Storing paints

If they were tightly closed, with clean seals, they may be alright. The primary danger is from solvent loss. This can be corrected by adding more of the proper solvent. The second danger is that high temperatures for a long enough time will cause the binder to start to polymerize. Once that happens the paint is history.

Find them and get them out of there! 

Ugh, well thanks.

Ok, I just got my paints out of the garage. They aren't dried out, but how do both acrylic paints and enamel paints look once they've had time to separate? Are separated acrylics really watery? Or are they normally like this? I forgot....eh heh....

Enamels will be thick sludge and clear thinner. They might be fine, might not. Stir 'em up and find out.

Acrylics are pretty watery anyway, and will also have sludge at the bottom if they'be been allowed to settle for more than a few weeks. You'll likely have better luck with those. 

Adriaran wrote:

Ok, I just got my paints out of the garage. They aren't dried out, but how do both acrylic paints and enamel paints look once they've had time to separate? Are separated acrylics really watery? Or are they normally like this? I forgot....eh heh....

They look…separated… liquid on top (very fluid—brands are different), viscous solids in the middle, solids on the bottom. The only way to tell is to open them up and stir for about ten minutes (might take less, but don't give up before that. If the paint won't remix at all it is history. When you think you've gotten the lumps out and everything looks completely mixed, spread a little on a piece of glass or glazed ceramic. If any remaining blobs or lumps are completely soft when smeared, the paint is probably okay.  If any part of the paint looks stringy or ropey, the paint has had it. This applies to both acrylics and enamels.

You didn't mention the brand names. For acrylics, Tamiya, if sealed, are extremely stable under severe conditions for a long time. Poly Scale are almost as good. Gunze come in third. Model Master acrylics come in last for shelf life.

Enamels usually have a good shelf life, but they are very vulnerable to solvent loss because the solvents in them evaporate more rapidly, especially when heated, and the binders tend to be stable at higher temperatures (but less so at low temperatures). Many enamels need lose only small amounts of solvent to trigger polymerization.

Good luck! 

I still have about 50 bottles of Testors enamels I bought for 3 cents each when a store called "Kiddie City" closed back in the late 80's or early 90's. Everyone of these that I have opened is as good as new.

I remember buying every bottle and paint kit they had left for $7 and some change.