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Flake White discovered!
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Posted
Going through a long forgotten box of my late father’s belongings I came across his case of oil paints. My father was a picture framer and art restorer and had a shop near Kings Cross in London. I held my breath as I opened the case hoping to see some treasures. I found this and the paint is still pliable in the tube although there is a small split at the bottom. I do have a question for any of our experts here, can I decant the paint in any way to save it and hopefully use it.
Posted
Well now, this is definitely lead white, which is no longer available… I did have a 200ml tube but unfortunately that supply has dried up.
Anyway, on to your question Hilary… I’m pretty sure that you can’t ‘decant’ it as such, better to try and use it from the tube, if that’s possible!
My learned colleague Robert will be able to give you a more definitive answer!
Posted
Not sure if this will work but probably something I would try. Definitely wear gloves (I use black nitrile gloves when I paint) and try it over some scrap paper in case you spill any so you can contain the waste as it's lead.
You could try wrapping lots of foil (or cling film) around where it is split and squeeze it out into a jar that has a good airproof sealed lid or into an empty aluminium tube (Jacksons Art sells them)?
As I said I'm guessing here but it may work?!
Posted
Agree with Alan and Gary, basically - depending on where the split in the tube is, how far it does or is likely to go, I would secure some strong foil to the tube and adhere it with whatever you can find that will work over oil residue: even a swathe of duct-tape. You can decant it - there was a member here who went by the name of Time-to-Be, who did just that, as Gary suggests. But wear gloves, and if any paint has dried out, do nothing to resuscitate it, especially involving scraping - lead is toxic when inhaled; not so much otherwise.
You have quite a valuable resource there, very ironically given what the tube would have cost when new - Flake, Silver, Cremnitz whites were economical paints; then the supply became very restricted, and the price went up; and now - though I'm doing my little best to fight this, you can't get it at all other than by covert means.