R & F Handmade Paints - Damar Resin Crystals
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| Texas Art Price: | $22.75 |
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Product Information
- Natural resin from East Indies deciduous trees
- Hardens beeswax and raises melting temperature
- Enables higher buffing and translucent finish
- Prevents blooming in encaustic wax
- Requires melting and straining before use
- Dissolves in turpentine for varnish making
Harden beeswax for buffable encaustic paintings that resist bloom
Natural tree resin transforms beeswax into a workable encaustic medium. These crystals come from deciduous trees in the East Indies, harvested specifically for their hardening properties and optical clarity. When melted into beeswax, damar raises the melting temperature and creates a firmer working surface, essential for encaustic techniques that involve layering, fusing, and manipulating molten wax. The resin enables that characteristic buffed sheen encaustic artists seek while preventing bloom, the whitish haze that can develop on pure beeswax surfaces over time.
Melt these crystals directly into your beeswax medium, then strain to remove any natural impurities before use. The typical ratio runs one part damar to eight parts beeswax, though you can adjust based on desired firmness and working properties. Beyond encaustic medium, dissolving damar crystals in turpentine creates traditional picture varnish, the same formula painters have used for centuries to protect and unify finished work. R & F provides these crystals in their natural state, giving you complete control over ratios and applications rather than limiting you to pre-mixed formulations.
