In today's more environmentally-conscious market, vegetable oils have come to be

 recognized once again as a critical ingredient in many printing ink formulas. Vegetable oils were the primary ingredient in most ancient printing ink formulas from thousands of years ago. Vegetable oils can impart flow to an ink yet also provide some surface toughness when vegetable oil-containing ink films cure. And of course, vegetable oils are essentially zero-VOC products, too! And yes, de-inking in the paper recycling process can be made considerably easier by the use of vegetable oils in inks.

BCO (Blown Castor Oil)

BCO (Blown Castor Oil) is an old-time favorite for controlling water pickup in all types of lithographic and offset inks. A pale, straw-colored liquid with the characteristic odor of castor bean oil, BCO is stirred in at a low temperature to produce optimum results. Usually, only one or two percent is all that is needed to bring water pickup down to desired levels. BCO is recommended for most colors. Some pigments, such as Lithol Rubine, tend to gel up when BCO is used in the formula. We suggest the use of an alternative water pickup control agent. 

SBO, short for Soy Bean Oil, is a staple ingredient that you can use for the 

formulation of many no heat web inks and to a limited extent in quickset inks, too. SBO is alkali refined for extra clarity and purity. SBO is primarily used as a 

tack reducing agent and to impart flow in overly stiff-bodied inks. SBO has little or no ability to oxidize and dry in the presence of metallic driers, so it is a natural for "stay open" inks that need to have a long shelf life.

Tung Oil, also commonly referred to as Chinawood Oil, is a high-performance 

drying oil normally used in small amounts to increase the oxidizing and polymerizing properties of an ink. Tung Oil is so prone to oxidation that metallic driers must be used sparingly, if at all. Care must be taken when handling Tung Oil, because items such as rags soaked with Tung Oil can auto-oxidize and catch on fire. Tung Oil has a clear-to-light-brown color and a rich, nutty aroma. Normally, only 5 to 15 percent is all that is used in an ink to boost setting speed and hardness of drying. Tung Oil can also be used as a tack reducing agent and to impart flow to stiff inks.

Alkali Refined Linseed Oil, commonly called "ARLO" for short, has been a classic ingredient in inks for centuries. Extracted from the seed of the flax plant, this oil is filtered and then "washed" with alkaline water to remove acid impurities. The resulting product is a golden, rich-smelling oil that is composed primarily of linolenic acid. It is the presence of linolenic acid with its ability to polymerize readily in the presence of metallic driers such as cobalt or manganese that is of great value to inkmakers. When ARLO is combined with a metallic drier and exposed to oxygen in the air it will start to "oxidize", and a tough, flexible "skin" will start to form where the ARLO is exposed to the air. Since ARLO is prone to oxidation, care must be taken when handling ARLO, because items such as rags soaked with ARLO can auto-oxidize and catch on fire. Although ARLO readily dries and is considered a "drying oil", it does not skin nearly as readily as Tung Oil. ARLO can be used for a great many things. No inkmaker should be caught dead without a drum on the premises. ARLO can be used for cutting tack and body, increasing flow of overly "short" inks, and to enhance the film integrity of inks that contain metallic driers that can react with ARLO.

GLO

Gelled Linseed Oil, which we call "GLO" for short, is a convenient way to reduce the tack of a heavy ink. What makes GLO different is that it can be easily handled by just about anyone, including printers. With its short, gel body, GLO makes a wonderful "gel reducer" useful for reducing the tack and body of just about any sheetfed or web offset ink. Being an all-solids, naturally-based product, GLO is safe for the environment, too! GLO is not available in disposable tote bins.

MSOY (Methyl Soyate Solvent)

A truly unique, bio-based solvent, MSOY is a methyl ester of soybean oil. It is used in place of Solvex™ solvents when a strong, low viscosity liquid solvent is needed, but without the high VOC content that comes with them. MSOY is extremely effective at solubilizing a wide variety of hard resins used in lithographic and web offset ink formulas. Caution must be used when formulating inks containing MSOY, due to the fact that MSOY has a Kauri-Butanol value of 50, which makes it 2-3 times as powerful a solvent as current hydrotreated petroleum-based solvents, such as Solvex™. This high Kauri-Butanol value can potentially swell synthetic and natural rubber when used in excess of 5% in formulas. MSOY has less than 10% VOC content as measured by EPA Method 24.

Packaging:

(Above available for most items on this page. Lined drums available by special arrangement.)