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Cold weather storage of acrylic paints

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  • Member since
    February 2017
  • From: Hampshire, England, UK
Cold weather storage of acrylic paints
Posted by Tubosteve on Friday, June 9, 2017 2:33 PM

I have finally got a shed in the back garden and going to use it for my modelling. Does anyone have any experience or advise on how cold weather affects the storage of paints? I am getting it (the shed) insulated but unlikely to put any heating in it other than a small fan heater or suchlike. I live in Southern UK and so 'normally' it's not so cold, but would easily be around freezing. Would it be best to keep the paint in the house and just take it into the shed on an 'as needed' basis ?

Stay safe........Steve

Currently on the bench: On the bench: Airfix 1:24 Spitfire Mk IXc (17001) as Silver Spitfire G-IRTY, Revell 1:48 Bristol Beaufighter TF.X (03943)

Finished 2024: Tamiya 1:24 Ford Mustang GT4 (24354)

  • Member since
    December 2002
  • From: Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, England
Posted by Bish on Friday, June 9, 2017 6:09 PM

I have most of my paint in the shed (Suffolk, so a tad further north) and don't have any issues. The shed is not insulated or heated and is on the north side of the house so gets zero sun. I do my airbrushing in there as well and apart from trying to avoid spraying acrylics late in the day when its really cold, i have no problems.

I am a Norfolk man and i glory in being so

 

On the bench: Airfix 1/72nd Harrier GR.3/Fujimi 1/72nd Ju 87D-3

  • Member since
    November 2009
  • From: Twin Cities of Minnesota
Posted by Don Stauffer on Saturday, June 10, 2017 10:05 AM

I have no experience with frozen acrylics, but I stored some waterbased latex in my garage over a winter, and it froze.  When it thawed it was useless.

 

Don Stauffer in Minnesota

  • Member since
    February 2017
  • From: Hampshire, England, UK
Posted by Tubosteve on Saturday, June 10, 2017 4:58 PM

Cheers Bish, 

Won't be spaying or painting in sub zero temps so I guess I'll probably be ok. Just wondered if any of our friends on the other side of the pond in the colder states had any experience of having used acrylics after they may have frozen and thawed out.

@ Don, I don't have any latex so I guess I won't be suffering on that issue.

 

Stay safe........Steve

Currently on the bench: On the bench: Airfix 1:24 Spitfire Mk IXc (17001) as Silver Spitfire G-IRTY, Revell 1:48 Bristol Beaufighter TF.X (03943)

Finished 2024: Tamiya 1:24 Ford Mustang GT4 (24354)

  • Member since
    December 2002
  • From: Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, England
Posted by Bish on Saturday, June 10, 2017 5:10 PM

Ye, you should be ok, especially with the winters we get over here. The worst problem i have had is with water based varnish such as Microscale. A couple of times i sprayed in late in the day and when i checked it next days patches had crystalised.

I am a Norfolk man and i glory in being so

 

On the bench: Airfix 1/72nd Harrier GR.3/Fujimi 1/72nd Ju 87D-3

  • Member since
    April 2013
Posted by KnightTemplar5150 on Saturday, June 10, 2017 6:09 PM

Tubosteve

Just wondered if any of our friends on the other side of the pond in the colder states had any experience of having used acrylics after they may have frozen and thawed out.

 

 

 

I'm in Montana, where we are still plowing snow from the roads now in June and eagerly looking forward to a week or two of summer in late July or early August.

Years ago, I rented a storage unit to store my things while I spent a winter in New Zealand. Included was a large box of Polly Scale and Tamiya acrylics, but they didn't fare well in Montana's January weather.

The freezing caused the glass Polly Scale bottles to crack and leak. Tamiya's plastic bottles held up, but the carrier separated from the pigments, leaving an amber colored layer atop a thick, rubbery mess of coagulated slop. No amount of shaking or stirring could bring it back to a state that I'd feel comfortable using. A lot like clumpy gelatin.

Please bear in mind that these were extreme temperatures of down to -40°F at nights before calculating wind chill (-70°F was the estimate).

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