specifically designed for reborning’. I use Liquitex Professional Soft Body and Hard body paints. I have never had them attract dust and lint, nor have I had my sealer or varnish be sticky. What kind do you use? Genesis has a learning curve, too. I don’t get why people are afraid to try air dry because of that. It’s faster, no fumes, no waiting for each layer to flash off, bake and cool before applying the next layer and no chance of ever melting an expensive kit.
)