Newbie here, Question about increasing life of Tamiya paints

Welcome Whip! Hey I’ve had mine for several years (at least 8) and they are fine. Just make sure the tops are on tight. 

First, a warm welcome to the forum. Very glad to have you with us!

plasticjunkie

Welcome Whip! Hey I’ve had mine for several years (at least 8) and they are fine. Just make sure the tops are on tight. 

Have to echo what PJ said: lids on tight is the key. I've used Tamiya almost exclusively from about 2005, and have had no problems with well-sealed jars lasting for years with full 'usability'...if that's a word.

In my experiece adding a few drops of the same-brand thinner will certainly do no harm...but it also won't help a lot if any air can get in to evaporate those solvents.

Whip_It

Hello Everyone, 

Hope you guys are doing great. This is my first time on this forum. Hello from Toronto Canada. 

I have a question about Tamiya paints. The thing is, i hardly use these paints but i do not want them drying out!!!! 

WOULD it be a good idea to put in 10-15 drops of x20A (tamiya thinner acrylic) to ensure longer hydration / increase its lifespan? 

Please let me know, my local hobbyshops don't have a clue about this. 

I want to extend the life of my paints outside of just ensuring the lids are clean and there no clogging. 

I guess what I am trying to get at is, is there ANY drawback in adding extra tamiya thinner to my tamiya jars just for that extra hydration / peace of mind.

I never use tamiya paint not thinned regardless, i always thin tamiya paints when using anyways.

Thank You

 

Whatever you do, DO NOT add drops of thinner to your Tamiya paints!!!! As others mentioned, keep your lids tight and jar lips clean. 

I have some Tamiya acrylics from the mid-80's (yep, that's 35 years or so) which are still good to go.

On the other hand, I have found Tamiya's enamels (in the little rectangular bottles) tend to dry out in the bottle. I recall seeing some which had dried out in the paint rack in a hobby store.

I second the clean lids/threads.  Give them a wipe after painting/pouring.  The open easier and last.

Also, when you open the jars of Tamiya, don't turn the lid over. You won't ever have to wipe the lid clean.

BlackSheepTwoOneFour

Whatever you do, DO NOT add drops of thinner to your Tamiya paints!!!! As others mentioned, keep your lids tight and jar lips clean. 

Can I ask why not? I'm asking as a total noob.

I remember watching a vid from some dude running a hobby shop on proper thinning, and he had this trick where you opened the Tamiya jar, and there was a little ridge in the neck. All you did was fill the jar to the ridge and that was supposed to perfectly thin your paint...

Phil_H

I have some Tamiya acrylics from the mid-80's (yep, that's 35 years or so) which are still good to go.

On the other hand, I have found Tamiya's enamels (in the little rectangular bottles) tend to dry out in the bottle. I recall seeing some which had dried out in the paint rack in a hobby store.

 

Phil the same thing happens to Testors enamels. They go bad pretty quick but I have some old Testors enamels in the little square bottles 30+ years old and are still good yet ones bought a year or two ago have gone bad.

K4BeeTee

 

 

BlackSheepTwoOneFour

Whatever you do, DO NOT add drops of thinner to your Tamiya paints!!!! As others mentioned, keep your lids tight and jar lips clean. 

 

 

 

Can I ask why not? I'm asking as a total noob.

I remember watching a vid from some dude running a hobby shop on proper thinning, and he had this trick where you opened the Tamiya jar, and there was a little ridge in the neck. All you did was fill the jar to the ridge and that was supposed to perfectly thin your paint...

 

This is the video I was referring to...

https://youtu.be/CQsXFl3yLho

Interesting bit starts at 3:40.

Do any of you guys know if this is a legit thing?

Thinners added to paint, even the own brand, tend to start the breakdown process of the paint. It’s not immediate, but it will happen once started. Tamiya paints do store well and have a nice long storage life. I have had a few where some of the carrier evaporated out over extended periods leaving more pigment. In that case I was able to revive them by adding distilled water. 

He talks about it here as well :

https://youtu.be/p4Xv3ZPtJ2Q

4:35 onwards

Yes, make sure the lids are tight. All paint. Since I started cranking down the lids , I have not had one dried bottle of paint. I have a hard time gettting to lids off sometimes, but, hey, the paint is still good!

thanks a lot to everyone for their replies

my post was referring to acrylic, sorry i should have been more clear

im very confused - why would tamiya's own thinner deteriorate it's own paint?

I have like 20 paints i want to keep for the long run and I have added like 10-15 drops of tamiya thinner..... basically these won't last long becuase I have done this?

thanks.

