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Made in ca
Steadfast Ultramarine Sergeant






So I moved a few months ago and haven't done anything hobby related since. I tried to to get back into it only to discover a lot of my paints have dried out. I don't know if that's just what happens, or if it's because of GWs pots. I was never a fan of the pots to begin with so I was wondering if people on here have transfered over their paints to dropper bottles, if they're pleased with it, and how they did it. Thanks
   
Made in de
Contagious Dreadnought of Nurgle





Did you try using water to rescue your colors? After just some months they shouldn't have dried out already. Some of my colors are 10 -15 years old and still work despite having used them not a lot.

Dropper bottles definitely help though if you rarely paint.
   
Made in us
Decrepit Dakkanaut





Are they the really old pots? Mine were still good after sitting on the shelf for a couple years.

I do like dropper bottles though since it makes it a lot easier to put paint on the wet pallet and mix colors.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2021/10/19 14:47:02


 
   
Made in ca
Master Sergeant





I transferred a fairly large collection of GW paints I inherited from my late father to droppers so I could rack them with my other brands.

I got a mix of 15 and 30ml bottles for the two sizes of Citadel paints. I didn't use a funnel cuz I have steady hands and had no accidents across maybe 50 pots, but you may prefer to use a small funnel yourself (I figured cleaning it between colours would be too annoying).

I started by ripping the plastic cap off each, or cracking it with old pliers in the case of the old hard hexagonal pots. Using a toothpick I mixed AB thinner or wash stock into the pots to get them sufficiently liquidy to pour, then scraped out any leftovers with the toothpick.Added a glass bead as an agitator to the new bottle, then carefully peeled up the label by one corner and simply reapplied it to the dropper. In the case of dead pots I was more liberal with thinning agents and mediums (sometimes a bit of flo-aid or similar flow improver helps) and I would break out the electronic mixing tool- I don't think I had to actually toss any paints, they all were successfully reactivated using this method (some were 20+ years old).

Rinse and repeat.

I use an airbrush so I was extremely satisfied with the change and will continue to transfer any GW paints I acquire going forward. Also useful if you are someone who might tip over his nuln oil at any point in your life :p
   
Made in ca
Steadfast Ultramarine Sergeant






 Daedalus81 wrote:
Are they the really old pots? Mine were still good after sitting on the shelf for a couple years.


They're the current pots. Pretty much all of mine have some amount of hardened paint in the cap at the back. It's annoying to have to dig it out to get it to close properly.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
 Ventus wrote:
.

I use an airbrush so I was extremely satisfied with the change and will continue to transfer any GW paints I acquire going forward. Also useful if you are someone who might tip over his nuln oil at any point in your life :p


I've been thinking about getting an airbrush for quite a while now but I'm not too keen on how they work for finer details and in this case washes. I assume for say rivets I'd still need a brush?

But I figure if I have to do all this work to get the paint in droppers I might as well add flow aid too for an air brush

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2021/10/19 19:13:00


 
   
Made in de
Contagious Dreadnought of Nurgle





 fraser1191 wrote:
 Daedalus81 wrote:
Are they the really old pots? Mine were still good after sitting on the shelf for a couple years.


They're the current pots. Pretty much all of mine have some amount of hardened paint in the cap at the back. It's annoying to have to dig it out to get it to close properly.


Ah, I see. That's why I stopped shaking them and stir instead.
   
Made in nl
Longtime Dakkanaut





 fraser1191 wrote:
So I moved a few months ago and haven't done anything hobby related since. I tried to to get back into it only to discover a lot of my paints have dried out. I don't know if that's just what happens, or if it's because of GWs pots. I was never a fan of the pots to begin with so I was wondering if people on here have transfered over their paints to dropper bottles, if they're pleased with it, and how they did it. Thanks
GW pots are just terrible unless you have the really old ones.
And I wouldn't bother transferring them to dropper bottles but simply buy from superior brands like Vallejo
   
Made in es
Inquisitorial Keeper of the Xenobanks






your mind

Has anyone tried heating brass airline fittings, drilling holes on the tops of the gw pots, the pushing the hot brass fittings into the holes to make dropper pots?

   
Made in us
Lord of the Fleet





Seneca Nation of Indians

I found transferring my citadel paints (both old and new) to be the best option particularly since I also added stainless ball bearings (non reactive ones) to mix the paints, too.

and dropper bottles don't cost a lot.


