Acrylic Binding Medium: from Dick Blick Site
All ingredients are per 100g pigment.
50 g to 80 g acrylic medium,
1 g anti-fermenting preservative,
5 g to 20 g water if needed,
Mix all ingredients thoroughly, keep in a sealed jar or air proof container.

Marble dust:
Add marble dust to acrylic mediums or paints to make a thick modeling paste or add texture and body to paints.

Mediums:    ^up

Portuguese Balsam Medium:
1 Part Sun-thickened linseed oil
1 Part Strasbourg turpentine (preferred) or venice turpentine
1 Part pure gum spirits of turpentine
1% Oil of Spike Lavender (optional)
3% Lead oxide drier (optional)
Stir the oil and Strasbourg turpentine together until completely mixed. Add gum turpentine to the desired consistency. The oil of spike is probably there to make it smell better. Lastly mix in the drier.

Balsam Glazing Medium:
1 Part Linseed Oil
1 Part Walnut Oil
1 Part Venice Turpentine
2 Parts Oil Of Spike (can be substituted with gum turpentine)
Add a small amount to paint to improve gloss, transparency and leveling.

Balsam Glazing Medium #2:
4 Parts Turpentine or Oil of Spike
1 Part Sun-thickened Oil
3/4 Part Canada Balsam
Leaner version of above. Add a small amount to improve flow, gloss, transparency and leveling

Black Oil:
I or 2 Parts Litharge
20 Parts Linseed or Walnut Oil
from The Secret Formulas and Techniques of the Masters by J.Maroger, partial text here, and p.160 recipe here

Grind the litharge with some of the oil before adding it with the rest of the oil. Place the receptacle containing the mixture over a low fire and stir constantly with a spatula during the cooking.

Between 180 and 200 degrees centigrade, the oil begins to smoke and to become brownish in color. This is the sign of the beginning of its combination with the lead. The litharge has a tendency to agglutinate at about I50 degrees, and the spatula will stick in it at the bottom of the vessel. Towards 2I0 degrees, however, this deposit softens and it will finally mix with the oil at about 230 degrees. Towards 250 degrees, the oil takes on the brown and transparent color of coffee and loses the muddy look it had earlier in the process.

If there is no means of gauging the heat, as with a thermometer, it is important to see that the oil smokes only very slightly. Too long and too hot a cooking (as high as 280 degrees) will lend to a sort of rubberiness in the oil and the product will be unfit for use in painting.

It is difficult to give precise instructions as to the length of time this oil should be cooked. The masters always spoke of a "low fire," whatever they meant by that, and they spoke of also of two hours of cooking. When the oil has become a dark brown and the foam which partly covers it has taken on a the golden tone, the lead should be entirely combined with the oil and the operation might be considered as finished. But with this is a matter of individual taste and another artist might have a preference for an oil that has been cooked for a longer or shorter time. Over a low fire the cooking might be allowed to last for from two to three hours to obtain a thicker and more brilliant product. After the cooking is finished, the temperature of the oil must come down to 75 degrees centigrade before it can be poured into a bottle.

Let it sit for a week or more until all the lead has settled to the bottom and then carefully decant into a bottle. Marbles can be added to keep the level at the top of the bottle.

Fast Dry Glazing Medium:
1 Part Sun-thicked Linseed Oil
1/2 Part Black Oil
1 Part Venice Turpentine
1- 2 Parts Turpentine (use more or less to adjust leanness or fatness)
Add a small amount to paint to shorten drying time and improve gloss, transparency and leveling.

Grinding Medium for Oil Colors from Dick Blick Site
All ingredients are per 100g pigment.
3 g to 100g oil
2g to 3g Courtrai drier (Ivory Black requires
5g to 8g)
Add 1 g to 3 g purified beeswax to create extra body.
Mix all ingredients thoroughly, keep in a sealed container with no air inside. Pebbles or marbles can be used to bringg oil to the top of the container.

Italian Drying Medium: qouted from Natural Pigments
From Secret Formulas and Techniques of the Masters, by Jacques Maroger
(all measurements are given by weight):
10 Parts Raw Linseed Oil
1 Part Litharge
1 Part Beeswax
Grind the litharge with some of the oil before adding it with the rest of the oil. The mixture is then simply heated to 250° C. It is done when it turns dark black brown. It thickens into a paste when cool

Solvent Free Medium:
2 Parts Black Oil (substitute stand oil for longer dry times)
1 Part Venice Turpentine
Improves flow, speeds drying time, reduces brush stroke, adds a glossy enamel like finish.

