R&F Encaustic Paints - Intense Carbon Black, 40 ml

The blackest of all blacks, it can unbalance the rest of the palette. It is best for special effects, and it has reddish undertones and tints.

• Pigment Composition: PBk7-Lamp Black
• Paint Lines: Encaustic Pigment Stick
• Opacity: Opaque
• Pigment Stick Drying Rate: Very Slow
• Classification: Natural Inorganic
• Chemical Composition: Carbon from gas flame
• Safety Information: Conforms to ASTM D-4236

Pigment Name: PBk7-Lamp Black

Classification: Natural Inorganic

Chemical Composition: Carbon from gas flame

Properties

Lamp black is a very opaque, heavily staining black pigment that does not have much covering or tinting power. It is typically the opaquest black in watercolour form. Though a very pure black, it tends to muddy slightly in mixtures. Natural sources may be brownish or bluish in tone because of impurities. When used in oil paints, it is one of the slowest-drying pigments and should not be used in underpainting or applied in layers underneath other colours.

Permanence

Lamp Black is very lightfast and permanent. It is used in all techniques in permanent painting.

Toxicity

Carbon itself is not considered hazardous. However, other hazardous combustion products are often present as impurities when Lamp Black is produced from natural materials. For this reason, commercial preparations of the pigment should be considered.

History

Lamp Black is a carbon-based black that is traditionally produced by collecting soot (known as lampblack) from oil lamps. It has been used as a pigment since prehistoric times. It is the black found in Egyptian murals and tomb decorations and was the most popular black for fresco painting until the development of Mars Black.