Whip_It

thanks a lot to everyone for their replies

my post was referring to acrylic, sorry i should have been more clear

im very confused - why would tamiya's own thinner deteriorate it's own paint?

I have like 20 paints i want to keep for the long run and I have added like 10-15 drops of tamiya thinner..... basically these won't last long becuase I have done this?

thanks.

 

I wouldn't lose any sleep over it, it's a done deal at this point. They will probably be fine and if not then buy a new one as they dry up .

Whip_It

thanks a lot to everyone for their replies

my post was referring to acrylic, sorry i should have been more clear

im very confused - why would tamiya's own thinner deteriorate it's own paint?

I have like 20 paints i want to keep for the long run and I have added like 10-15 drops of tamiya thinner..... basically these won't last long becuase I have done this?

thanks.

 

Im no chemist, so I can’t explain why. But in my experience, once thinners are added to bottles of paint, the paints go bad over time. It’s not immediate, but rather a gradual process. If it is a generic color that you tend to use up rapidly, such as flat black, you’ll probably use it up before it goes bad. But if it’s a seldom used color, you will notice a change in the paint over time.

stikpusher

 

 

Whip_It

thanks a lot to everyone for their replies

my post was referring to acrylic, sorry i should have been more clear

im very confused - why would tamiya's own thinner deteriorate it's own paint?

I have like 20 paints i want to keep for the long run and I have added like 10-15 drops of tamiya thinner..... basically these won't last long becuase I have done this?

thanks.

 

 

 

 

Im no chemist, so I can’t explain why. But in my experience, once thinners are added to bottles of paint, the paints go bad over time. It’s not immediate, but rather a gradual process. If it is a generic color that you tend to use up rapidly, such as flat black, you’ll probably use it up before it goes bad. But if it’s a seldom used color, you will notice a change in the paint over time.

 

wow, guess you live and you learn, i hope i use them up! thanks for the help!

Make sure you aren't making James Bond Martini's with your paint. They should be stirred and not shaken. This keeps the inside of the tops clean which helps to keep the top of the bottle clean and free of paint that might prevent a good seal.

lol starting to feel like if the paint jar is ever in the position where the jar is flipped upside down or tilted in any way by mistake, the jar is doomed 

K4BeeTee

This is the video I was referring to...

 

https://youtu.be/CQsXFl3yLho

Interesting bit starts at 3:40.

Do any of you guys know if this is a legit thing?

 

Either he's a moron or he's trying to get you to ruin paint. Thinner added to any paint bottle will break down the the paint and render it useless over time. 

Whip_It

thanks a lot to everyone for their replies

my post was referring to acrylic, sorry i should have been more clear

im very confused - why would tamiya's own thinner deteriorate it's own paint?

I have like 20 paints i want to keep for the long run and I have added like 10-15 drops of tamiya thinner..... basically these won't last long becuase I have done this?

thanks.

 

20 bottles? Amateur.... I've got about 100 paint bottles on hand. Some going back to the 80s and in still good condition. Why would you go and add thinner to your bottles and then ask on these forums? Should have asked first before doing so. I dont get it...

Face it, over time your paint won't adhere properly because the process of breaking down paint properties has happened.

Let me put it to you this way. Would you add water to interior house paint in attempt to make your paint last longer? 

Whip_It

 

 

stikpusher

 

 

Whip_It

thanks a lot to everyone for their replies

my post was referring to acrylic, sorry i should have been more clear

im very confused - why would tamiya's own thinner deteriorate it's own paint?

I have like 20 paints i want to keep for the long run and I have added like 10-15 drops of tamiya thinner..... basically these won't last long becuase I have done this?

thanks.

 

 

 

 

Im no chemist, so I can’t explain why. But in my experience, once thinners are added to bottles of paint, the paints go bad over time. It’s not immediate, but rather a gradual process. If it is a generic color that you tend to use up rapidly, such as flat black, you’ll probably use it up before it goes bad. But if it’s a seldom used color, you will notice a change in the paint over time.

 

 

 

 

 

wow, guess you live and you learn, i hope i use them up! thanks for the help!

 

Definitley a case of live and learn. When I first started airbrushing 30+ years ago, my funds were very tight for this hobby. So I figured to make my paints last longer I would save my paints thinned for airbrushing for the next project in the extra jars that my airbrush came with. Well projects were few and far between as well due to work, family, funding, etc. So by the time I got around to trying to use the ”saved” pre thinned paint again, it was useless gunk on the bottom of the jar. I also tried “reviving” various paints that were drying up in the jars, tins, etc. by adding the appropriate thinners. It would work for that session, and then some time later on the paint would be useless. Adding thinner into the original container does not extend the shelf life of any paint, will revive them temporarily, and in the long run, will hasten their demise.