Sun-thickened Oil:
1 Part Linseed or Walnut oil
1/20 Part Litharge (optional)
If using litharge it is best to grind it with a little oil first. Place the oil and litharge in shallow dish made from glass or lead (lead roof flashing can be used to form a pan). Place in a southern facing window so it gets direct sunlight. Cover with a sheet of glass and stir well every day or so to keep a skin from forming. When it reaches the desired thickness it is done. It takes about 3 weeks to several months depending on heat, amount of sun, type of oil and degree of thickness desired. Decant the oil into glass container. If litharge was used, allow to rest a week or so to make sure all the lead has settled and re-decant.

Grounds:    ^up

Traditional Chalk Gesso:
3 parts of glue size (by volume)
1 part chalk
1 part pigment (usually lead white or titanium white, but other pigments can be used for for colored grounds.)
Chalk Grounds: Directions
Measure out the glue size solution into a metal container. Add the dry ingredients. Stir well but avoid getting air-bubbles. Place container in a double-boiler or enclosed hot plate. Apply warm mixture with a broad brush. Allow layer to dry to the touch and recoat.

Miscellaneous:    ^up

Marble dust:
Add marble dust or chalk to oil paints and gessoes to make a thick impasto paste, extend colors or add texture, tooth and body.

Egg Tempera #1:
1 Part egg yoke
1 Part water
To separate the egg yolk from the white of the egg; Place the yolk in your hand and pass it from one hand to another until all the white has drained through your fingers. Then puncture the yolk and drain it through your fingers into a container.
Add the water and egg together in a sealed container and shake vigorously until it is completely emulsified.
Add a little at a time to your pigment and mix well with a palette knife until you have the consistency you want. Tempera can be thinned with a little water. It is wise to make a fresh batch of paint for every painting session.

Egg Tempera Grinding Medium from Dick Blick Site
All ingredients are per 100g pigment.
25g to 4 g gum arabic in 35% solution,
5g to 10g glycerin,
1g egg yolk,
1g anti-fermenting preservative,
Mix all ingredients thoroughly, keep in a sealed jar or air proof container.

Whole Egg Tempera #1:
1 Egg
1 Part Linseed, walnut, sun thickened or stand oil
2 Parts water
clove oil
Add ingredients one at a time in a closeable container shaking vigorously between additions. Add a small drop of clove oil as a preservative. A small amount of alcohol or vinegar can be used instead of the clove oil. Close tightly and keep in the refrigerator.

 

Amber:

Bleaching Amber: adapted from Twentieth Century Formulas, Recipes And Processes c1916 by Norman W. Henley
1 Part Amber
2 Parts. Rock Salt
4-10 Parts Distilled Water
Place a quantity of yellow amber in a suitable receptacle, such as an earthenware crucible, of sufficient strength, adding the rock salt, and then pouring in as much spring water as will dissolve the rock salt. When the latter is dissolved more water is added, and the crucible is placed over a fire until the color of the amber is changed to a white. The bleached amber is then placed in an iron pot and heated over a common fire until it is completely dissolved, after which the melting pot is removed from the fire, and when sufficiently cool the amber is taken from the pot and immersed in spring water to eliminate the salt, after which the amber is put back into the pot and is again heated over the fire till the amber is dissolved. When the operation is finished the amber is removed from the pot and spread out upon a clean marble slab to dry until all the water has evaporated, and is afterwards exposed to a gentle heat to entirely deprive it of humidity.

Running Amber: from The Manufacture of Varnishes and Kindred Industrie c1904 by JOHN GEDDES McINTOSH
What is known as the German method is as follows.
The pounded and sieved amber is put into a cast-iron pot with a flat bottom, which is just covered over with the material, and this is held over the fire until the amber is thoroughly melted and is quite liquid. It is then run in thin coats on to a cast-iron plate, and after this quick re-cooling it is broken up into small pieces. In this state it is soluble in varnish oils. When the fusion has been well done the fracture of the amber should be half as brilliant as that of the primitive material.

Copal Varnish:
The Copal needs to be "run" before it can be combined with the oil. See Running Amber for instructions on how to make Run Copal.
Here is a second method to Run Copal: adapted from Twentieth Century Formulas, Recipes And Processes c1916 by Norman W. Henley
"Take the copal and expose it in a vessel formed like a cullender to the front of a fire, and receive the drops of melted gum in a basin of cold water; then dry them well in a temperature of about 95° Fahr"
Antoher method of running copal: "Heat the copal resin until it melts (between 356° and 644°F, or 180°C and 340°C). Pour the melted copal onto a cast iron pan or skillet in a thin layer and let cool. Then break the cooled copal into small lumps."

