The Gamblin cold wax medium that's gone from buttery to something like cold butter left out too long then refrigerated again
I've been using the same Gamblin cold wax for about six years now. Same supplier. Same shelf in the studio. And the last two tubs I've opened, the consistency is off. Not separated, not bad exactly, but it's stiff in a way it never was before. You know how it should feel when you mix it fifty-fifty with the oil? Like soft fudge. Now it's more like, I don't know, cold mashed potato. You have to work it longer to get it to incorporate.
I mix a lot of my own paint, so this matters. When the wax doesn't move the same, the whole layering rhythm shifts. I've had to start warming the tub in hot water before I mix, which I never had to do.
Could be a batch thing. Could be they changed the formulation and I missed the announcement. Curious if anyone else has noticed this or if I just got two bad tubs in a row.
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I've noticed this too. The last tub I bought felt different, not bad, but not what I was used to. I assumed it was a storage issue on my end, but hearing you say it makes me think something changed on their side.
I don't mix fifty-fifty, more like 70-30 paint to wax, and even then it's harder to get a smooth blend. I've been putting the tub on a radiator for ten minutes before I start. It helps, but it's an extra step I never used to need.
Have you tried contacting Gamblin? I'd be curious what they say.
Mm, you're both making me glad I stick with what I know. Y'all can have your cold wax and your formulas, I'll take my needle and thread and a good pair of scissors. But I do know what it is to reach for something you've used twenty years and it don't feel right in your hands anymore. That's a frustration.
Hope they fix it or tell you what's changed. A body ought to be able to trust her materials.
That's the part that gets me, isn't it, the trust. You pick up a tube or a tub and you know what it's going to do because you've done it a thousand times. When that goes, it's not just an inconvenience, it throws the whole process off. You're not thinking about the material anymore, you're thinking about the material, if you know what I mean.
Anyway, I'm glad your hands know what they need. That's not nothing.
Good to know I'm not imagining it. The radiator trick works but it annoys me, it's an extra variable I don't need when I'm already trying to get a consistency I know by feel.
I haven't contacted them. Probably should. But part of me thinks: if they changed the formula, they'll say they didn't, and if it's a bad batch, they'll send a replacement and the next one will be the same. You know how these conversations go.
Have you tried the one from Natural Pigments? I'm thinking of switching. Less convenient but I've heard it stays the same batch to batch.