Enamel weathering products

[ChuckD]

Hi, all.  I've been an acrylics and oils kinda guy ever since getting back into the hobby.  But, I've wanted to start tinkering with some of the enamel-based weathering products out there lately.  So, I picked some up and have found that some of them clump and go bad before I have a chance to use them.  I fished whatever the hell this thing is out of a bottle of Adam Wilder smoke wash last night.

 

 

I swear it was moving.  Obviously, it's a clump of whatever the pigment material is that has hardened and gone south.  There was no recovering that jar, so I ended up pitching it.  I've had to do the same for several others as well.  No amount of shaking, stirring, or foul language does any good.

 

What do you do to keep your enamel-based products fresh?

Edited June 18, 2019 by Gewehr 43

[Out2gtcha]

I just invested in a bunch of AKI enamel weathering products. They work really well, as this is my first foray into enamel weathering products, as up until a couple of years ago when I switched to MRP, I used MM enamels, and had to used acrylic weathering products. 

 

On the flip side of the coin, AKI doesn't make a straight enamel "smoke" equivalent, so I turned to and purchased two bottles of Tamiya X-19 enamel.

The most visible difference being the non-standard Tamiya bottle shape:

 

 

Its just like normal smoke but of course.......enamel and not acrylic.

I have not had time to experiment with it, but so far neither the Tamiya nor AKI products have gone south yet. They all separate, but none gone bad.

[modelingbob]

I've experienced the exact same thing with MiG/Ammo enamel washes. they are fantastic when newly opened but they have limited shelf life once opened. The only solution I can figure out is to not open them (but that kinda defeats the purpose!). Once they go "bad" you might as well pitch them in the trash as there is no recovery. What I'm doing now, is using MiG's Oilbrushers  (same enamel base as their washes) and thinning into washes only when I actually use them.

[nmayhew]

same here

 

all my AK interactive wash and deposit products are either on the turn or have evaporated to the point where they are unusable or completely solid

 

i messaged AK via Facebook and they said they would look into it but never got back to me

 

the problem is using cheap bs plastic bottles with cheap bs soft plastic lids

 

this is also why i am so annoyed at MRP paint changing from glass bottles and solid plastic caps to cheap plastic bottles and fliptop lids

 

anyway, the only solution I could think of is to buy glass bottles and hard plastic screw top caps which have a polycone thingy in the top; this is standard pharmaceutical practice I understand for samples etc

 

basically i think all the producers need to up their game here because weathering products aren't like paint - you'll buy a wash and it will last years in terms of how much one uses per model, so their containers need to provide for this

 

I guess I'll find out in about 18 months if my solution has worked

Edited June 19, 2019 by nmayhew

[Woody V]

This is a common problem with enamel paints when you pre-thin enamels and store them. I decided a long time ago that pre-mixed washes are a waste of money. A couple tubes of oil paints and thinner work just as well, if not better. YMMV