| PLEASE SCROLL BELOW TO LEARN ABOUT THE NEW MUCILAGE REMOVAL METHOD I CREATED IN 2018 - THE " CSO PSYLLIUM HUSK-WATER METHOD" THESE ARE THE TWO CURRENT CSO METHODS OF MUCILAGE REMOVAL both are fully described in my books 1. The 'CSO PSYLLIUM HUSK - ALCOHOL METHOD'. This is the method I based on Pacheco's method of 1649. It uses strong alcoholic liquor of 87% Ethanol. I discovered and pioneered the use of Psyllium Husk for use of mucilage removal from unrefined flax-linseed oil. It takes 10 days to remove the mucilage. Instructions are on page 38 of my book Volume 1: Oil Painting Lessons with Rembrandt and Calcite Sun Oil 2. The 'CSO PSYLLIUM HUSK ( Velasquez-Tavenier ) AIR PUMP METHOD'. An alcohol free method created by Daniel Tavenier ( of The Netherlands) and myself in April 2015. It is the simplest method of the three and removes the mucilage within 24 to 36 hours. Full instructions are in Volume 2: Oil Painting Lessons with Rembrandt and Calcite Sun Oil |
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| ALLBACK SWEDISH LINSEED OIL IS NOT RECOMMENDED FOR FINE ART PAINTING They produce 2 kinds: BOILED and PURIFIED My tests used the oil right from the container. The water test shows the cloudy mucilage resting on the water. #6 = ON YOUR LEFT; Their Purified Oil #10 = ON YOUR RIGHT: Their BOILED oil SEE THE REPORT EXPLAINING WHY I CANNOT RECOMMEND ALLBACK LINSEED OIL FOR FINE ART PAINTING |
| BARLEANS UNREFINED FLAX OIL #11=On your left, is the UNCLEAN oil right out of the bottle. It is known to be full of mucilage. SEE HOW CLOUDY the raw unclean oil is when resting on the water. WATER is POLAR and draws down the soluble mucilage downwards to rest on the water. NO SHAKING IS NEEDED ! # 13=On your right: Barleans oil, previously cleansed then SUN THICKENED for 30 days. The oil is beginning to crystalize and dry HARD as it sits on the water. this sample has no mucilage!! It is pure and colorless clear as GLASS--AS it is drying on the water. Only 1/4 inch oil is resting on the water The book has the procedures for several methods to remove the mucilage The CSO PSYLLIUM HUSK -ALCOHOL METHOD is an effective and simple method |
SWEDISH ALLBACK LINSEED OIL THIS PREMIUM OIL IS NOT RECOMMENDED FOR FINE ART OIL PAINTING BECAUSE THEIR "PURIFIED LINSEED OIL FAILED THE WATER SEDIMENT TEST - see photos below THIS FINE OIL IS MADE FOR PAINTING WOOD HOUSES - TO STOP THE DECAY FROM MOISTURE Swedish , Allback linseed oil, is sold in the USA by ….http://www.solventfreepaint.com ... but manufactured and processed by the Allback company of Sweden. I have read their website carefully several times, and I have written to them for specific information. Swedish words translated into English, as in all language translations, lose some meaning. Example; Their website says that if linseed oil is not first purified, but is BOILED to a certain temperature, it will EXPLODE. ......Well, that’ s not true. But, it will IGNITE. It is not that they are misleading us, just that the translation is weak. I was able to understand the basic information their website says about their oil by applying common sense and use of my experience. The one important question I have asked Allback, is this; ‘ What is the maximum temperature your PURIFIED oil…not your BOILED oil --- is heated to. This very important question is based on my research of scientific academic sources that states flax/linseed oil begins to decompose at 230-236 degrees centigrade. The allback company has never responded to my letters. The USA representative did respond after two letters, and would only say that the process is patented, and they will not divulge it. This reluctance to inform the public is not helpful to us artists. My patent in the USA is open to the public, so I do not understand the reluctance. PLEASE KEEP THE DECOMPOSITION TEMPERATURE IN MIND AS YOU READ THIS REPORT This information is from academic sources and is on my website: 