Hello all,

The presence of a forum on cold wax is not to be construed as an R&F endorsement of wax techniques involving solvents.  This is especially true if the solvent bearing wax is subsequently heated.  R&F strongly advises against this for health and safety reasons.

Welcome to the wild west section of the R&F forum.  What follows is part of a post that Richard Frumess recently submitted on the AMIEN forum (

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).  There are several very specific references in the text that refer to an ongoing discussion, but nevertheless, I think it adequately addresses the subject of this post.  Happy reading, Laura



Cold wax mediums have a long history. The wax can be melted in vegetable oil (such as linseed) or “dissolved” in an aliphatic solvent (turpentine or mineral spirits) or saponified by heating it in an alkali, such as ammonium carbonate or potassium carbonate (potash).

I use the word “dissolve” in quotes, because we are not talking here of the creation of a true solution (in which the wax breaks down into molecular components) but of gels, tiny particles in uniform suspension in the liquid (oil or solvent).

No doubt, cold wax was used in ancient times and was employed separately or in combination with hot wax. Euphrosyne Doxiadis’ excellent book on the Fayum portrait paintings mentions evidence of egg and oil being found in analyses of some of the portraits. Whether any of these cold waxes were the Punic wax that the Roman historian Pliny described in his Natural History is debatable but, for our purposes, not necessary to determine. The point is, encaustic was a widely used paint medium in Greco-Roman art, in the painting of both panels and sculpture for about a thousand years, beginning in the 5th century BC. Certainly, there would have been a variety of methods from the academic traditions of the urban schools to the improvised solutions devised by provincial painters dependent on local materials.

The same is true today. And there is even debate as to whether encaustic is defined by its material (wax) or its technique (fusing the applied paint, which is what “encaustic” means). We at R&F may promote an orthodoxy of definition, method, and safety, but we also realize that there are many other ways as well to “skin the cat.” In fact, we recently held a workshop in our facilities entitled “Breaking the Rules,” taught by Santa Fe artist, Russell Thurston, who has uses solvent, tar, and dry pigment in his work and makes wonderful paintings with them.

We are careful to warn artists about problems with the toxicity and durability of their materials. But while it is not our job to say “no” to certain practices, we do feel it important to point out problems and explore safe measures when necessary – hence, Jeanne and Jim’s finding us “mildly horrified” at the use of solvents and claiming limited experience with them. It is true we do not have a great deal of experience with solvents in our mediums. We do not use solvents in our workshops, there are no solvents in our ingredients, and even the cleanup in our production department is done largely with mineral oil. A final swipe with an alcohol rag is occasionally used to remove lingering stain tones from organic pigments.

On safety, Amien and George have covered very well the lack of thorough testing of d-limonene for toxicity. And Jeanne and Jim are well aware of the dangers of OMS and turps. My concern for Jeanne and Jim is whether they are using adequate ventilation, regardless of whether they are affected by the d-limonene. There is always a danger of developing sensitivity over time to fumes and gases from solvents, molten wax, heated oils, or fungicides. One can develop a sensitivity to either an irritant or a toxin. This is why it is important to have continuous air changes in the studio. Window exhaust fans and a source of replacement air present simple solutions. Solvents and molten waxes should be placed close to the fan so that little or no odor can be detected from them.

As to the difference between cold and hot wax, in my experience, I have found cold wax encaustic, even after fusing to create a softer film than the hot wax version and therefore to be less polishable. It also does not have the translucency of the hot wax encaustic. This may be due to the fact that the fused wax retains some of the liquid agent – solvent, oil, or alkali—that formed the gel. Damar varnish, for example, has ~ 15% solvent retention after drying. A wax/oil paste would probably retain 100% of the oil. These differences are simply that – they are differences. They do not mean that one is superior/inferior to the other. It depends on what kind of workability the artist wants and what kind of surface effects and he/she wants to achieve.

One last thing. Jeanne and Jim bring up the point that the heating and reheating of wax in encaustic breaks the wax down. I’m not sure what that means. I have never seen encaustic that has been heated and reheated, at moderate temperatures, become crumbly, more brittle, less polishable, less brushable, or become less functioning as a pigment bearer. And, believe me, the paint in our workshop room gets used over and over. Nor is there any literature that I have ever read that says it releases a greater amount of gas and fume. If there is something on this, please let me know. -Richard Frumess