Solvents make stains and finishes work. Turpentine is distilled from pine sap. For artists wishing to avoid the odour of Artists’ White Spirit or Distilled Turpentine, Sansodor is an increasingly popular low odour solvent for oil painting. For a deeper understanding that better relates all the finish solvents to each other, see Understanding Solvents, Part II. You will never feel really comfortable with finishing until you have an understanding of solvents. May 24, 2016 . You might find mineral spirits labeled as "white spirits" in the Great White North. The key difference between methylated spirits and mineral turpentine is that methylated spirits have a violet colour while mineral turpentine is a clear liquid.. Methylated spirit and mineral turpentine are two important types of solvents. Toxicity Distilled Turpentine is slightly more harmful than Artists’ White spirit. Following is an overview of each of the most commonly available solvents. Mineral spirits and naptha are both petroleum distillates. White spirit (UK) or mineral spirits (US, Canada), also known as mineral turpentine (AU/NZ), turpentine substitute, petroleum spirits, solvent naphtha (petroleum), Varsol, Stoddard solvent, or, generically, "paint thinner", is a petroleum-derived clear liquid used as a common organic solvent in painting. Mineral turps is characterised as having good solvency with controlled evaporation, leaving little to no residue on drying. Hey rgdaniel. White spirits are also known as mineral spirits, which is a pretty ubiquitous solvent used with many household and commercial paints and stains. The “odorless” variety of turpentine isn’t as good a solvent as mineral spirits, but substituting pure gum spirits of turpentine wouldn’t be a problem. Understanding Solvents: Part I.

The biggest difference between mineral spirits and turpentine, and one that might make you wary of the switch, is that the turpentines can be more harmful to use. White spirit has neither a gum residue nor will it deteriorate on storage.

The flashpoint is 31 ºC and the boiling range is 148-200 ºC, with a specific gravity between 0.78-0.82. Either way, you can use turpentine, paint thinner, mineral spirits or naptha to dilute your oil-based finishes. These are organic solvents, and their compositions and applications are different from each other. It has a distinctive smell and a medium solvent effect. Mineral Turpentine is a clear, colourless liquid hydrocarbon often referred to as “turps”.