200 Degrees Centigrade = The Old Masters use of a goose quill to indicate SAFE heating temperature 230-236 Degrees Centigrade = DECOMPOSITION BEGINS / Carbonization/ Reduced Lifespan 300 Degrees Centigrade = Modern Stand Oil - heated/ without Oxygen 300 Degrees Centigrade = Oil smokes and produces TOXIC Carbon Monoxide and Acrolein gas vapors 343 Degrees Centigrade + = Oil begins to BOIL 343 Degrees Centigrade + = Oil Ignites / Catches fire 380 - 425 Degrees Centigrade= Burnt Plate Oil made by modern testing Some websites recommend use of Burnt Plate Oil. BURNT PLATE OIL is a very decomposed oil meant for disposable Lithography. Its true name is ‘ Lithography oil”. Rembrandt's etching were made with Lithography Oil, and they are kept under wraps, covered, in the shade as much as possible. The Allback website states they process and sell two kinds of linseed oil. BOILED and PURIFIED. 1. ALLBACK'S " BOILED" linseed oil. Swedish Flax oil is undoubtedly one of the highest quality oil GROWN and HARVESTED in the world. But the processing of the RAW OIL determines the FINAL QUALITY for the needs of artists. This Allback oil is BOILED and they do not deny it. They in fact are very proud of it, as they should be. Because its high quality BOILED OIL is made for painting houses and fences and all manner of wooden objects , AND... they NEVER advertise it for fine art oil painting. Linseed/ flax oil begins to BOIL at 343 degrees centigrade. This is far above the safe temperature of 230-236 degrees centigrade at which time the oil begins decomposition. What does ’ decomposition’ mean in terms of artists oil? This: For house painting, 50 years is an adequate life span, and no one expects more. Of course the house is blasted by rain, sleet, sun and snow. It’s a miracle it lasts 50 years. A Van Eyck painting left to those outrageous conditions would not fare any better. The key here is that by BOILING the oil, and causing its decomposition, its lifespan is severely compromised. But given that its service is - 50 years, it’s a moot point. I would bet my money that if the house was painted with Allback BOILED oil, and kept indoors next to the Van Eyck painting for 600 years, it would not come close to the state of preservation of the Van Eyck painting. CONCLUSION ON ALLBACK'S BOILED LINSEED OIL: : DO NOT use any BOILED linseed oil for fine art oil painting regardless on who makes it Science says it is severely decomposed with a shortened life span. 2 . ALLBACK'S " PURIFIED linseed oil". a. = The oil is pressed COLD. This is GOOD. Cold Pressed oil is great, but even gentle heat in pressing is allowable as this oil is very TOUGH. b. = Then it is stored and allowed to stand still. This is GOOD too , because this means it is allowed to settle the vegetable particulate caused by the pressing of the seeds. When freshly pressed it is FULL of husk, dirt, and other sediment. Gravity will allow this heavier particulate to settle. c. = Then the top clear oil is siphoned off. This is GOOD. Because now the clear oil is easier to be further processed. Allback, just as the Old Masters, learned something very important. NO AMOUNT of gravity will remove the MUCILAGE. Mucilage is a very complex ingredient. Nature placed it inside the seed for reasons of nurturing the rebirth of the seed when it is sown into the ground. Mucilage is INVISIBLE to the naked human eye. If you looked at a WARM glass of that clear bright top oil siphoned off the top, it would sparkle with great beauty of transparency. BUT, it is filled with MUCILAGE. The Old Masters learned of this over centuries of oral tradition. Mucilage will ferment, decompose, and turn the oil paint made with it, BROWN and DARK, if not removed. The Old Masters knew this and tried everything under the sun to remove it. Some succeeded and the evidence is their 600 year old oil paintings with colors that remain jewel-like. After the Old Masters’ demise, 19th