Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

Ever since the new GW paint range came out I've have no end of trouble with paints thickening or drying up! I just got a blue paint out of the toolbox this morning I used a few months ago and it hardened, then there the Mephiston Red I used regularly for painting armour and it's constantly thickening up to the point I need to use paint thinner every single time I use it.

I've been at this hobby for over ten years so I know how to take care of my paints but seriously is anyone else having problems with the GW paint range?

I don't know if it's due to the new mixture or the way the lid is made but the way this is going I'm likely to replace all my GW paints with Vajello ones.

Are you keeping them out of the Sun? Only time mine dry out badly is when I accidently forget to fully close the lid.

The paints tend to thicken up after they have been open, I tend to just put 2 or 3 drops of water from my finger and shake it up listening to how the paint sounds to make sure it is at the right consistancy before I paint as a simple fix... Paint thinner always seems overkill

Make sure you close the lids properly, with the newest types of GW pots, it's all too easy to not fully close them. Check both sides have snapped shut.

Give them a shake after you close them as well, that way if there are any pinhole air leaks, the leaks get clogged with paint (which will dry) which stops as much air escaping.

There's something to do with putting a fishing line ball in each pot to keep them fresh. Something to do with the acrylic. Can't recall the exact reasoning behind it.

I find on the new pots, some paint gets dried around the top of the lid and around the bottom lip, and this causes them to have gaps.

I use an old screw driver to make sure both spots stay scraped and store all my paints in a second air tight container.


I also have all my most basic colors in vallejo (that doesn't look spelled right) now, I love those dropper tops, but there just some GW paints that I love the specific colors on.

 Proiteus wrote:
I don't know if it's due to the new mixture or the way the lid is made but the way this is going I'm likely to replace all my GW paints with Vajello ones.

The GW tubs are one of the numerous reasons to shift to Vallejo or other brands. If you could be bothered, you can transfer your GW paints into dropper bottles. You can get them cheap off ebay for about 20c per 17ml bottle. A lot of people that use GW paints choose to do this, though I just recommend Vallejo.

ShaneTB wrote:
There's something to do with putting a fishing line ball in each pot to keep them fresh. Something to do with the acrylic. Can't recall the exact reasoning behind it.

That's a legitimate trick for a completely unrelated issue. Dropping a sinker in the pot isn't a measure for a paint's longevity. It's an agitator, like the ceramic ball in an aerosol can (hence the "rattle can" nickname). When shaking a container as small as a paint pot containing something as viscous as acrylic paint, proper mixing is hard to achieve - the (relatively speaking) heavy ball bouncing around greatly increases the effectiveness of a simple shake. Sinkers are (or at least were - getting harder to find pure lead and the lead-free alternatives are getting more and more expensive, it seems) used because lead won't oxidize or react with the paint like steel would, tinting the color with rust. Glass, stone, or ceramic works just as well - anything hard, heavy, nonreactive, and nonabsorbent. It's purely physical assistance, just like stirring with a toothpick. No chemical reaction, no affect on "fresh"ness.

Well, that explains that.

Use heavy plastic beads if you want an agitator.
I bought a few GW metallic to try out and they globbed up after 2 days of usage. Not very impressed as I too have to add water every time I want to use them. After the first use it seems almost impossible to get the pot to close. Paint drips off the back of the lid and makes it close lopsided and doubtfully seals. I am still a fan of the dropper style paints.

 Fishboy wrote:
Paint drips off the back of the lid and makes it close lopsided and doubtfully seals.

This is only really an issue if you paint directly from the pot, requiring it to be kept open with the lid near or past vertical. This causes the paint to run backwards, "up" the now inverted drip tongue and into the seal/hinge area. If you transfer paint to a palette, you can just crack the lid and take some freshly shaken paint off the inside of the tongue, while the rest of it directs drips back down into the pot, as it's designed to. I can't think of a reason why I'd ever need to open a GW pot lid more than, say, 60 degrees.

99% of the time I paint off a wet pallet. When using these particular metallics I was painting large portions of Knight models and it was inefficient to transfer it to the pallet. I have new paint off the rack still sealed from GW in one of their brass colors that was way to thick to paint with right off the bat too.

I have paints years old!!! As long as the lids are closed properly you shouldn't have a problem. Even if they do start to thicken then just thin them down again using proper acrylic thinner.

Not sure how people are taking care of their paints with all these problems lately. I have about 60-70 of the new GW paints and haven't had a problem with any of them so far. Just take care of your stuff and no problems should arise.

I also use Vallejo for my historical stuff, but GW does have a really good line (despite the $$$) with the awesome base paints and washes.

 oadie wrote:

ShaneTB wrote:
There's something to do with putting a fishing line ball in each pot to keep them fresh. Something to do with the acrylic. Can't recall the exact reasoning behind it.

That's a legitimate trick for a completely unrelated issue. Dropping a sinker in the pot isn't a measure for a paint's longevity. It's an agitator, like the ceramic ball in an aerosol can (hence the "rattle can" nickname). When shaking a container as small as a paint pot containing something as viscous as acrylic paint, proper mixing is hard to achieve - the (relatively speaking) heavy ball bouncing around greatly increases the effectiveness of a simple shake. Sinkers are (or at least were - getting harder to find pure lead and the lead-free alternatives are getting more and more expensive, it seems) used because lead won't oxidize or react with the paint like steel would, tinting the color with rust. Glass, stone, or ceramic works just as well - anything hard, heavy, nonreactive, and nonabsorbent. It's purely physical assistance, just like stirring with a toothpick. No chemical reaction, no affect on "fresh"ness.

This is a neat trick but be mindful of using it if you are like me and have a tendency to lick your brush to a point by sticking it in your mouth. Paints arent that great for you but a lead ball floating around has got to be far worse to be licking on a daily basis

The crazy thing is that I have recently been using some GW paints that I put in my parents loft in 1994. Paints I bought in the last couple of years, however, have dried out.

It's the damn pot lids….no matter how careful you are, some paint will dry on the lip and prevent it from closing up proper. As far as agitators go, I like to get a string of hematite (sp) beads from the local crafts store; they're nice and sturdy, won't rust and are dirt cheap.