How to Mix SpectraFix Concentrate
Pour 1/4 bottle Concentrate into the 4oz Spray Bottle, top it off with alcohol, give it a little shake to mix it, and spray! You can also use as a painting medium straight out of the bottle.
You may mix with any clear, colorless, unsweetened alcoholic liquor such as Vodka, Gin, Grappa or Everclear. Most distilled spirits such as vodka, are 40% alcohol right out of the bottle, and can be added directly to the SpectraFix Concentrate. If you wish to have less water and more alcohol in your mixture for faster evaporation or use on thinner papers, you can use a strong alcohol such as 90% Everclear and dilute it with 1/3 water. Vodka is recommended because it is easily available anywhere in the world, and is generally around 40% alcohol… HOWEVER… be sure to test first!! pour a very small amount of the alcohol in a clear glass (so you can see) and pour in a dash of the concentrate… just a 1/4 teaspoon or a few ML. If it blends into a nice milky solution, that’s great, If you notice white clumps forming and sinking to the bottom of the glass, DON’T USE THAT ALCOHOL. Some alcohol is just plain nasty, and if it curdles the casein, you can only imagine what it does to your gut. Get a refund and try another brand. Unfortunately, this is so rare and so random, we can make no recommendations on which brands to buy. Most of them are fine. Rubbing (Isopropyl) alcohol does work too, but must be tested with a small amount of the concentrate first to ensure that it does not cause the casein to coagulate into lumps. This is because some isopropyl alcohol manufacturers use strong acids to make the alcohol, and the chemistry affects the casein proteins. Be sure to read the label to check the strength of the rubbing alcohol. You can dilute 91% by mixing it with 1/2 – 1/3rd its volume of water which will yield a 45% – 60% alcohol strength. Just be sure to test it first by mixing a small amount!
joseph Giannetti –
I used spectrafix for several years I have a lot of allergies so smells are a problem spectrafix is perfect does exactly what they say is does , best part is the spray is so fine that it blends with it’s self that to say you can’t see any pattern or spots. I coated one 6 times to see what the effects are. It is so good I can run my hand over the surface “NO PICK UP” . I hate glass on works of art this is as close as I can get and the best part it dries flat Matt it doesn’t effect the color. Their are some tricks to applying any spay start outside the art work and finish outside the art work. I’ve tried all of them this one works.
della –
Joseph, I’m so glad SpectraFix works for you with all your allergies, I know what it means to be sensitive. You’re right, you don’t really need glass after a few coats of SpectraFix Degas, and the new Natural Glass FinalFix is terrific too.
Thanks for your cheers!
Sophie Temple –
Hello Joseph, I just read your review. Do you mean that with sufficient coating of spectrafix, a pastel work does no longer need a glass framing to protect it? What if the art work must travel, for an exhibition for example? What do you recommend? Thanks! Sincerely, Sophie
della –
Hi Sophie,
Sorry for the delay in responding. With sufficient coating (at least 3 coats) a pastel painting will not require framing under glass, however you are advised to begin fixing the pastel layer by layer, to assure that it is firmly anchored to your substrate / support / paper, and not just a hard crust on top of a lot of powder. If you spray every so often your pastel painting will be as hard as a rock, and gets harder over time too.
Also, you can investigate our FinalFix for even stronger protection and water resistance. I hope this is helpful, Della