century scholars like Eastlake, followed by many generations of other artists, all tried their hand at cleansing the oil. Finally, industry cleansed it with caustic lye chemicals, but ruined the oil’s durability, and properties, in the processing. d. = Then, the Allback website says, the oil is ‘heated gently’ to remove the PROTEIN while it is exposed to OXYGEN. This oxygen procedure is not explained. But, I can add my personal knowledge here. Since I have worked with the cleansing of the oil for 4 years now. The goal is to remove the Mucilage and by heating the oil, the heat thins the oil. This certainly helps but it is not enough. Exposure to oxygen, especially if HEAT is being applied, is very necessary, or, the steam water vapors remain in the oil, causing and perpetuating moisture retention and slow drying. Since Allback wants a faster drying oil, oxygen is part of the process. The Old Masters knew this too, that the oil must be left uncovered as it is being sun thickened. It is interesting that Allback calls the MUCILAGE, by the term, PROTEIN. Some call it BREAK, and, others call it the ‘FOOTS”. Regardless, the Allback website says it treats the oil with several gentle heatings and does their very best to remove ALL the PROTEIN, as they call it. Only then, do they call this oil PURIFIED. CONCLUSION ON ALLBACK'S PURIFIED LINSEED OIL. : Since I know the oil begins decomposition at 230 degrees centigrade, If I knew the temperature the Allback PURIFIED oil is heated to, I could make an informed accurate decision. Llacking that, I cannot endorse Allback oil for fine art oil painting. Some artists are either unaware of the decomposition temperature of oil or do not care. |
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TESTS OF ALLBACK HOUSE PAINTING LINSEED OIL The tests were started on 5/1/09 and 5/2/09. ON 6/23/09 I placed all samples in a box without any light. On 9/16/09, I removed the samples and took photos of each. This almost 3 month standing in darkness produced the following results. #10= The ALLBACK BOILED LINSEED OIL fared the worst of all samples. A thick white concentration of mucilage sits on the water under the oil. #6 = The ALLBACK PURIFIED LINSEED OIL, recommended by some websites. It fared almost as bad as the BOILED sample. PURE white mucilage rests on the water. |
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| WATER TESTS TO SHOW MUCILAGE IN OIL These series of tests below, show the results of 1/4 inch of oil resting on 2 ounces of water, over several days. The white paper resting beneath the jars has 2 lines. a solid black and a red. WATER IS POLAR AND DRAWS SOLUBLE MUCILAGE DOWNWARDS LIKE A MAGNET. The Old Masters found out that oil standing on water , regardless of how long it is left there, will NOT remove all the mucilage from the raw oil. |
| THE MAGIC OF PSYLLIUM HUSK THERE DOES NOT EXIST ....IN ANY ANCIENT TREATISE NOR IN ANY MODERN TEXT ....ANY MENTION OF PSYLLIUM HUSK AS AN INGREDIENT TO REMOVE THE MUCILAGE FROM THE UNREFINED FLAX LINSEED OIL. Psyllium husk was completely unknown to all the Old Masters , and remained unknown to all subsequent theorists, artists , conservators and writers, including the artist-theorists of today. THIS IS HOW I DISCOVERED THE USE OF PSYLLIUM HUSK FOR REMOVAL OF THE MUCILAGE FROM THE OIL. My doctor recommended I drink Metamusil for irregularity. Metamusil is the brand name for a high fiber laxative and it is pure Psyllium Husk. One teaspoon in an 8 ounce glass of water quickly expands to four times it's size because it absorbs the water. This gave me the idea to use it as a " mucilage remover" because mucilage is an aqueous ingredient . To our benefit, It worked! PSYLLIUM HUSK -- AS THE MUCILAGE REMOVER--began a revolution in removing the mucilage from the unrefined flax-linseed oil. THE SECOND REVOLUTION was made possible by the common acquarium electricsl Air Pump. It accelerated the mucilage removal, taking less time. |
