Russian Sturgeon Glue (Isinglass) from dried sturgeon bladders of the highest quality, blood and rust free. Our sturgeon glue is the same used by Russian art restorers. Sturgeon glue has higher adhesion and lower visosity than comparable animal glue, such as gelatin or rabbit skin glue.
Isinglass is also used to help repair parchment and paintings. Pieces of the best Russian isinglass are soaked overnight to soften and swell the dried material. Next, it is heated slowly in a bain marie (double boiler) at 45� C while being stirred. A small amount of gum tragacanth, dissolved in water, is added to the strained isinglass solution to act as an emulsifier.
When repairing paint that is flaking from parchment or wood panels, isinglass can be applied directly to that area which has been pre-wet with a small amount of ethanol. It is typically applied as a very tiny drop that is then guided, with the help of a binocular microscope, under the edges of flaking paint.
It can also be used to coat tissue or goldbeater's skin. Here isinglass is similar to parchment size and other forms of gelatin but it is unique in that as a dried film the adhesive can be reactivated with moisture. For this use the isinglass is heated with a few drops of glycerin or honey. This adhesive is advantageous in situations where minimal use of water is desired for the parchment or painting as the isinglass can be reactivated with an ethanol-water mixture. It also has a greater adhesive strength than many other adhesives used for repair. (Quandt, 1996)
Reference Quandt, Abigail B. (1996) "Recent Developments in the Conservation of Parchment Manuscripts." The American Institute for Conservation, The Book and Paper Group Annual
Woods, Chris. (1995) "Conservation Treatments for Parchment Documents," Journal of the Society of Archivists, Vol. 16, Iss. 2, pp. 221�239.
Natural Pigments
Natural Pigments is a limited liability company based in Willits, California. We manufacture and distribute rare and hard-to-find materials for fine artists and decorators. We specialize in supplying artists' materials that were used in historical painting since pre-historic times up to and including the nineteenth century.
We constantly search for materials and products of the finest quality so that we can bring them direct to you from the source. To do so, we travel the world to find materials specifically for use by professional artists and decorators. We obtain minerals from mines in Afghanistan, Chile, Russia, Ukraine and Uzbekistan, to name a few places, processing these into natural pigments. We purchase resins, gums and plants from India, Kenya and Malaysia to make natural varnishes and painting mediums.
Our mission is to provide the largest variety of natural pigments, paints and other professional artists' supplies, enabling us to bring you a selection that makes shopping for rare and hard-to-find art materials easy. Our objective is to promote the education and use of these materials among artists by providing detailed information for their employment in encaustic, fresco, oil, watercolor and tempera painting.
All products
Product weight:
0.22 lbs
This product is shipped from our warehouse in Gretna, NE, USA.
This product is brand new and includes the manufacturer's warranty, so you can buy with confidence.
Please submit your product question using this form. All fields are required.