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I have been reading on here about how much people love using Gamsol with their colored pencils so I ordered some the other day. When I got it, the warnings on the back spooked me. I really didn't know what I was buying and I am currently nursing a 5 month old so I can't use it.
I was wondering... Are there are any other non-toxic products out there that give a simlar effect to gamsol? I have a huge set of prisma pencils and I want to learn how to use them.
Thanks! I have some baby oil in my cabinent, left over from doing Arbonne demontrations on the evils of mineral oil (on your skin, but maybe great for paper!!!). (If anyone here has ever sold Arbonne or been to an Arbonne party you know what I mean.) I am going to try it!
i've used baby oil too..works good..might have to put a little muscle into it...at least for me I did...but then again I was using regular color pencils and even crayons..
There's also an all-natural citrus stuff that works the same way for artists. I can't think of the name of it right now...Anyone know????
Zest-It Pencil Blend - at least that is the one we have in the UK. Not sure if you can get it in the US or if there is an equivalent. http://www.zest-it.com/
What are you putting the baby oil on to color with? I read in the tutorial here on scs to use a 'stump', not sure what that is or if there is something else you can use.
A stump is a rolled piece of paper their is another name like tortillina or something like that. You can find them at Mike's and other art supply stores. I think people are over reacting to smell or worry over toxic fumes. I would say I am sensitive to smells and have had no problem. I only use a small amount on a cloth in a small container to dampen the stump. My skin doesn't come in contact with the liquid and I only need a small amount to dampen stub and then container is closed up again. Like any craft supply use in a well ventilated area. I bought Gamisol at art supply store. I think it maybe a little less smelly than Mona Lisa brand.
Thanks for the ideas and answers to some of the things I've been wondering about.
As for overreacting to chemicals, its my BODY that overreacts-lol
Any chemical things -paint, like you put on walls and I go numb all over in just minutes, same for most all chemical smells even those horrid ponderosa cinnamon pine cones that are in every store from now til the end of the year.I go numb and my heart pounds then I feel like an elephant is sitting on me, So no, if its scented, even cleaning supplies I don't have it in my home or the scented things people hang in their car, candles etc.
So it will be baby oil for me and I will check out the blenders. Thanks for asking the question!
Actually Gamsol is supposed to be odorless. I don't think the OP is concerned about the smell as much as the fumes. The warnings on the back are kind of scary. While there have been several posts about how safe odorless mineral spirits is, I choose not to use it either. I use Natural Turpenoid but that DOES have an odor. It's non-toxic and the odor is a good, natural kind of odor but it is strong. Mostly, I use the colorless blender pencil.
Last edited by mungojerry; 10-30-2007 at 02:04 PM..
Reason: grammar
Are you referring to the SU blender pen or a different one to use with Prismas? I have a small bottle of Gamsol and it has a felt pad on top. I never pour any out with the pad top bottle, just touch my stump to the pad.
Check out the material safety data sheet regarding the fire hazards of Gamsol. I refuse to use it. I have seen posts from two gals who had fires in their house because of it.
I only use baby oil for blending. I see no reason to take a chance with my health or that of my family or pet by using a "risky product" that can easily be replaced by baby oil.
This is a copy of the 2nd page on fire info and health issues from the MSDS sheet on Gamsol:
Unusual fire & explosion hazards: contaminated rags or other easily ignited organic materials are spontaneously combustible. Immerse in water after use.
SECTION V—HEALTH HAZARD DATA
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Route(s) of entry: Eye contact, ingestion, inhalation, skin contact.
Acute health effects: Eye contact may cause redness or irritation
Inhalation: dizziness, headache, nausea, possible nervous system depression.
Ingestion: Nausea, gastrointestinal irritation, or vomiting.
Skin contact: May cause rash, cracking, dryness or defatting of skin
The gel kind???
I know I have been out of the baby isle a LONG time but what is that?
The gel is great, it is not runny. It looks like hair gel, only it is baby oil.
I am still nursing and with 2 little ones I don't think gamsol will work for me. I only used the gamsol once (outside)after I bought it and read the warnings on the bottle.
__________________ Lisa -
Married my sweetheart 1-26-02 Mommy to Hunter 9-3-04 & Hailey 7-26-06
Are you referring to the SU blender pen or a different one to use with Prismas? I have a small bottle of Gamsol and it has a felt pad on top. I never pour any out with the pad top bottle, just touch my stump to the pad.