| End of page all text and photos are copyright protected by Louis R. Velasquez |
THE SUPERIOR OIL OF THE OLD MASTERS THE FRESH PRESSED AND CLEANSED OIL WILL BE BRIGHT YELLOW, THIN, AND IS VERY SLOW DRYING THE OIL CAN NOW BE THICKENED BY EITHER SUN EXPOSURE, OR, THE AIR PUMP METHOD. THIS WILL BLEACH THE OIL AND IT BECOMES A FASTER DRYING OIL SEE my FREE Youtube videos Search for CSO VELASQUEZ |
April 19,2015 copyright Louis R. Velasquez, San Diego, California, USA MY WORK TO REMOVE THE MUCILAGE FROM THE UNREFINED OIL In the beginning, I focused on improving the successful 17th century recipe by Francisco Pacheco, published in 1649. Pacheco, was the teacher of the great Spanish painter, Velazquez. Judging by Velazquez well preserved paintings, Pacheco's recipe has proven to be archival. The importance of mucilage removal - was well known to all the Old Masters for over a thousand years. Numerous recipes exist in ancient texts, of methods intended to remove the mucilage. Most do not work, and for various reasons- the least effective is the "water washing" method. in the 1600's, Pacheco solved the " water washing" method, and he did it by using a liquor high in ethanol ( 87% ). His recipe contained very little water for cleansing 16 fluid ounces of oil ( approximately 1/3 fluid ounce of water). Pacheco knew nothing of Psyllium Husk and its powerful ability to absorb water. BY A QUIRK OF FATE, I discovered PSYLLIUM HUSK for efficient removal of the mucilage. This water absorbing material has proven to be indispensible for mucilage removal. It is now is used in all three of my CSO oil cleansing methods. THE 'CSO PSYLLIUM HUSK- ALCOHOL METHOD' For many years, I was content with my modern CSO PSYLLIUM HUSK- ALCOHOL method , which I based on Pacheco's 1649 recipe. I eliminated Pacheco's use of Lavender flower buds - and replaced it with Psyllium Husk . My method was efficient, easy to do, and resulted in a "solvent-free oil". Pacheco's oil contained Spike solvent which was excreted from the lavender flower buds by the ethanol. A REQUEST FOR A NON-ALCOHOL METHOD As years passed, I received numerous inquiries from artists around the globe, basically complaining that alcoholic liquor was prohibitively expensive in their countries. From early 2014, to early 2016, I began testing and searching for a "non-alcoholic" way to remove the mucilage. I enlisted the help of some fine artists I had met via my website. I must acknowledge them because their concerns and hopes inspired me to break out of my passivity. Without their help, suggestions and ideas, the new non-alcohol methods of mucilage removal would not exist. THE AIR PUMP ( Use of this new apparatus was first posted here in 2012 then in 2015 ) During this period, a difficult problem persisted that needed to be solved. This was related to the fantastic development of using an aquarium air pump to thicken the oil so it would be a faster drying oil. The problem with the " Air Pump" method was that it was useless if the air was humid. Artists in wet humid northern areas, or artists in hot muggy humid areas like Florida, could not use it because the air pump would pump moisture from the humid air, into the oil. This created a very slow drying oil. I had no solution to the problem except to tell artists to use it only in areas with dry air. In April 2015 , my friend Daniel Tavenier , a resident of The Netherlands, conceived of a new idea to absorb any moist air pumped into the oil jar by the air pump. He theorized adding some dry Psyllium Husk to the oil jar containing the previously CLEANSED oil. His theory was that if any moisture was pumped into the oil jar, by the air pump, the husk would absorb it. It was a brilliant idea! Daniel's idea inspired me to wonder whether the UNCLEAN oil ..could possibly be CLEANSED of mucilage by adding Psyllium Husk and using the air pump together. On April 19, 2015, I conducted two