Is R&F Blending Medium The Same As Cold Wax Medium?

This is a question we're often asked. The short answer is they aren't quite the same. R&F's Blending Medium is essentially our Blending Stick in a jar. It is ideal for glazing colors, can be worked directly into a color to increase the color's transparency, or used to blend colors together on the surface.

Lisa Pressman, Talking (detail), 48” x 38”, R&F Pigment Stick® and Blending Medium on Gessobord.

R&F's Blending Medium and cold wax are designed to be combined with oil paint. When dry, Blending Medium will retain the sheen finish of a cured oil painting. Cold wax, on the other hand, will dry with a flat matte finish. Cold wax is typically made with solvent (usually odorless mineral spirits) while our Blending Medium does not contain solvents.

Blending Medium generally cures at a similar rate to oil paint. We also make a version of Blending Medium containing a small amount of Cobalt and Manganese drier to speed up our Pigment Sticks® and oil paint drying time.

Lisa Pressman, Under the Covers, 10" x 10", oil, cold wax, and mixed media on board.

To learn more about the application of our Blending Medium on the final layer of encaustic paintings see our recent demo video - here.

For further reading on cold wax medium, we recommend Jerry McLaughlin and Rebecca A. Crowell's book, "Cold Wax Medium: Techniques, Concepts and Conversations."