Sanford sells a Prismacolor Colorless blender pencil. It looks like a clear wax pencil and smooths out the color.
This is a copy of the 2nd page on fire info and health issues from the MSDS sheet on Gamsol:
Unusual fire & explosion hazards: contaminated rags or other easily ignited organic materials are spontaneously combustible. Immerse in water after use.
SECTION V�HEALTH HAZARD DATA
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Route(s) of entry: Eye contact, ingestion, inhalation, skin contact.
Acute health effects: Eye contact may cause redness or irritation
Inhalation: dizziness, headache, nausea, possible nervous system depression.
Ingestion: Nausea, gastrointestinal irritation, or vomiting.
Skin contact: May cause rash, cracking, dryness or defatting of skin
Gamsol REALLY needs to state that...because on my can they make it sound like there are no problems....I have had no problems and I've used it for years in an upstairs bedroom with no open windows...just a ceiling fan...I have it in a small container w/ a sponge...but I leave the jar open until my coloring is finished. There are a couple of times I've actually put my nose in the container to smell it...it wasn't a big deal to me....and I can't even be around perfume......BUT....myabe this is why my husband says I'm CRAZY!!!!!!!!!!!!
Michael's...its a Prismacolor Colorless Blender pencil
Yep, they have them at Michaels and they are different than SUs blender pens, a different solution.
I have one and have to say that it's just not as effective as the stumps and odorless mineral spirits. The nub is not stiff enough to move the pigment around and the solution doesn't break down the wax from the pencil well enough. I would advise you to keep your money. It was a waste of mine.
As to the toxicity, I guess you should go for the baby oil with the stumps. I agree with many above though, there really isn't a toxic odor to the stuff and you only use the tiniest dab... but you do what your comfortable with.
Yep, they have them at Michaels and they are different than SUs blender pens, a different solution.
I have one and have to say that it's just not as effective as the stumps and odorless mineral spirits. The nub is not stiff enough to move the pigment around and the solution doesn't break down the wax from the pencil well enough. I would advise you to keep your money. It was a waste of mine.
As to the toxicity, I guess you should go for the baby oil with the stumps. I agree with many above though, there really isn't a toxic odor to the stuff and you only use the tiniest dab... but you do what your comfortable with.
You must be using something completely different than I am using. Mine is exactly like the pencils- only colorless. There is no solution or nub. And it works great.
__________________ Lisa -
Married my sweetheart 1-26-02 Mommy to Hunter 9-3-04 & Hailey 7-26-06
I bought a bottle of Turpenoid and showed it to my dh, who is a chemist. He said that it's not a great idea to use it, unless the room was well ventilated. He also thought it would irritate my asthma.
So, I went to Pearl Paint and found Eco-House's # 115 Xtra Mild Citrus Thinner. It works quite well with my Prismacolor pencils, though I still leave the window open to provide a bit of a breeze.
It does have a very strong orange odor, but I find it pleasant.
Here's the website's description of it.
Quote:
# 115 Xtra Mild Citrus Thinner is a medium-strength, general purpose thinner and mild solvent. It is a combination of highly purified cosmetics-grade hydrocarbons and food-grade essential oils.
Applications :
Use for thinning and clean-up of all oil-based Eco-House products, resins, gums, varnishes and waxes. Also suitable for use as a volatile medium with most conventional oil-based paint products including fine artist's oil paints. Not suitable for dissolving hard resins such as damar or copal.
This is a copy of the 2nd page on fire info and health issues from the MSDS sheet on Gamsol:
Material safety data sheets tend to be written with industrial applications in mind, where individuals are working around vats of the chemical day in and day out. That's quite a bit different imho from the average artist or crafter working with a teaspoon of Gamsol at a time.
I use natural turpenoid I found at Hobby Lobby and find it works well for me and doesn't aggravate my asthma or eczema (not that I get it on my skin). I just dip my stumps right in the bottle for now, and when the level gets too low to do that I'll put some in a small jar.
I just recently started using Baby Oil instead of Gamsol... not that I don't like Gamsol, I just wanted to give baby oil a try. I really like it, it's easy to blend and it smells wonderful.
Gamsol issues!
