Hey guys. I was wondering if someone could help me out here. Letly I have accquired a few commision jobs, mainly repaints. But I have a big problem. All my paints have turned to jelly in thier jars. I went to pop open a few and I went to pour them into the jar for my airbrush, and the paint just kinda sluggishly dropped out. It was more like jelly or that kids slime you get one of those 25Cent machines in the food store. These were all my acrylic paints, the enamels are still good. Now, the lids are on tight, they are stored in a shelf in my tool box, with no light, in a room temperature area. Also I should mention they are about a month or two old. I tried thinners to get them back to the right consistency, but they just end up getting to thin, waters the same. I only buy Tamiya, and Testors Model Masters, and thier appropriate thinners. I am not an art major or anything, but I somewhat know how to paint, and follow the directions on thier boxes/jars for thier keep. I guess I should mention that its really the Testors that have ended up this way. And its mainly the colors, like "zinc green", "ocen blue", battleship grey"...etc.etc. Basics seem o.k. like red, orange, black. This is the first time I have ever seen anything like this with my stash of paints. Is there any way to salvage these? Or do I have buy all new paints? I would post a pic of it, but the majority of them won't come out of the jar.
man that sounds weird usually i have not had something like that happen unless they were years old. i wish i could help more but if you have thinned them respectively theres not much i can think of. one question are you stirring them rather than just shaking them? stirring is far more productive is why i ask
I just noticed this the other night and it happened with 2 jars of Testors acrylic black gloss. I think a bottle of blue paint also turned to jelly. I haven't tried adding thinner or water yet. I don't know how old the paint itself is per se, but I've had these bottles for a little over a year. Is there a shelf life?
Here's what I do... 1.)I store them in a draw or somthing that doesn't get direct sunlight. 2.)Also I am cautious of the temperature of the storage area. I try to maintain a room temp (60°-70°F). 3.)Here's the big thing and I learned from a bud of mine who happens to own the hobby shop where I get my paints. Store your paint jars upside down. As understand it slows the rate at which the solvent and pigment seperate. This has nothing to do with storage, but is a tip for mixing. I picked up this Badger paint mixer, which is like miniature version of the ones you see professionals use, thinking it would be a waste of money. It mixes better than any amount of shaking or mixing with a popsicle stick can do. I thank Bill (guy who owns the shop) just about every time I go in for recommending it.
Hey, a small tip that I've used. Add thinner with ******ant to all your paint bottles. It helps my paint from turning mucky and icky. Then again, I occassionally open up all my bottles and stir them once a month. Hope that helps prolong the shelf life of the paint.
