Technical Questions

How do you seal your finished cold wax medium painting?
Dave Bernard, Gamblin Colors, Dec 2017 FINAL SEALING OF PAINTING If your Cold Wax/Oil painting contains less than 1:3 cwm:oils, you can varnish with Gam...
Sat, 24 Nov, 2018 at 9:55 PM
Gamblin Customer Service Information
www.gamblincolors.com If you are ever in doubt or have questions about any product Gamblin makes, I encourage you to call Gamblin’s technical support line...
Fri, 10 Aug, 2018 at 11:40 PM
Adding powdered pigment or other powders to Cold Wax Medium
I have spent a lot of time talking to Dave Bernard and others over the phone about a lot of things as it pertains to Cold Wax Medium and Gamblin Oil paints,...
Mon, 24 Sep, 2018 at 1:25 AM
What are 1980 Gamblin Oil Paints?
Artists Oil Colors can be expensive.  If you want a stable, less expensive way of extending your Artists Oils, consider using Gamblin’s 1980 Oil Colors, the...
Fri, 10 Aug, 2018 at 11:47 PM
How much Cold Wax Medium do I add to my Oil Paints?
Cold Wax Medium alone is soft and brittle when dry.  Gamblin recommends a maximum of 25% Cold Wax (1:3 ratio of cwm:oil) if you want to paint on stretched c...
Fri, 10 Aug, 2018 at 11:51 PM
What are the Advantages of adding Galkyd Gel to Cold Wax Medium?
Although there is some alkyd resin in CWM, the amount is very small.  For this reason, I like to first add Galkyd Gel to my Cold Wax Medium before adding it...
Sat, 11 Aug, 2018 at 1:06 AM
Fat Over Lean - Important for Traditional Oil Painting - but NOT Cold Wax/Oil painting!
If you are a traditional oil painter, you want to work "fat over lean": 1)FAT OVER LEAN (addition of medium, such as liquin or galkyd, makes i...
Tue, 23 Oct, 2018 at 12:50 PM
Gamblin Fastmatte Colors
Fastmatte is lean, and 50:50 Galkyd/Gamsol is lean. The idea of fat over lean with alkyds – you don't need to worry too much – just add less and less 50...
Sat, 11 Aug, 2018 at 12:36 AM
Gamblin Gamvar Varnish
Gamvar: Use if your oil paints were mixed with up to, but not more than, 25% cold wax medium to oil paints only. If You have used more than 25% cold wax med...
Mon, 22 Oct, 2018 at 5:38 PM
How to Make Gamblin Gamvar Varnish Less Glossy
To make Gamvar Gloss less shiny, add 20% cold wax to the Gamvar by first making a slurry on your palette with the cwm and a little Gamvar. Add the slurry 20...
Mon, 22 Oct, 2018 at 5:39 PM