concurrent 24 hour tests , one with dampened husk and the other with dry husk. After 24 hours passed, the oil was filtered and tested for cleanliness. The test using dry psyllium husk proved to be effective and the test using damp psyllium husk failed. My photographs show the results. The new method is named the "CSO Psyllium Husk (Velasquez- Tavenier) Method", in recognition of Daniel's original idea. The "CSO PSYLLIUM HUSK-AIR PUMP (Velasquez-Tavenier) METHOD" is a NON-ALCOHOL, mucilage removal method of historical importance . It was developed jointly with my friend, Daniel Tavenier, a master artist and master teacher, resident of The Netherlands. For years my own research has been to produce the finest Flax seed oil for oil painters. To do this, I had to find a safe and efficient way to remove the mucilage from the unrefined, food grade, cold pressed flax seed oil. The very same high quality oil the Old Masters had. |
| PLEASE WORK TO STOP PIRACY OF BOOKS, MUSIC, POETRY and all forms of INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY Discuss this with family, friends, students, kids and neighbors THE SIMPLE FACT IS: PIRACY IS THEFT ! It is distressing to me that my books and DVDS are being PIRATED on the Internet . I BELIEVE IN SHARING - BUT NO BUSINESS COULD EVER SURVIVE IF EVERYTHING WAS FREE TO THE PUBLIC I have always encouraged all artists to SHARE the CSO KNOWLEDGE they learn about EVERY ARTIST deserves to know about this wonderful extraordinary SAFE method that uses no hazardous or dangerous materials--while-- allowing artists to MASTER THE OIL PAINTING MEDIUM -- and duplicate the truly magical oil painting effects we see in the paintings of Rembrandt, Velazquez, Rubens and many other Old Masters. FOR YEARS I HAVE POSTED MY CSO OIL CLEANSING METHODS -FREE TO THE PUBLIC. I have also posted FREE videos on YOUTUBE - including two of my FULL LENGTH videos. [ locate them by typing in: CSO VELASQUEZ ] I ENCOURAGE ARTISTS TO BUY MY BOOKS- Then to share IN PERSON - the great knowledge they have learned. FREE digital giving away [ file sharing] is simply wrong. |
CLEANSING ARTISTS FLAX- LINSEED OIL OF MUCILAGE The safe removal of the mucilage is the most important requirement of oil painting Today we have "THE REBIRTH OF THE OLD MASTERS' SUPERIOR OIL" |
| SCROLL BELOW TO LEARN ABOUT THE NEW METHOD OF MUCILAGE REMOVAL, " THE CSO PSYLLIUM HUSK WATER METHOD", I DEVELOPED IN 2018 COMING SOON A NEW DVD DESCRIBING THIS NEW METHOD For many years I posted full instructions here on how to remove the mucilage from the oil. I have removed those recipes and the complete information is now to my 2 books: VOLUME ONE and VOLUME TWO " OIL PAINTING LESSONS WITH REMBRANDT AND CALCITE SUN OIL" _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ THE TWO CURRENT CSO METHODS OF MUCILAGE REMOVAL 1. The 'CSO PSYLLIUM HUSK - ALCOHOL METHOD'- [NON AIR PUMP]. I based this method on Pacheco's method of 1649. It uses strong alcoholic liquor. I discovered and pioneered the use of Psyllium Husk for use of mucilage removal from unrefined flax-linseed oil. This method requires 10 days to remove the mucilage. FULL instructions are on page 38 of my book, VOLUME ONE : OIL PAINTING LESSONS WITH REMBRANDT AND CALCITE SUN OIL" 2. The 'CSO PSYLLIUM HUSK ( Velasquez-Tavenier ) AIR PUMP METHOD'. This method was created because of the prohibitive cost of liquor in some countries. This alcohol free method was created by myself and Daniel Tavenier of The Netherlands in April 2015. It is the simplest method of the three and removes the mucilage within 24 to 48 hours. Please see full instructions in my book: VOLUME TWO:OIL PAINTING LESSONS WITH REMBRANDT AND CALCITE SUN OIL" ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ COMING SOON--A NEW DVD DEMONSTRATING THE NEW METHOD OF MUCILAGE REMOVAL, " THE CSO PSYLLIUM HUSK WATER METHOD" I CREATED THE NEW “ CSO Psyllium Husk -Water Method” in May 2018. it is