- 2079 Bhadra · 2 marks
Ingredients of varnish
Short answer
Varnish consists of resin (natural or synthetic) dissolved in a solvent like turpentine or spirit. Oil varnishes also contain drying oil and a drier to speed hardening.
Define the ingredients of varnish.
Varnish is a solution of resin in a solvent, and its main ingredients are:
- Resin (gum): Natural (lac, copal, rosin, amber) or synthetic resin. It forms the hard, shiny film on drying.
- Solvent (thinner): Dissolves the resin and makes the varnish spreadable, and evaporates on drying. Examples: turpentine (oil varnish), methylated or wood spirit (spirit varnish), water (water varnish).
- Drying oil (in oil varnish): Linseed or tung oil, which gives toughness, elasticity and durability.
- Drier: Compounds such as litharge or manganese salts that speed up drying.
- Colouring matter (optional): Dyes or pigments added to make coloured varnish.
✓ Answer checked by Claude Opus 5.5 (high effort)