Shelf life of model enamels

DavidM wrote:

...Is it worth my spending time on them shaking, stirring, straining etc to see if they can be ressurected?...

 

Yes.

I've got some Humbrol paints that are approaching 30 yrs old and still usuable.  I always stir them well and test them on a paint hulk before I use them however.  If I get lumps I can't remove by mixing or black specks I get rid of them.  Occasionaly I will open a tin I haven't used in a while and it has a very strong chemical smell - when that happens I junk the tin - it applies well, but dries in some very strange colors.

The biggest problem I fight with my old paints (I've got a bunch of old Testors and Pactra paints also) is the paint drying out in the bottle/tin.  So now I'm very careful to ensure the lids and jar lips are wiped clean before I install the tops and that the tops are tightly sealed. 

to all above. I've got some Humbrol that I can't remember when I bought them. Most are at least 10, maybe 20 years old. A good stirring and I'm in business. As above, if they are sealed good between uses. I'm one of those cheapie guys too.

Jim 

What Triarius said. I've got tins of Humbrol Authentic enamels which I bought from the LHS over the road from my house ten years and more ago, and which she had had in stock for over 10 years. Stirred thoroughly, so that the solid matter is thoroughly dissolved in the liquid, they work fine.

I've heard similar reports from people who have inherited late 1960s-vintage Humbrol Authentics.

Cheers,

Chris.

I had several tins of Humbrol enamel that lasted well over twenty years. If you can stir out the lumps with no strings or tenacious soft blobs, it's probably okay.

If they were sealed tight, those Humbrol tins keep a long time. Given the prices of paints these days...I think it's worth a little time to give them a thorough stir to see if they're still viable. Of course, I'm one of those "on the cheap" modelers.