2 Parts Run Copal (Copal can be bought already "run", or process with one of the above methods)
3 Parts Linseed or Walnut Oil
10 Parts Turpentine
Crush the already run copal as much as possible and mix with the Oil. Slowly heat the mixture to approximately 482°F (250°C), for about 1 hour stirring constantly. Use a candy thermometer and do not overheat or it will burn the oil. When the oil darkens and all the copal is dissolved it is ready. It will be cloudy or Milky looking when cooled so the copal/oil should be set aside for 1 to 6 months to clarify and age. After it has become completely clear, it can then be filtered or decanted and mixed with the turpentine to thin.

Dammar Varnish: Standard 5lb. cut
Complete instructions with pictures are available at cad-red.com (link takes you off site)
1 Part Dammar Crystals
4 Parts Rectified Turpentine
Wrap the dammar crystals in cheese cloth, nylon stocking or muslin and tie shut with a string, leaving extra string for hanging outside the jar. Fill jar with turpentine and place the "tea bag" of dammar crystals into the jar leaving the extra string hanging outside the jar. Put the top on the jar and leave until the all resin has dissolved. It should take about 1 or 2 days. Then remove the empty clothe and dispose or clean for further use. You can filter trough a fine screen or more cheese cloth if needed.

Mastic Varnish:
See Dammar
1 Part Mastic Tears
3 Parts Rectified Turpentine
Wrap the mastic tears in cheese cloth or muslin and tie shut with a string, leaving extra string for hanging outside the jar. Fill jar with turpentine and place the "tea bag" of mastic into the jar leaving the extra string hanging outside the jar. Put the top on the jar and leave until the all resin has dissolved. It should take about 1 or 2 days. Then remove the empty clothe and dispose or clean for further use. You can filter trough a fine screen or more cheese cloth if needed.

Wax:

Beeswax Varnish:
1 part by volume of pure bleached beeswax
3 parts by volume of turpentine spirit
Cut the wax into shavings, a cheese shredder works well.
You need to heat the wax so you can mix it with turpentine, but it is dangerous to do this heating and mixing on the stove. So heat water on a big pan. Once the water is boiling, shut the stove off and take the pan with hot water to a safer place. Put a smaller pan into the bigger pan and add the wax to the smaller pan. Pour in the turpentine and mix thoroughly until it cools into a paste.
Use: Apply thin coat to thoroughly dry painting and buff with a soft cloth. Also up to 2% can be used a stabilizer when grinding oil paint.

Combined Waxes:  adapted from 200 Formulas for Painters by Robert Massey
2 Parts Carnauba Wax
2 Parts Ceresin
1 Part Beeswax
15 Parts Turpentine
Cautiously over low heat melt the ingredients together in a double boiler or enclosed hotplate. Turpentine is flammable so be careful, make in a well ventilated area, keep away from any open flames, and have a fire extinguisher handy. Allow to cool enough to pour into a container and allow the mixture to further cool to a paste.
Use: Apply thin coat to thoroughly dry painting and buff with a soft cloth. Also up to 2% can be used a stabilizer when grinding oil paint

Mediums:

Gouache Grinding Medium from Dick Blick Site
All ingredients are per 100g pigment.
25g to 50g gum arabic in 35% solution, or yellow dextrin ,
8g to 10g glycerin;
1g anti-fermenting preservative,
Mix all ingredients thoroughly, keep in a sealed jar or air proof container.

Grinding Medium from Dick Blick Site
All ingredients are per 100g pigment.
50g to 100g gum arabic in 35% solution,
10g to 15g glycerin,
1g anti-fermenting preservative
Mix all ingredients thoroughly, keep in a sealed jar or air proof container.

Gum Arabic Medium:
1 part Gum arabic Powder
2 parts water
clove oil (optional)
Boil water and remove from heat, then slowly add the gum Arabic powder stirring constantly until all as been completely mixed. Add 1 drop of clove oil per pint as a preservative.

Preservatives for Watercolor Paints:

Alcohol, add 10 parts alcohol per 100 of watercolor medium, Gin is said to work well. Alcohol acts as a wetting agent and also a drier for humid conditions..

Formaldehyde or paraformaldehyde in a 4 percent solution. Add 1g per 100g or 1 part per 100 parts of the 4 percent formaldehyde solution into the watercolor medium before grinding.. "Formaldehyde can react erratically with some binders and is better suited to industrial than to amateur use"-www.noteaccess.com reference;

Listerine, add 1/2 teaspoon per 100g. Use at own risk, not proven achival.

