Resurrecting the dead

[yabbadabba]

Just throwing something out to you all. After painting for nearly 20 years I have recently gone through my collection of GW paints. As they contain examples from across that 20 years I was not surprised to find more than a few seemed dried out. Yet after about 3 days with a very small amount of warm water in the pots, I am starting to rejuvenate the vast majority - I'd say a round about 7 in 8 are recoverable. This is across all the paint pot and paint types up to Foundation (mine are still in fine condition). 3 pots have needed a little extra water.

Anyway I thought I'd let you know. A few drops of warm water, say about 1/2 teaspoon, and a few days soaking - I'd try this before binning, just in case.

Cheers All.

[Clang]

You're brave. Personally i'd only be using them for painting terrain, and any spots of rust/dirt/grime where an unexpected lump won't ruin the paint job.

[yabbadabba]

Not really, any lumps can be easily removed before painting. As I have saved at least £100s worth of paint at the moment, that seems a small price to pay.

[mrtn]

Half my paints are as old as that, most of them old Humbrol acrylics. Most work perfectly with just adding a bit of water from time to time. Storing them upside down helps as well. And saving £100 is something I approve of very much!

[Luigi]

Just throwing something out to you all. After painting for nearly 20 years I have recently gone through my collection of GW paints. As they contain examples from across that 20 years I was not surprised to find more than a few seemed dried out. Yet after about 3 days with a very small amount of warm water in the pots, I am starting to rejuvenate the vast majority - I'd say a round about 7 in 8 are recoverable. This is across all the paint pot and paint types up to Foundation (mine are still in fine condition). 3 pots have needed a little extra water.

Anyway I thought I'd let you know. A few drops of warm water, say about 1/2 teaspoon, and a few days soaking - I'd try this before binning, just in case.

Cheers All.

I have always been doing this kind of stuff and actually thought it was common practice...
For really stubborn paints I've used small (smaller than that! be careful with that bottle...) amount of alcohol

[Tarsus]

As I've used an air brush in a lot of my stuff, I have big bottles of acrylic thinners on hand and that stuff can revive even the oldest nastiest paints. Only cost a couple of quid for a 500ml bottle and a few drops usually does the trick. I don't know how it is compared to just water though.