copyright protected, to ascertain it is my creation I give all persons worldwide, permission to use and share this method at no cost. Best wishes Louis R. Velasquez San Diego, California, USA Posted on my website January 1, 2019 ——————————- “THE CSO PSYLLIUM HUSK- WATER METHOD” THIS METHOD REQUIRES A CRUCIAL SECOND STEP , TO BE FULLY EFFECTIVE RECIPE: “ CSO Psyllium Husk - Water method”. PART ONE : PROCEDURE: PART TWO= CRUCIAL STEP THIS METHOD REQUIRES A CRUCIAL SECOND CLEANSING TO BE FULLY EFFECTIVE PART THREE: TESTING THE CLEANLINESS To test that the oil is cleansed and contains no mucilage, place the lid tightly and place the jar in the refrigerator. Leave it there for 2 to 3 hours. Clean, mucilage-free oil will remain crystal clear and fully transparent in the cold refrigerator no matter how many hours it remains. HOWEVER, Do not leave the oil jar in the refrigerator longer than needed because moisture condenses inside the jar. A mucilage free oil will remain beautifully transparent over the years. One drop rubbed onto a white ceramic plate shows the oil has no yellow color. IMPORTANT: All jars of linseed oil, whether cleansed oil or oil containing mucilage, will be completely transparent in hot temperatures. Oil that has not been cleansed will become hazy and cloudy when it remains in the refrigerator for many hours. A cleansed mucilage-free oil will remain crystal clear , 100% transparent in the cold refrigerator. Different producers of unrefined, raw, flax/ linseed oil produce oil with varying amounts of mucilage. Some oils are more clear or more cloudy than others when in the cold. Their Quality control is a difficult issue. Louis Velasquez - Posted on my website on January 1, 2019 In May , 2018 Initially , I shared it with a few friends with a CONFIDENTIALITY AGREEMENT I created THE NEW “ CSO Psyllium Husk -Water Method”. in May 2018 it is copyright protected, to ascertain it is my creation I give all persons worldwide, permission to use and share this method at no cost. Best wishes Louis R. Velasquez San Diego, California, USA January 1, 2019 ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ FRANCISCO PACHECO : VELAZQUEZ' TEACHER THE SEARCH FOR PERFECTION Even though an Old Master once wrote that it is not possible to remove 100% of the mucilage, I have never stopped seeking a method that will remove 100% of the mucilage from the Flax-Linseed oil. However, there are too many uncontrollable variable factors that interfere with this goal becoming a reality. Even my tests of modern Alkali Refined linseed oil bought at any Art supply store, have detected some degree of mucilage in that modern product. ---------------- My original CSO method of removing the mucilage was based on the 17th century method of Francisco Pacheco ( published in 1649). As you know, Pacheco was the teacher of Spain's great painter Diego Velazquez. Here is Pacheco's method, word for word, as published and written in Spanish: LIBRO TERCERO, CAP. V: “Tomese una redoma de vidrio - y a una libra de aceite de linaza limpio y claro se le echan tres onzas de aguardiente fina, que llaman de cabeza, y dos onzas de alhucema, o espliego , en grano, y póngase al sol fuerte quience días, meneándolo dos veces cada dia, y de esta manera queda claro y purificado, y colándolo en otro vidrio …". ENGLISH TRANSLATION: BOOK THREE, CHAPTER FIVE “Take a glass flask – and to a pound of linseed oil that is clean and clear, add to it three ounces of fine quality liquor spirits, that is called ‘from the head’, and two ounces of Lavender, in seed, and place it in very strong hot sun for fifteen days, swirling it two times each day, and by this method, it will become clear and purified, and filter it into another glass..” PLEASE SEE MY FREE YOUTUBE VIDEOS ON HOW TO USE THE AIR PUMP TO THICKEN THE OIL. THICKENING THE OIL CREATES A FASTER DRYING OIL TO LOCATE THOSE VIDEOS ON YOUTUBE, TYPE IN 'CSO VELASQUEZ, AIR PUMP OIL' |