Printmakers’ Wax Drier - Cranfield - 75 ml

Printmakers’ Wax Drier is compatible with any Cranfield or Caligo oil-based printmaking ink and, because it’s been formulated with a similar viscosity to most oil-based printmaking inks, the Printmakers’ Wax Drier paste can be mixed with ease into an ink on the slab with a pallet knife.

Add the wax drier to noticeably increase the speed of ink drying. In addition, the presence of a blended wax compound means that the finished print is more resistant to rubbing and marking over the longer term. The blend of driers is balanced to encourage surface drying of the printed ink film during initial ‘setting’, and the ‘through drying’ of the ink over the longer term.

The history of Cranfield dates back to the late 1920s, when George Craine Senior—the grandfather of the current managing director—began working at Johnson & Cumbers in London’s Sugarhouse Lane, then a major centre for ink and paint production. There, he developed his craft in an era when the needs of artists came first, rather than mass production. This philosophy, rooted in craftsmanship and quality, became the foundation of the family business.

In 1976, George Craine Junior, committed to traditional methods and their value for artists, founded the Cranfield Group, using classical processes to produce high-quality dry pigment inks. The brand quickly gained recognition within the art community for its authenticity and craftsmanship. In 2009, Spectrum Paints joined the family, helping preserve the heritage of traditional British paintmaking and maintaining rare machinery and techniques that remain at the heart of the company today.