PIGMENTS Golden Fluid Acrylic

GOLDEN FLUID ACRYLIC: Many customers ask us which Universal Colorants can be used in our clear topcoats for tinting, shading, and for creating custom stains in our Universal Stain Base.

Although there are several brands that work well with our products, there is a unique difference built into the GOLDEN Fluid Colors that makes them our choice for the restoration specialist and custom furniture maker:

1. 100% Compatibility with all Target-brand Clears, Sealers and Fillers.

2. The ability to be added in a wide percentage range of dispersions into our clear systems. We recommend using levels ranging from 0.50-50% by liquid volume.

3. Exceptional fines-of-grind, which promotes optical clarity when used with our Oxford Hybrid Linseed Oil Universal Stain Base.

Product History

GOLDEN Heavy Body Acrylics were the first line of products produced by GOLDEN Artist Colors, Inc. in 1980. While these paints have been regarded as the best quality available, they did not meet the needs of all users. Many artists were taking the Heavy Body paints and thinning with water. Some artists required a paint that was more easily brushable and that flowed from the brush more thoroughly. Other artists wanted to pour, puddle and drip the paints. Others wanted to stain with the acrylics, using them as alternatives to watercolors. And still others wanted to spray apply the acrylic paints. Although simply adding water and/or medium to the Heavy Body Acrylic paints sufficed to meet the needs of many artists, some complained that the resulting paint was weak, and lacked tinting strength and coverage.

Color Range - The Main Set of Colors

The Fluid Acrylic line, although smaller in color range than the Heavy Bodied line, contains a broad range of pigment options. Many artists have wondered why we do not include all the Heavy Body colors in the Fluid line. There are many reasons preventing us from doing so. Because of the consistency of the Fluids, some of the heavier metal pigments do not remain stable in the thinner consistency. The heavier pigments may tend to settle out, with some densely packing on the bottom of the container. This does not allow them to be easily restirred. Another common problem is viscosity stability, as it is often difficult to maintain such a low viscosity (thin paint) with such a high pigment load over the course of time.

We stock the following colors so that you can intermix them to create a rainbow of color options to create the exact stain color you require:

	Bone Black
	Burnt Sienna
	Burnt Umber
	Burnt Umber, Light
	Carbon Black
	Hansa Yellow Medium
	Interference Gold
	Phthalo Blue (Green Shade)
	Phthalo Green (Blue Shade)
	Pyrrole Red
	Quinacridone Gold
	Quinacridone Magenta
	Raw Sienna
	Raw Umber
	Transparent Red Oxide
	Transparent Yellow Oxide
	Titanium White
	Yellow Ochre
	Zinc White (Semi-Transparent)

Just as with the Heavy Body Acrylics, when formulating the Fluid line, a conscious decision was made to not add the flattening agents or opacifiers typically added to other acrylic paints. Such fillers are frequently added to unify the products finish and to make all colors uniformly opaque. We decided that each pigment would be made to its own level of matte or gloss, as well as its own unique degree of opacity/transparency, depending upon its own unique nature. These decisions have allowed our colors to retain their clearest and cleanest quality, especially when used in washes or glazes where their brilliance is displayed. It is always possible to add matting agents and other whitening materials to the product, but once added, it is impossible to take them away.

Because the Fluid Acrylics contain no flattening agents or opacifiers, it is true and quite evident when looking at our color chart, that our colors do vary in gloss. For example, our Ultramarine Blue or Burnt Sienna are quite matte, while the Quinacridone Gold and Vat Orange are extremely glossy. For some artists, this may be a problem. Yet, for many artists it retains the same sort of nuances of color that are so appreciated within the oil paints (lean colors tend to be very matte while fat colors tend to be quite glossy) and give what many describe as an organic look of the colors.

Whenever highly transparent effects are desired, the Fluids are the best colorants to use. The Fluids mix easily into any of the gels or mediums, especially the thinner products, with minimal effort. This reduces the chance of mixing foam into the mixture, which reduces transparency. Because the Fluids are highly pigmented, they achieve a transparent film. Add less than 2% Fluid color (certainly film thickness related) into the gel or medium (gloss products yield maximum transparency). For creating glazes that require a longer open (working) time, blend the Fluids with GOLDEN Acrylic Glazing Liquid. GOLDEN Airbrush Transparent Extender is essential for spraying Transparent Colors. This product, blended with 1-20% Fluid Acrylics, will yield transparent colors with excellent sprayability. Higher levels of Fluid Colors may require equal amounts of GOLDEN Airbrush Medium to achieve correct retarder levels. This combination is also effective for thin, color glazes that are brush applied. These mixes can also be made with GOLDEN Acrylic Glazing Liquid, which was designed for making color glazes with great working time. These mixes make blending much easier for the artist.

Every color within the Fluid Line is approved for professional artists use according to ASTM Standards for Artist Materials. This refers to consistency, lightfastness of the pigments chosen, 100% acrylic binder, fine grind of the pigments used, freeze thaw stability and accuracy of labeling for pigments used and evaluation by an approved toxicologist. Of the 51 colors, 45 within the line are considered excellent in lightfastness, which means the ability to withstand color change due to exposure to light. The remaining 6 are considered very good in lightfastness. GOLDEN does not use any colors within the Fluid line rated less than very good. Those colors rated as very good include Green Gold, Napthol Red Light, Napthol Red Medium, Hansa Yellow Light, Permanent Green Light, and Dioxazine Purple.

These products Conform to ASTM D 4236, part of a federal regulation requiring toxicological review of art materials for known chronic health hazards. Some products in this line may present risks, so read labels carefully. Also, some product labels carry California Prop 65 warnings, which provide notification of the presence of carcinogens and reproductive toxins, regardless of the degree of risk. Always protect yourself against known and potentially unknown chronic hazards of GOLDEN and other chemical products by keeping them out of your body. Do this by avoiding ingestion, excessive skin contact, and inhalation of spraying mists, sanding dusts and concentrated vapors. Contact us for further information.

The above information is based on research and testing done by Golden Artist Colors, Inc., and is provided as a basis for understanding the potential uses of the products mentioned. Due to the numerous variables in methods, materials and conditions of producing art, Golden Artist Colors, Inc. cannot be sure the product will be right for you. Therefore, we urge product users to test each application to ensure all individual project requirements are met. While we believe the above information is accurate, WE MAKE NO EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, and we shall in no event be liable for any damages (indirect, consequential, or otherwise) that may occur as a result of a product application.