{"title":"Oil Painting Solvents","description":"\u003cp\u003eThree solvents do the bulk of the work in a working oil painter's studio: a traditional turpentine for dissolving dammar resin in classical mediums, a low-odour mineral spirit for general thinning and brush cleaning, and a citrus-based alternative for painters working at home or with limited ventilation.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWe stock all three in sizes from 75ml trial bottles up to 2.5 litre studio jugs. If you're new to oil painting and unsure which to start with, our \u003ca href=\"\/blogs\/news\/solvents-vs-mediums-what-every-oil-painter-gets-wrong\"\u003eguide to solvents vs mediums\u003c\/a\u003e walks through the differences. The short version: Zest-It for studio safety, Sansodor for low-odour day-to-day work, and English Distilled Turpentine for traditional medium recipes.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"english-distilled-turpentine","title":"Winsor \u0026 Newton English Distilled Turpentine | Traditional Pine Solvent for Oil Paint","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe traditional artist's solvent, still the gold standard for one specific job: dissolving dammar resin in traditional painting mediums.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDistilled from pine resin, English Distilled Turpentine is the real article — not the hardware-shop \"turpentine substitute\", which is typically a mix of light petroleum fractions with much weaker solvent action. If you are mixing your own medium from stand oil, dammar varnish, and a thinner, only true turpentine will fully dissolve the dammar.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTurpentine has the strongest solvent power of the three traditional thinners we stock. It evaporates faster than Sansodor, has a much stronger pine odour, and can sensitise painters with prolonged exposure — particularly anyone with respiratory sensitivities. Use it in a well-ventilated studio.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePractically, turpentine has two main jobs: thinning paint and washing brushes in the lean underpainting layers of a traditional fat-over-lean oil painting, and acting as the solvent in classic painting medium recipes. For brush cleaning at the end of a session, Zest-It does the same job with less inhalation risk.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eType:\u003c\/strong\u003e Pine-resin distillate\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eBrand:\u003c\/strong\u003e Winsor \u0026amp; Newton\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eOdour:\u003c\/strong\u003e Strong pine\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDissolves dammar:\u003c\/strong\u003e Yes — fully\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eFlashpoint:\u003c\/strong\u003e 35°C — store away from heat sources\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eBest for:\u003c\/strong\u003e Traditional dammar mediums; lean underpainting layers\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSizes available:\u003c\/strong\u003e 75ml, 250ml, 500ml, 1 litre\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e","brand":"Winsor and Newton","offers":[{"title":"75ml","offer_id":40518261080230,"sku":"3021744","price":7.35,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"250ml","offer_id":55531753832824,"sku":"3039744","price":13.05,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"500ml","offer_id":55531753865592,"sku":"3049744","price":22.1,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"1L","offer_id":55531753898360,"sku":"3053744","price":38.9,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0528\/7388\/7910\/products\/3021744_2_5026fc87-c1a9-4af0-9b81-efdcc0e61bff.jpg?v=1750873729"},{"product_id":"zest-it-dilutant-and-cleaner-for-oil-paint","title":"Zest-It Dilutant \u0026 Brush Cleaner | Citrus Solvent for Oil Paint","description":"\u003cp\u003eA UK-made citrus solvent that has become the studio-safe default for oil painters working at home. Zest-It Limited has been making this in Nottinghamshire since the 1990s, and it does two jobs in one bottle — thins oil paint and cleans brushes — with a fraction of the inhalation risk of traditional turpentine or mineral spirits.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe active ingredient is d-limonene, extracted from orange peel. It dissolves oil paint readily, lifts dried paint from brushes more efficiently than turpentine, and unusually for a non-turpentine, will dissolve dammar resin — making it a genuine turpentine substitute for traditional medium recipes, not just a thinner.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe smell is pleasant orange rather than no smell at all (compare to Winsor \u0026amp; Newton's Sansodor, which is genuinely odourless but a weaker solvent). For studios with limited ventilation, painters who have developed turpentine sensitivity, or homes with children around, this is the practical first choice. Flashpoint is much higher than turpentine, so it is also safer in storage.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOne thing worth knowing: d-limonene slowly oxidises in air, and the oxidation products are stronger skin sensitisers than the fresh solvent. Decant what you need for a session rather than leaving the bottle open, and keep the lid on tight between sessions.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eType:\u003c\/strong\u003e Citrus terpene (d-limonene) solvent\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eMade in:\u003c\/strong\u003e UK (Nottinghamshire)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eOdour:\u003c\/strong\u003e Pleasant orange\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDissolves dammar:\u003c\/strong\u003e Yes\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDoubles as brush cleaner:\u003c\/strong\u003e Yes\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eFlammability:\u003c\/strong\u003e Far less flammable than turpentine\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eBest for:\u003c\/strong\u003e Studio-safe oil painting, brush cleaning, traditional dammar mediums\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSizes available:\u003c\/strong\u003e 125ml, 250ml, 500ml, 1 litre\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eBrand:\u003c\/strong\u003e Zest-It\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e","brand":"Zest It","offers":[{"title":"125ML","offer_id":40518804406438,"sku":"Z125","price":9.15,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"250ML","offer_id":55560442184056,"sku":"Z250","price":12.