Fate is in heaven, armor is on the chest, accomplishment is in the feet. - Nagao Kagetora
 
   
Made in ca
Steadfast Ultramarine Sergeant






 Ordana wrote:
 fraser1191 wrote:
So I moved a few months ago and haven't done anything hobby related since. I tried to to get back into it only to discover a lot of my paints have dried out. I don't know if that's just what happens, or if it's because of GWs pots. I was never a fan of the pots to begin with so I was wondering if people on here have transfered over their paints to dropper bottles, if they're pleased with it, and how they did it. Thanks
GW pots are just terrible unless you have the really old ones.
And I wouldn't bother transferring them to dropper bottles but simply buy from superior brands like Vallejo


Does Vallejo have like a GW color matching chart or something? I would prefer not to see a change in blues for my UM for instance. And I suppose it worth asking what makes it superior?
   
Made in us
Norn Queen






Dropper Bottles with a glass bead for a mixer is leagues better than GW pots.

The only things I didn't bother to put in dropper bottles was washes.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2021/10/19 23:34:09



These are my opinions. This is how I feel. Others may feel differently. This needs to be stated for some reason.
 
   
Made in nl
Regular Dakkanaut






I out everything into dropper bottles. If only because they fit better into my paint rack. I then put some in a 1.5 ml microcentrifuge tube which I use as a Paint pot. I don't bother with palettes or things like that. They just slow me down and it's not like I'm a great painter anyways.

   
Made in de
Ork Admiral Kroozin Da Kosmos on Da Hulk






 fraser1191 wrote:
 Ordana wrote:
 fraser1191 wrote:
So I moved a few months ago and haven't done anything hobby related since. I tried to to get back into it only to discover a lot of my paints have dried out. I don't know if that's just what happens, or if it's because of GWs pots. I was never a fan of the pots to begin with so I was wondering if people on here have transfered over their paints to dropper bottles, if they're pleased with it, and how they did it. Thanks
GW pots are just terrible unless you have the really old ones.
And I wouldn't bother transferring them to dropper bottles but simply buy from superior brands like Vallejo


Does Vallejo have like a GW color matching chart or something? I would prefer not to see a change in blues for my UM for instance. And I suppose it worth asking what makes it superior?


My experience with switching to Vallejo is that it works great for pretty much any color where you don't mind it being off a bit like glowing plasma bits, teeth, skin, metal, etc. However, for army-defining colors like a marine's armor or a clan color which you want to look the same across the entire army, it took me multiple attempts trying out different colors before I found what I wanted. For those I've decided to stick to citadel.
   
Made in gb
Frenzied Berserker Terminator




Southampton, UK

 fraser1191 wrote:


I've been thinking about getting an airbrush for quite a while now but I'm not too keen on how they work for finer details and in this case washes. I assume for say rivets I'd still need a brush?

But I figure if I have to do all this work to get the paint in droppers I might as well add flow aid too for an air brush


I don't think many people paint exclusively with an airbrush. You would still do detail work with a hairy brush.
   
Made in gb
Rampaging Reaver Titan Princeps





Warwickscire

 fraser1191 wrote:
Does Vallejo have like a GW color matching chart or something? I would prefer not to see a change in blues for my UM for instance. And I suppose it worth asking what makes it superior?


Dakka does: https://www.dakkadakka.com/wiki/en/Paint_Range_Compatibility_Chart
   
Made in pl
Longtime Dakkanaut




 fraser1191 wrote:
 Ordana wrote:
 fraser1191 wrote:
So I moved a few months ago and haven't done anything hobby related since. I tried to to get back into it only to discover a lot of my paints have dried out. I don't know if that's just what happens, or if it's because of GWs pots. I was never a fan of the pots to begin with so I was wondering if people on here have transfered over their paints to dropper bottles, if they're pleased with it, and how they did it. Thanks
GW pots are just terrible unless you have the really old ones.
And I wouldn't bother transferring them to dropper bottles but simply buy from superior brands like Vallejo


Does Vallejo have like a GW color matching chart or something? I would prefer not to see a change in blues for my UM for instance. And I suppose it worth asking what makes it superior?

Nothing, both GW and Vallejo have some superb paints and some abysmal stinkers (vallejo metallics have all the pigment of a watercolor paint). They are cheaper though, and Model Colors have a lot of lovely, natural hues if you fancy a more realistic look. But I'd not give up Gw's Averland Sunset for any other yellow.
   
Made in ca
Steadfast Ultramarine Sergeant






It's funny because this whole thing started cause my Averland sunset dried up and the lgs didn't have any!

So far what I've gathered is that swapping over to droppers with an agitator is worth it, air brushes are an option, and to maybe try Vallejo metallics

Last I checked I could get a ton of bottles on Amazon. Never looked for glass or metal beads before, or air brushes for that matter!

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2021/10/20 17:14:10


 
   
Made in ca
Master Sergeant





Vallejo's metals line is great.

A note about agitators: glass is ideal because it is both reasonably heavy and non-reactive.

