Tip: Remember to shake, check, and refresh paint bottles
We are all guilty of it. We take pride in having a variety, and in some cases, a vast array of paints.
Somewhere between the day we bring them home and months down the road, we forget to do routine maintenance and keep them in good condition.
Whether you use acrylics, enamels or other solvent-based paints, it is good practice every two or three months (or more frequently) to give each bottle a vigorous shaking, then twist off the cap and visually inspect that they are not dried out, waters or solvents separating from the pigments, or just too thick to be effective.
If they are extremely thick or paste-like, don’t be afraid to mix acrylics with a bit of water and enamels with a touch of mineral spirits and thin them out to where they are the correct viscosity. You work with them enough and will know just how thick you like them, but don’t over thin or you will render them unusable.
Don’t forget to do this with any special effect paints, paint additives as well. Might as well check non-paint items, like glues, spackle, clays, putty, etc. This will allow you to guarantee your stock of glues, paints, pigments, stains and more are always ready to use.
If the bottle is too dried out, toss it, and then remember to make a list and jot down what you will need to repurchase, if you use it often (obviously it dried out and was not used, so it may not be a paint you want again).
Keeping a simple record of these things makes it easy to keep your workshop efficient and gives you an excuse to go to the craft store or hobby shop!
Like we need more excuses to go there…
So make sure to get into a routine every two or three months and save yourself the frustration of having useless paint when you need it most! Yes, that might be a lot of paints to check, but it surprisingly will only take 15 to 30 minutes. Take care of your paints, and your paints will take care of you and make your models look their best!
