My review on Turpenoid Natural.

Yes I know, there are hundreds of reviews about this stuff but if you’re like me, a skeptic I wouldn’t believe everything that’s out there. I've been lied to too many times from not only manufacturers but by shops pushing their products only to find they are toxic or don't do what they are supposed to do. The only way you’re going to know if this is right for you is to try it. The art industry is as bad as the drug industry here in the U.S as they gouge the public needing their meds. Even though it costs pennies to make, the manufacturers want to make as high profit as they can due to greed. I see no difference in the manufacturers and sellers of art supplies. I have been a musician for about six decades and I have never encountered the greed there is in the art industry. I was always able to afford whatever I needed in the way of supplies for my music. Whether it was a cleaner, strings, tuners, reeds manuscript paper, books or whatever, they were always affordable and readily available. In the art world, I have to jump thru several hoops just to get the oil paints and other supplies I need at an affordable price. I’m retired and living on a fixed income so I always have to budget and only get what is absolutely necessary for the moment.

I’ve been wanting to try Turpenoid Natural for a while but it’s just too damn expensive. A 32 ounce bottle goes for $1.25 an ounce or $40 at Michael's. Comparatively, the same amount of Walnut oil which does a great job cleaning brushes as well goes for $0.50 an ounce or about $16. So to go with Walnut oil is no brainer. The only problem with Walnut oil is that unless you wash your brushes in soap and water at the end of the session, a sticky residue will develop on the brushes and will eventually dry them out rendering them useless. I received one of those coupons from Michael’s for fifty percent off any one regular priced item. I know the scam involved with these coupon deals. The prices are inflated making you think that you are actually getting a deal using the coupons where in fact the price is pretty close to where it is supposed to be. Even at $0.62 an ounce is outrages for what the stuff really is….a citrus cleaner, and their profit is still up there. Since I had the urge to try some, I went ahead and put down my twenty bucks for the stuff and tried it.

It did what it was supposed to do without toxic chemicals so they say and the odor was tolerable for the time being. It had a strong odor of citrus. How the odor will affect me in the future, considering strong odors whether toxic or not bother me, is in limbo for now. I personally don't believe that Turpenoid Natural is non toxic and won't create harmful effects. History has proven itself that what may be a good idea today may kill you tomorrow. The cleaner hasn't been out there used by millions yet and who knows how it may affect your health.

In reading some other reviews claiming to clean dried out paint off vinyl floors and other amazing things, I found it a bit exaggerated. I have plenty of dried out paint areas on the floor and tested a couple of spots; one with turpenoid natural and another just using a scraper. The scraper won. I didn’t see much significance wasting something that’s almost as expensive as some pain killers on some paint on the floor.

I had some dried out paint brushes and soaked them in turpenoid natural for about an hour or so, rinsed them in water and they worked like new. Turpenoid Natural did ease my cleaning of dried out oil paints on my palette fairly quick. I simply brushed some on the dried out paint, let it sit for ten fifteen minutes and wiped it clean with a paper towel. What was left if any, I was able to scrape off easily with a scraper or a palette knife. A 32 ounce bottle won’t go too far unlike Odorless Turpenoid which can be used over and over again by simply removing the settled paint at the bottom of you cleaning bucket. Turpenoid Natural is a little more viscous and although oil particles settle to the bottom, after a while the stuff becomes cloudy with particles floating from top to bottom. Now it’s time to replace the stuff. One thing I might add is I had an aluminum screen at the bottom of my cleaning bucket where I scrape my brushes on had disintegrated while sitting in Turpenoid Natural. I thought that was a bit odd.

In wanting to try more of Turpenoid Natural, I wanted to see whether the stuff came in larger quantities so I did some research. Yes it does. It comes in gallons and half gallons. The best bet, cost wise, is a gallon. Recently I found it on sale at Jerry’s Art O Rama for under $0.40 an ounce or little over $50. Once again comparatively speaking, Walnut oil for the same amount would cost $64. I know that in the future I will be looking for the best price I can possibly find. Just keep your eyes open and when you see a deal on it go for it. But remember, the bigger the quantity, the cheaper it will cost by the ounce.

Those of you using Bob Ross paint brushes or similar where the hairs end up flaring out when coming in contact with water, there is a solution and the hairs can be brought back to normal. Don’t wash your brushes as often as one might with O.P.T. I wash mine once at the end of my paint session and then wrap the bristles tightly with a paper towel and apply masking tape around the edges to keep the paper towel taught. Once the brush dries out, it should be ready for use once again. I have to admit though that sometimes I will have to use a damp paper towel and wrap that around the bristles a second time which works like a charm.

In using the wet on wet technique, since there is an abundant amount of paint on the brushes, I needed to clean as much off as I could before cleaning them in the solution. If I don't, the stuff won't last more than a painting or two. Turpenoid Natural is a bit more viscous than the Odorless Turpenoid and the oil particles take a while for them to drop to the bottom of the bucket. Once the solution becomes totally cloudy and thicker, it's time to replace it.

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