Plastic is a bit light in my experience.

Stainless steel is heavy which is great for actually agitating the paint BUT if the finish is marred even slightly it will rust and probably foul the entire bottle. So if you do use stainless steel probably don't use multiple bearings to minimize the chance of any chipping, and ideally use good quality ones to minimize the issue.

Although I now prefer glass have a number of bottles with stainless steel agitators and have been mostly okay but did have one bottle of white which turned brown from the bearing rusting.
   
Made in se
Growlin' Guntrukk Driver with Killacannon





Sweden

 Ventus wrote:
Vallejo's metals line is great.

A note about agitators: glass is ideal because it is both reasonably heavy and non-reactive.

Plastic is a bit light in my experience.

Stainless steel is heavy which is great for actually agitating the paint BUT if the finish is marred even slightly it will rust and probably foul the entire bottle. So if you do use stainless steel probably don't use multiple bearings to minimize the chance of any chipping, and ideally use good quality ones to minimize the issue.

Although I now prefer glass have a number of bottles with stainless steel agitators and have been mostly okay but did have one bottle of white which turned brown from the bearing rusting.


I just chucked some m5 stainless steel nuts in my vallejo bottles and they are 3 years in, no issues with rust or such.

Brutal, but kunning!  
   
Made in us
Regular Dakkanaut




 zedmeister wrote:
 fraser1191 wrote:
Does Vallejo have like a GW color matching chart or something? I would prefer not to see a change in blues for my UM for instance. And I suppose it worth asking what makes it superior?


Dakka does: https://www.dakkadakka.com/wiki/en/Paint_Range_Compatibility_Chart


There is another one I use: https://encycolorpedia.com/

You can put in hex codes, paint names, etc, and it has tons of suppliers from all over the world, including Citadel and Vallejo.



Rather than transferring to bottles, One of the painters I know just got these from https://www.drtabletop.com/shop/droptop. I haven't tried them yet, but they're on my to-try list in the budget for next month.
   
Made in au
Regular Dakkanaut




I switched my entire paint at to Vallejo when I got back into the hobby. I'd never go back to flip to lids. I often transfer GW paints into old Vallejo pots though. Vallejo game colour has a lot of colours with terrible coverage.
   
Made in us
Longtime Dakkanaut




Annandale, VA

Lance845 wrote:Dropper Bottles with a glass bead for a mixer is leagues better than GW pots.

The only things I didn't bother to put in dropper bottles was washes.


^ This, except I also transfer washes as I enjoy the ease of measuring and mixing that comes with being able to dispense drop-by-drop. But glass beads work great as agitators and don't force you to play the 'just how stainless is this stainless steel?' roulette with mystery meat Chinese manufacture.

Cronch wrote:(vallejo metallics have all the pigment of a watercolor paint)


Vallejo Model Color metallics are garbage.

Vallejo Metal Color metallics are the best, bar-none, acrylic metallics I've used. They're a bit limited to silvery colors (the 'gold' is more like brass), but the coverage is excellent and the pigment much finer than typical model paint.

   
Made in us
Deathwing Terminator with Assault Cannon






 jeff white wrote:
Has anyone tried heating brass airline fittings, drilling holes on the tops of the gw pots, the pushing the hot brass fittings into the holes to make dropper pots?
It defeats the purpose as the majority of air leak occurs at the caps' rims. You can never close GW paint pots tight enough for it to not dry out faster than you can use it.
   
Made in it
Shas'la with Pulse Carbine





 Ordana wrote:
 fraser1191 wrote:
So I moved a few months ago and haven't done anything hobby related since. I tried to to get back into it only to discover a lot of my paints have dried out. I don't know if that's just what happens, or if it's because of GWs pots. I was never a fan of the pots to begin with so I was wondering if people on here have transfered over their paints to dropper bottles, if they're pleased with it, and how they did it. Thanks
GW pots are just terrible unless you have the really old ones.
And I wouldn't bother transferring them to dropper bottles but simply buy from superior brands like Vallejo

This.
The only reason I'm still buying some Citadel paints from time to time is to be able to finish armies with a colour scheme that involves them. The one exception is Citadel washes, since I don't like washes that come in dropper bottles.
Just yesterday I bought 12 bottles of paint and all of them were Vallejo.
   
Made in us
Stealthy Warhound Titan Princeps






brainpsyk wrote:
 zedmeister wrote:
 fraser1191 wrote:
Does Vallejo have like a GW color matching chart or something? I would prefer not to see a change in blues for my UM for instance. And I suppose it worth asking what makes it superior?


Dakka does: https://www.dakkadakka.com/wiki/en/Paint_Range_Compatibility_Chart


There is another one I use: https://encycolorpedia.com/

You can put in hex codes, paint names, etc, and it has tons of suppliers from all over the world, including Citadel and Vallejo.