BlackSheepTwoOneFour

i want to keep for the long run and I have added like 10-15 drops of tamiya thinner..... basically these won't last long becuase I have done this? thanks.     20 bottles? Amateur.... I've got about 100 paint bottles on hand. Some going back to the 80s and in still good condition. Why would you go and add thinner to your bottles and then ask on these forums? Should have asked first before doing so. I dont get it... Face it, over time your paint won't adhere properly because the process of breaking down paint properties has happened.   Let me put it to you this way. Would you add water to interior house paint in attempt to make your paint last longer?  Add Quote to your Po

LOL never painted a house before, this is my first time doing any sort of painting.

what's even more confusing is that i once on a forum read that placing citadel paints into dropper bottles is even better thatn leaving them in the jar (more prone to drying up).

So the forum and many videos online (there's at least 10 vids on youtube on this), instructed me to add villejo air brush thinner to each jar so it can easily be poured into dropper bottles, then transfer all paint into the new dropper bottles.

I did just that to 3 full citadel paints jars, does that mean i've pretty much ruined those paints as well?

It’s on the Internet, so it must be true.... 

Whip_It

 

 

BlackSheepTwoOneFour

i want to keep for the long run and I have added like 10-15 drops of tamiya thinner..... basically these won't last long becuase I have done this? thanks.     20 bottles? Amateur.... I've got about 100 paint bottles on hand. Some going back to the 80s and in still good condition. Why would you go and add thinner to your bottles and then ask on these forums? Should have asked first before doing so. I dont get it... Face it, over time your paint won't adhere properly because the process of breaking down paint properties has happened.   Let me put it to you this way. Would you add water to interior house paint in attempt to make your paint last longer?  Add Quote to your Po

 

 

 

LOL never painted a house before, this is my first time doing any sort of painting.

what's even more confusing is that i once on a forum read that placing citadel paints into dropper bottles is even better thatn leaving them in the jar (more prone to drying up).

So the forum and many videos online (there's at least 10 vids on youtube on this), instructed me to add villejo air brush thinner to each jar so it can easily be poured into dropper bottles, then transfer all paint into the new dropper bottles.

I did just that to 3 full citadel paints jars, does that mean i've pretty much ruined those paints as well?

 

There are so many gimmicks on the internet and you really need to take it with a grain of salt. Don’t believe everything on the internet. No matter what you’ve done, over time additional chemical in the paint can cause problems.

Whip_It

I did just that to 3 full citadel paints jars, does that mean i've pretty much ruined those paints as well?

This is where golden experience kicks in: your own, not others'; keep an eye on those paints over time to see what happens, and go from there. However much well-intentioned advice you get...personal experience is the final acid-test.

[But...as the other said...take everything on the internet with a grain of salt.]

I'll side with PJ and Stik on this, clean bottle/cap threads are your first best practices for effective paint storage. I've read several times, that any additive to paint in an attempt to prolong storage life is of no benefit, and actually can contribute to the paint going bad in the bottle. Can't explain why, maybe a chemist type will drop in with an opinion.

Speaking only for myself, I have many OLD bottles, even a few Pactra, and it's been off the scene for years. Regardless of the brand/type, I never shake the bottle at any time. I first stir it well to get all of the solids off the bottom, then I use the Badger stirring mixer for complete blending of everything in the jar.

I use pipettes or even straws with a finger over the end, to transfer the paint from the bottle to the small cups I use for blending thinners and flow aids, if used. That way the bottle and cap threads stay perfectly clean, and will allow storage for very long times. And a firm tightening of the cap is important, to keep air from evaporating the ingredients that make up the paint.

My Tamiya, Testors, Humbrol and other paints can be dependably stored for very long periods, by just following those practices.

Patrick

Phil_H

I have some Tamiya acrylics from the mid-80's (yep, that's 35 years or so) which are still good to go.

On the other hand, I have found Tamiya's enamels (in the little rectangular bottles) tend to dry out in the bottle. I recall seeing some which had dried out in the paint rack in a hobby store.

 

Ditto... I have 35+ year old Tamiya acrylics, don't thin in the tin... err.. jar, keep the lids & threads clean & you are good to go... on storage.

It's a good idea not to let them freeze, some brands (don't know about Tamiya) don't tolerate it.

Heh... the OP is probably banging his head against the wall for ruining several bottles of perfectly brand new paints by adding thinner with the thought it would help ”prolong the life“ of his paints. 

Live and learn....