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.

Hello,
I've had models lying about for years, and I finally got my thumb out of me rear and decided to get cracking.

Now, since I've never really painted before, I decided to take the models I cared the least about to use as guinea pigs. Which happens to be my Legion of Everblight Spear Throwers.
So I got them all primed and good in black, which might not be the best primer colour to use for them, but I figured eh, what the frak.
As for the actual paints, I got a bunch of Vallejo drop bottles from 5-6 years ago, but I figured it wouldn't be a problem, and gave them a good shake for 1-2 minutes.
I started by thinning the paint with 1:1 paint and water, but it felt really thin, almost like a wash. Tried 2:1 paint and water, still too thin. So for the hell of it, I tried using pure paint, without any water added.

Now I'm no expert, but that doesn't look right. From memory, if I had tried using undiluted Citadel paints, that stuff would've stuck on like a new coat. So am I dealing with too old paints here, or am I just mucking something up?

Kind regards,
Kodain


Automatically Appended Next Post:
And because first posts are not allowed to include URLs, I had to make this. This is the model with the paint in question:

Likely the paints are too old, the pigments tend to settle to the bottom. It's going to take some MAJOR shaking up to mix them thoroughly, probably. (Like so: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BMmMls-GYOI )

Oooh! Power tools!

But OK, yeah, it was as I suspected then. Cheers for the answer!

BTW, I probably wouldn't invest a bunch of money in power tools to shake up the paint, there's a fair chance that paint that old might not be salvageable.

But, if you happen to have a jigsaw and C clamp, it's worth a shot before buying more.

If you'd rather avoid power tools, you could also just pull the nozzle off the bottle and stir it with a cocktail stick or brass rod for a bit before shaking it really well.

Yeah, I also recommend popping off the dropper tip and stirring

Welcome to the forums!!!!!!!!

It certainly does look like your paint is old, but it also appears you're using way too much paint. Get enough on there that the paint goes up about a third of the way up the bristles of your brush. Remove any bubbling until you see the natural shape of the bristles. Test this by painting onto your palette until you get a solid stroke that doesn't run, then begin painting.

Crispy78 wrote:
Yeah, I also recommend popping off the dropper tip and stirring

I find this task to be almost necessary with the Vallejo and especially Army Painter lines. I've never been able to "shake" a bottle to prime blending. Always had to pop off the dropper top and stir it.

 Kap'n Krump wrote:
BTW, I probably wouldn't invest a bunch of money in power tools to shake up the paint, there's a fair chance that paint that old might not be salvageable.

But, if you happen to have a jigsaw and C clamp, it's worth a shot before buying more.

What good nerd does not have a good electric drill? Took the bottles for a spin for a minute, and after squirting out a bit of paint, it had not only the proper colour, but a good, nice consistency. So not wanting to waste the paint, I tried a very quick and sloppy coating, which ended up looking like this:



Mind you, this is pure colour, without any dilution added to it. In my inexperienced eye it did look OK enough, but I suppose the next logical step here is to ask: Is this layer too thick? I've heard somewhere that the paint should be akin to milk in its thickness, but vOv.

I'm no expert so take this with a grain of salt. I thin with a tiny bit of water, milk thin is for the airbrush, although it varies person to person. do some practice and experimenting, buy new paint and see if that's any different.