Oil of Cloves. Add 1 drop per 100g of watercolor binding medium, mix well.; Clove oil available from Natural Pigments.

Oil of Spike Lavender. Add about 1 part per 100, or 1 gram per 100g to the watercolor grinding medium, mix well.;

Phenol (carbolic acid), about a half teaspoon of a 1-10 percent solution to a pint or roughly 1 part per 100 parts. Should be able to find at a well stocked drug store, look in the first aid section. Phenol is available from Natural Pigments.

Propynyl Butylcarbamate see additives in the pigment database (Biocarb, Troysan Polyphase), may be found in chemical supply stores or some pigment suppliers. add 1/4 teaspoon of the powder to a quart of binding medium or approximately .5g per 100g or 1 part per 200 parts.;

Fixatives:

Egg Yoke and Water:
1 part egg yoke:
34 parts water
1.) Separate yoke from egg.
2.) Combine the egg yoke and water in a tightly closed jar.
2.) Shake until thoroughly mixed,
4.) Strain through cheese cloth or fine screen.
Directions: Apply very thinly with atomizer or soft brush. Dries quickly.
Use: Makes a quick drying layer isolating a under drawing so paint can be applied over it. This helps keep the drawing from effecting the over painting and keeps the drawing medium from migrating through the paint.

Oil Paint Driers:

Super Siccative:
1 part Cobalt Dryer
1 part Lead Naphthenate solution
1-2 parts Turpentine or OMS (optional- Dilutes the drier enough so a regular small eyedropper can be used to add to paints)
Mix well and put in a small dropper bottle. Extremely powerful only use a small drop for a 1" pile of oil paint or your paint will dry up right on your palette. Over use can cause darkening and premature cracking.

Super Duper Double Duty Drier: Blend of driers promotes through drying, not just the top layer.
1 part Co-Zi-Ca Drier Blend (MSDS; Cobalt octoate - activlly promotes drying; zirconium octoate - is an auxiliary drier, promotes through drying and an active cross linking agent; calcium octoate-good axullry drier reduces skin-formation, silking, and blooming; zinc- helps prevent "skinning" so the oxgen can petetrate inside the paint film.)
1/2 to 1 part Lead Naphthenate solution (promotes polymerization beneath the surface and imparts a optimum balance of drying characteristics when used with cobalt and calcium)
1-2 parts Oil of Spike (optional- Dilutes the drier enough so a regular small eyedropper can be used to add to paints. if Oil of spike is not avaliable turpentine or OMS can be used)
Mix well and put in a small dropper bottle. Extremely powerful! Only use a small drop for a 1" bean of oil paint or your paint will dry up right on your palette. Over use can cause darkening and premature cracking.

Tormin's drier:
1 part of white lead
1.5 part litharge
1.5 part Sugar of lead (Lead Acetate)
1.5 part Red lead
12.5 parts of linseed oil
20 parts of oil of turpentine
Pour 1 part of white lead and 1.5 parts each of litharge, sugar of lead and red lead to 12.5 parts of linseed oil, and allow this mixture to boil for 8 to 10 hours. Then remove the kettle from the fire and add to the mixture 20 parts of oil of turpentine. During the boiling, as well as during and after the pouring in of the oil turpentine, diligent stirring is necessary, partly to prevent anything from sticking to the kettle (which would render the drier impure) and partly to cause the liquid mass to cool off sooner. After that, it is allowed to stand for a few days, whereby the whole will clarify. The upper layer is then poured off and added to the tints, while the sediment may be used for the darker shades.

Pastels

Oil Pastels: from Dick Blick Site
All ingredients are per 100g pigment.
30g to 40g beeswax or mineral oil,
15g to 25g oil, Vaseline, or non-drying petroleum oil,
Mix all ingredients thoroughly and form into sticks.

Soft Pastels: from Dick Blick Site
All ingredients are per 100g pigment.
80g to 90g pure pigment,
2g to 3g gum tragacanth, glucose, gum arabic, or dextrin + water,
1g anti-fermenting preservative.
Mix all ingredients thoroughly and form into sticks.
Great step by step tutorial on making pastels at www.artgraphica.net

 

A plethora of old formulas of all kinds are in the The Household Cyclopedia.

Tad Spurgeon has formulas and examples of the effects including burnt plate oil.

Earth Pigments has many useful recipes

The Real Color Wheel's Medium Table (http://realcolorwheel.com)

Henley's Twentieth Century Formulas, Recipes and Processes