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"500ML","offer_id":55560442216824,"sku":"Z500","price":18.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"1Litre","offer_id":55560442249592,"sku":"Z1000","price":29.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0528\/7388\/7910\/products\/Zest-it-Oil-Dilutant-and-Brush-Cleaner-Z1-Z2-Z3-Z4.jpg?v=1750872958"},{"product_id":"zest-it-dilutant-and-cleaner-for-oil-paint-citrus-free-various-sizes","title":"Zest-It Solvent Cleaner (Citrus Free) | Low-Odour Oil Paint Thinner","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe companion product to standard Zest-It, for painters who have developed sensitivity to citrus terpenes. Same job — thins oil paint, cleans brushes — but built around a different non-aromatic base, with the citrus chemistry left out entirely.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eCitrus allergies to d-limonene are uncommon but real, and tend to develop in painters who have been using citrus-based solvents heavily over many years. Symptoms range from contact dermatitis to respiratory sensitivity. If standard Zest-It has started giving you trouble after long use, this is the version to switch to.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eOn performance it sits between standard Zest-It and Sansodor: lower odour than the citrus version, comparable solvent power on fresh paint, slightly weaker than the citrus version at dissolving dammar resin. For brush cleaning and paint thinning it is effectively interchangeable with the original.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eMade in the UK by Zest-It Limited.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eType:\u003c\/strong\u003e Non-aromatic hydrocarbon solvent, citrus-free\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eMade in:\u003c\/strong\u003e UK\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eOdour:\u003c\/strong\u003e Low\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eBest for:\u003c\/strong\u003e Painters with citrus sensitivity; low-odour studio work\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSizes available:\u003c\/strong\u003e 125ml, 250ml, 500ml, 1 litre\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eBrand:\u003c\/strong\u003e Zest-It\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e","brand":"Zest It","offers":[{"title":"125ML","offer_id":42609641816230,"sku":"ZS125","price":8.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"250ML","offer_id":55177879880056,"sku":"ZS250","price":12.5,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"500ML","offer_id":55177879912824,"sku":"ZS500","price":17.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"1Litre","offer_id":55177879945592,"sku":"ZS1000","price":28.5,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0528\/7388\/7910\/products\/SolventGroup_1.jpg?v=1750872395"},{"product_id":"mh-portuguese-turpentine","title":"Michael Harding Portuguese Maritime Turpentine | Steam-Distilled Pine Solvent","description":"\u003cp\u003eTurpentine is the traditional solvent for oil paint — used to thin paint in lean underlayers, extend mediums, and clean brushes. Michael Harding's Portuguese Maritime Turpentine is steam-distilled from the resin of the maritime pine, producing a purer solvent than most commercial turpentine substitutes, with a less harsh odour and minimal residue after evaporation.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIt dissolves dammar resin fully (essential for traditional dammar-and-stand-oil medium recipes), and the maritime-pine source gives a noticeably softer pine smell than the more aggressive industrial-grade turpentines. For painters who want true turpentine but find standard distillates harsh, this is the upgrade.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eUse in lean-to-fat working: thin underlayers with turpentine only; add oil in subsequent layers. Do not use turpentine in upper layers of a painting — paint that dries with more solvent than oil will be brittle and prone to cracking over time. Use in a well-ventilated space.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eType:\u003c\/strong\u003e Steam-distilled Portuguese maritime pine turpentine\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eBrand:\u003c\/strong\u003e Michael Harding\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eOdour:\u003c\/strong\u003e Pine, softer than industrial-grade turpentine\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDissolves dammar:\u003c\/strong\u003e Yes — fully\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eEffect:\u003c\/strong\u003e Thins paint; use in lean underpainting layers\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNot recommended for:\u003c\/strong\u003e Upper paint layers\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eVentilation:\u003c\/strong\u003e Required\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSizes available:\u003c\/strong\u003e 100ml, 250ml, 1 litre\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e","brand":"Michael Harding","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":55560426160504,"sku":"5","price":5.59,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0528\/7388\/7910\/files\/Refined-Gum-Turpentine-250ml-1024x1024.png?v=1778919200"}],"url":"https:\/\/www.bradburyart.co.uk\/collections\/oil-painting-solvents.oembed","provider":"Bradbury Art","version":"1.0","type":"link"}