Why won oil paints dry?
It may seem like oil paints never dry, but they actually do. Oil paints are created most commonly by milling pigments with linseed or safflower oil. These are known as drying oils, natural plant oils that dry to a solid film when exposed to air.Drying TimesOil paints generally dry within one to two weeks. This estimate varies depending on the ingredients used in the paint and the thickness of the paint application.ConsiderationsColors known to dry more rapidly than average are the siennas and umbers, flake white and cobalt blue. Colors that dry particularly slowly are lamp and ivory black, titanium white and alizarin crimson.AdditivesAdding a drying oil to the paint can alter its drying time. Refined linseed oil and stand oil increase drying times. Poppy oil and most other types of linseed oil reduce drying times. Painting medium and alkyd-based mediums also affect drying times.SolutionOil paints dry through an oxidation process. Moisture in the air can slow down oxidation. Use of a fa
