Re: types of gum

On Wed, 19 Nov 2003, pete wrote:

> Judy,
> Thanks very much, I understand now, the old grey cells are beginning to
> shrivel.
> When I was in Australia about ten years ago I used a local gum provided by
> John Pollard, it worked very sweetly I will try and get the name for you.

I'd love the name, if not necessarily the game.... I don't mind admitting
I'm a gum junky... in fact eagerly await a sample of a certain antique gum
I've been promised. But I suspect I may be a peasant in the matter,
having liked probably half the prepared liquid gums I've tried, and NOT A
PROBLEM when they're dark. In my tests the final color with a dark gum is
barely if at all different from that with a light gum. In fact I suspect
that this discussion may be convincing non-gummists that all bottled
liquid is dubious. That, I stress, is not the case... I've liked most of
them more than home mixed.

I'll add though that I've noticed in the past year that gums stored in
glass darkened with time... I think they may oxidize in the light, as
Gamblin galkyd did. I have a glass bottle of Galkyd varnish that in two
years on the shelf turned from pale amber to dark brown. Having noticed
this, and also seeing a LOT of brown deposit on the bottom of gallon jugs
of gum that sat around for a while, i suspect that gum color may be
related more to age than impurities (or other).

Again, I myself don't really care. I like the convenience and don't find
the dark a problem. But for those who do care... mixing your own makes a
very light gum. Whether it darkens in time... I dunno.

Judy
Received on Wed Nov 19 21:34:14 2003