Pre-thinned enamels issue

[Woody V]

Back when dinosaurs roamed the earth I painted my models with enamels and noticed that if I stored them pre-thinned they would congeal into a glob. It didn't seem to matter what paint brand or what thinner I used, they always went bad.

Anyone else have this experience?

[Paul2660]

Yes. 
 

one of the reasons I prefer the 
Mr paint line or mission models. I realize neither are enamels but not having to thin to airbrush them makes storage so much better. When done just pour left over paint back to the main bottle. 
 

I still have model master paint that is over 15 years which I had never used. Still paints fine. But stuff that was thinned quickly turned to the mess you describe. 
 

paul 

[ScottsGT]

Yep.  I often wondered if they added a catalyst or hardner to the thinner/reducer.  I know it the body shop business we had "reducer" and "reactive reducer" that had a hardner in it.

 

The few times I still use enamels I always use a pipette and draw a little out of the bottle and squirt it into a mixing cup and never save what's left over.

 

I learned a trick a few year ago when doing some metal work in my garage using RustOleum paint. I bought a generic enamel paint hardner and rolled the paint on and it dried to the touch overnight.  The only other time I used it, straight from the can and it took days to dry. Actually weeks.

 

I just built my new paint booth and hopefully this weekend I'm going to paint the inside of it white using RustOleum with the same hardner.

[chuck540z3]

Same thing happened to me when I used Model Master enamels using their own thinner, Testors Universal Enamel Thinner (red can).  By accident I used Mr Color Leveling Thinner 400 instead 2 years ago and the paint is still fairly fresh without any issues, other than old paint is still old paint if you leave it long enough.  Although I don't use enamels very often any more (MRP lately), I still like them when I want a certain color and unlike MRP, they brush very easily.

 

Cheers,

Chuck

[Woody V]

14 hours ago, chuck540z3 said:

Same thing happened to me when I used Model Master enamels using their own thinner, Testors Universal Enamel Thinner (red can). 

 

Exactly the same here. 

[James Rademaker]

I also tried that method to “save time” and experienced the same. Humbrol, Testors, and Model Master enamels. I just take a glob or two with is on my paint stirrer and place in into a paint palette add thinner (small amounts) and go from there.

Jim

[chrish]

On 3/1/2022 at 4:20 AM, Archer Fine Transfers said:

Back when dinosaurs roamed the earth I painted my models with enamels and noticed that if I stored them pre-thinned they would congeal into a glob. It didn't seem to matter what paint brand or what thinner I used, they always went bad.

Anyone else have this experience?

I’ve felt your pain, made me very careful when returning any paint into its original container after thinning. I don’t think I’ve had the problem with anything but (granted it was old Testors stuff in the small square bottles) enamels

by the way that’s a great man in your avatar…well chosen man!