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Okay, I have been out of the game for nine years and this is the next in line of my ongoing "Holy carp, I really forgot how to do that!" questions. So I have my first model assembled and primed and ready to paint. The problem is I have 17 paints and 2 inks that are all at least that old as well.

So I got a cheap water dropper to add water to the paints in order to thing them and a bunch of toothpicks, but how do I tell if they are the proper consistency? I don't want them too thin.

Thanks,
Ted

To thin in the pot or to thin when painting? It doesn't really matter how thick it is inside the pot, as long as you can use your brush for 'scooping' up the paint.

Take it to a lab for a viscosity test. It shouldn't be lower than 2 Pa * s.

Inanimate wrote:To thin in the pot or to thin when painting? It doesn't really matter how thick it is inside the pot, as long as you can use your brush for 'scooping' up the paint.

Take it to a lab for a viscosity test. It shouldn't be lower than 2 Pa * s.

LOL.

The paint is rather thick, as it has been sitting unused for almost a decade. I just want to get it back to normal.

I like to leave the paint thick in the pots, it's easily thinned. I usually drop in enough water to lay on top of the paint, and check it from time to time.

Chances are if your paint isn't dried up after 10 years, then it's fine. If it was losing moisture it'd all be gone.

I just rub some on paper. I like mine rather 'watery' so if there is no clumps\lumps im happy. It tends to smooth itself over the paper rather nicely.

But thats me.

Taste it. If it tastes like milk, then it's the right consistency.

I think the consistency if more of a personal feel and preference reather than a certain viscosity. I prefer my paints to be slightly more thin that what they come form the store shelf. If you are looking for the same feel of a new paint...then I would suggest buying at least 1 new bottle of paint, so you can see what it looks like and match your older paints accordingly

I've been having that same problem with all my yellows, especialy the vallejo I just bought... -_-' VERY annoying, there's always these effing clumps.

Element206 wrote:I think the consistency if more of a personal feel and preference reather than a certain viscosity. I prefer my paints to be slightly more thin that what they come form the store shelf. If you are looking for the same feel of a new paint...then I would suggest buying at least 1 new bottle of paint, so you can see what it looks like and match your older paints accordingly

An excellent suggestion- I think I will do that!

TedintheShed wrote:

Element206 wrote:I think the consistency if more of a personal feel and preference reather than a certain viscosity. I prefer my paints to be slightly more thin that what they come form the store shelf. If you are looking for the same feel of a new paint...then I would suggest buying at least 1 new bottle of paint, so you can see what it looks like and match your older paints accordingly

An excellent suggestion- I think I will do that!

Man, i really need to take a second to clean up my posts so people can actually understand them! Im glad you were able to decipher my message and it helped you....best of luck!

You and I have time in common. I stopped painting in 2001 and have paints in my collection from when I first started painting back in... forever? I'm not kidding when I say I have paints over 25 years old. I still have some of the original stuff I was painting Dungeons & Dragons miniatures with back in the early 80's. One thing you might want to consider to "wake up" those old paints is a vibrating electric sander. I used mine on my paints that looked like they were lost forever and now I am using those very same paints. It vibrates the feth out of the particles and mixes it more effectively than you ever could by simply shaking or stirring. I gave each pot a couple minutes (more for the obvious problem ones) and they have been excellent since. I have used it again recently as some of them are coming up to a year w/o having been mixed again, but the process was much quicker this time. I meant to build a bracket to put the paints into (was looking at the same idea using a jigsaw as well) but didn't. I just held it against the pad. Make sure the cap is on tight.

To to answer the original question, I never add water directly to the pot, I use separate containers. And in most cases I just dab a bit of paint onto my mixing board and then add water to that, it's a very small amount and I can control the consistency quite easily.

I've read a few of your posts, glad to see you back in the hobby! Looking forward to pics of your work when you get a chance.

Element206 wrote:

TedintheShed wrote:

Element206 wrote:I think the consistency if more of a personal feel and preference reather than a certain viscosity. I prefer my paints to be slightly more thin that what they come form the store shelf. If you are looking for the same feel of a new paint...then I would suggest buying at least 1 new bottle of paint, so you can see what it looks like and match your older paints accordingly

An excellent suggestion- I think I will do that!

Man, i really need to take a second to clean up my posts so people can actually understand them! Im glad you were able to decipher my message and it helped you....best of luck!

No worries, I speak fluent typo.

Skalk Bloodaxe wrote:You and I have time in common. I stopped painting in 2001 and have paints in my collection from when I first started painting back in... forever? I'm not kidding when I say I have paints over 25 years old. I still have some of the original stuff I was painting Dungeons & Dragons miniatures with back in the early 80's. One thing you might want to consider to "wake up" those old paints is a vibrating electric sander. I used mine on my paints that looked like they were lost forever and now I am using those very same paints. It vibrates the feth out of the particles and mixes it more effectively than you ever could by simply shaking or stirring. I gave each pot a couple minutes (more for the obvious problem ones) and they have been excellent since. I have used it again recently as some of them are coming up to a year w/o having been mixed again, but the process was much quicker this time. I meant to build a bracket to put the paints into (was looking at the same idea using a jigsaw as well) but didn't. I just held it against the pad. Make sure the cap is on tight.

To to answer the original question, I never add water directly to the pot, I use separate containers. And in most cases I just dab a bit of paint onto my mixing board and then add water to that, it's a very small amount and I can control the consistency quite easily.

I've read a few of your posts, glad to see you back in the hobby! Looking forward to pics of your work when you get a chance.

Well, to be honest it is nothing to look forward to. I always just did TTQ before as I have no skill at all. I like to play, and that was my strongest attribute. Considering I am diabetic with peripheral neuropathy, I doubt if I will have any real painting skill at all. But I never had such resources before, so I want to just do as best I can and enjoy it for a bit.

As to my paints- I have cracked them open, and some are fine but other are literally hard. I can stick a toothpick in them and break it off in it.

Anyone have any suggestions? I had a few drops of water and resealed it, hoping the wate will soften it a bit.

I began cracking them open, and it seems like a pretty motley mix of condition. Of 19 paints, 10 were rock hard and completely beyond saving, 5 were just fine and 4 the verdict is still out on.

That's a lot of money.

Ouch. Well, at least some are salvageable. Check eBay before investing a lot of $$$ into new paint. I restocked a few things from there and I was paying pennies on the dollar for them. Doesn't happen all the time of course, but anything you can do to save a few hobby bucks (to be spent elsewhere, of course).

er...I basically just test it out on my test model...It's a random AoBR guy who I just use for testing out random mixes of paint.