Rather than transferring to bottles, One of the painters I know just got these from https://www.drtabletop.com/shop/droptop. I haven't tried them yet, but they're on my to-try list in the budget for next month.


These Droptops from Dr Tabletop are not very good, by the way. I kickstarted them big and put them on all my bottles very excitedly only to discover that the caps get stuck in the droptop VERY easily, and then tear off. So you've got a little plastic nub inside your tube, and either push it into your paint with a toothpick or take the droptop off and push the nub out, then put the droptop back on. Very annoying!
   
Made in ca
Steadfast Ultramarine Sergeant






Okay, so I'm making some progress.

Ordered some 15ml dropper bottles that should arrive Thursday. I bought some glass beads but didn't realize they were 11mm! So I bought some 5mm online. But won't be here till mid November.

I think I would like to buy a flow aid to help pouring the paint in but I have no idea what brand I should get or what. The only mediums I really use is lamian and ard coat for putting transfers on. I'm not sure if I was even looking at the right product at Michaels or not.

I'm also more interested in air brushes too, I'm wondering what products you guys use or what you'd recommend for a beginner or intermediate level. I feel like I'm a pretty accomplished painter but I've never used an air brush before.
   
Made in ca
Regular Dakkanaut





Oh Canada!

I'd recommend against adding flow aid or other additives to your paint supply prematurely unless there's no other way to save the colour. The more chemicals you throw together the more likely something is going to react badly. Start with water for thinning, distilled/filtered if your tap water is poor or mineral heavy. Pour whatever you can out into the new dropper bottle, then add a little water to shake around and get the rest out of the pot.

I've also seen pretty poor reviews for the droptops which seem to be plagued with engineering issues, and wouldn't recommend them.
   
Made in us
Deathwing Terminator with Assault Cannon






Just 2 cents regarding some of the comments:

1. Stainless steel is inherently inert (does not react to environment). Now, despite having "stainless" in it's name, it does not mean it does not discolor. However, what it does not/will not do is corrode and have the resultant 'react' with the paint, let alone the fact that paints are not some sort of fine-tuned chemical product that needs careful monitoring at its molecular level. If the above were not true, we would not be using stainless steel in construction. TLDR: stainless steel do same job as glass beads, unless you get cheap metal balls that are not in fact SST. The "SST" balls that chip and peel are likely nickel-plated, and not actually SST.
2. Flow aid is not going to ruin your paint at a chemical level. None of the mediums appropriate for acrylic/water-based paints are going to have any negative effects on your paint. What is CAN do however, is that if you mix too much of it, then your paint is going to be runny (obviously), and depending on the mixture/color, you may end up with colors that lose their coverage. TLDR: unless you have water that is obviously too hard, then you can use ANY type of water or water based solvent to loosen your paint.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2021/11/02 21:49:43


 
   
Made in us
Lord of the Fleet





Seneca Nation of Indians

 skchsan wrote:
Just 2 cents regarding some of the comments:

1. Stainless steel is inherently inert (does not react to environment). Now, despite having "stainless" in it's name, it does not mean it does not discolor. However, what it does not/will not do is corrode and have the resultant 'react' with the paint, let alone the fact that paints are not some sort of fine-tuned chemical product that needs careful monitoring at its molecular level. If the above were not true, we would not be using stainless steel in construction. TLDR: stainless steel do same job as glass beads, unless you get cheap metal balls that are not in fact SST.
2. Flow aid is not going to ruin your paint at a chemical level. None of the mediums appropriate for acrylic/water-based paints are going to have any negative effects on your paint. What is CAN do however, is that if you mix too much of it, then your paint is going to be runny (obviously), and depending on the mixture/color, you may end up with colors that lose their coverage. TLDR: unless you have water that is obviously too hard, then you can use ANY type of water or water based solvent to loosen your paint.


Basically this.


Fate is in heaven, armor is on the chest, accomplishment is in the feet. - Nagao Kagetora
 
   
Made in fr
Crazed Zealot





France

To add my little feedback :

I started transfering some Citadel paint to dropper bottles. It's very time consuming though and I prefer using my time painting, so I won't transfer my entire range.

What I have decided so far :

- I'll continue to transfer some of the Citadel Paint that I use the most to dropper bottle, especially the ones that make my armies consistents.
- I'll use the others pots until they dry out and replace them with equivalent from Vallejo or AK. It is far more interesting budget wise and time wise.
- I'll continue to use Citadel pots for washes, Contrast, technicals and metallic, as I don't use them on a palette or in an airbrush.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2021/11/03 09:01:36


 
   
 
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