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Use or Lose?

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  • Member since
    January 2003
  • From: Spokane, WA
Use or Lose?
Posted by rbkep on Sunday, September 5, 2010 1:18 PM

I hope this does not sound as stupid as I think it will, but I have a question to pose for my modeling brothers and sisters.......

I've been away from building for about 5 years. All of my models, paints, etc. have been in boxes, stored in a garage and storage unit during this time. Now the question.....

I just watched a video Matt Usher did for saving paints by stirring the pigment from the bottom of the jar. After such a long time, do you think it's worth trying to "save" my paints or would it be best to simply start over?

I guess it may depend on the individual bottle of paint, right? Anyway, sure would like to hear your opinions!

Thanks - Rich

  • Member since
    February 2003
  • From: A Spartan in the Wolverine State
Posted by rjkplasticmod on Sunday, September 5, 2010 1:49 PM

I have usable paints that are at least 10 years old, but they were stored in environmenally controlled manner.  Yours may not have survived the storage shed, but certainly worth trying them to see if they are still good.  Lots of stirring & perhaps adding a small amount of thinner should tell the tale.

Regards,  Rick

RICK At My Age, I've Seen It All, Done It All, But I Don't Remember It All...
  • Member since
    August 2005
  • From: Sydney, Australia
Posted by Phil_H on Sunday, September 5, 2010 6:37 PM

I am still using some Tamiya acrylics which are at least 25 years old, possibly closer to 30 years old. I also have some jars of Testors enamels (the old "rectangular jar" type) which are of a similar age or older which are still perfectly usable. These have been stored indoors though, but still subject to normal temperature variations.

Stir them up, stir them well. If you have strings or lumps which you can't stir out in say, 5 minutes, then you may not be able to save it. If that is the case, discard that jar.

Sometimes it can be difficult to tell by looking at the paint without a test application. I found one jar of Tamiya acrylic which had thickened and added thinner to it. Though it had a smooth consistency in the jar after adding thinner, when applied to a surface, it was more  a suspension of tiny particles of cured/semi-cured paint that would not adhere well and dried to a  grainy finish.

PS: If you're not stirring the pigment up from the bottom of the jar every time you paint, you're doing it wrong. Your paint needs to be thoroughly stirred every time you use it. A few perfunctory shakes does not cut it. It takes far longer to mix your paint by shaking than it does by stirring.

  • Member since
    January 2009
  • From: San Antonio
Posted by paintsniffer on Sunday, September 5, 2010 7:47 PM

When I got back into the hobby I dusted off my old Testors Model Master enamels from 10-15 years ago. They had been kept indoors in a toolbox and I still ended up throwing them all away.

Even the ones that more or less stirred up ok still were just not quite right when it came time to use them. I'd rather throw out paint than ruin a model.

Excuse me.. Is that an Uzi?

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