Hello I’m loving my airbrush and using it to paint buildings etc but I’ve already acquired a bunch of these small 1 oz or so bottles and I can’t find any good storage units Someone must have come up with a decent organization solution Matthew
I keep mine in a tackle box.
A nearby drawer works best when the lady points and gives the signal for “put these away”
I use a small metal trackle box I picked up at a yard sale for $2.00…
Matthew,
You can look into food storage containers. Rubberized clear likeTupperware and the like. I use containers made by Sterilite that will hold 40 btls of Floquil paint up right…
Just a thought!!!
Cheers,
Frank
I have a small tool box {came free inside a bigger one I bought for $10 day after TG sale}.
In it I keep all my paints, weathering powders,etc for “coloring” my layout items.
I use the bigger ones each for: scenery items, tools for MRRIng, and other nick-knack paddy whacks need for MRRING detailing.
I also have one that is easy to access for the table top CHristmas tree locos and RR cars for then.
[8-|]
I took a length of 2x4 and, using a paddle bit, I drilled holes about 1" deep. I use a Dyno label maker and stick a label on the cap, reminding me of the color paint. Since I strictly use acrylics, I only keep them stored about 30 days, after which, I toss it out and clean out the bottle.
Marion,
What is the ‘shelf life’ problem you are seeing? I use Polly Scale acrylic paints and have only had 1 bottle ever go bad. I do clean off the threads on both the cap and the glass bottle with each use. That bottle that went ‘bad’ was pretty empty - the more oxygen in the bottle, the faster the paint will deteriorate(acrylic or solvent based paint). And with acrylic paints, leaving the bottle open while you are painting will result in a surface 'scum; much faster than with solvent based paints. I have heard all the ‘fixes’ about using Plastic Wrap on the bottle, storing the paint ‘upside down’, etc - A half full bottle will deteriorate due to all that ‘air’ inside it. Other than evacuating the bottle, there is not much one can do.
Jim
thats a great idea, I definitely have the right bit in my collection of drill bit sets
im surprised I didn’t think of tthat im definitely looking for a solution that lets me see the label…
matthew
A few years age I bought 3 plastic storage units with several drawers in each. They came with castors which makes them easy to move out of the way. My paint supply is in the fourth drawer from the top. My only complaint is that the drawers don’t open quite far enough to clearly see what is in the very back of the drawer, but that isn’t a big problem.
In order to quickly see what colours are in the jars, I put a sample of the paint on top of the lid.
I must be doing something wrong here because I have several jars of acrylic paints that are now several years old and they seem to work just fine. I always clean the top of the bottle and the inside of the lid each time I open a jar so there is almost no crud around the rim the next time the jar is opened, and my trusty Testors battery powered mixer doesn’t seem to have any problem getting the thicker stuff off of the bottom of the jar if it has been sitting for a while. Nor do I have any problems with drying or adhesion with the older paints. I filter any paint going into my airbrush but even then I rarely get anything noticable in the filter. I made the filters myself using the filter screen from a GM automatic transmission, which is a pretty fine weave.
I don’t have the space on my workbench for a large piece of 2 x 4 but I intend to make a shorter piece with the hole in it to hold the paint bottle that I am working with, or the decal solution bottle, or whatever else I am working with that is easily spilled. Just haven’t gotten around to it yet, despite the fact that I wasted 1/2 of a bottle of MicroSol a few days ago.[D)]
Dave
Great ideas I’ve started painting each bottle cap as I use it Matthew
i went to walmart and found a spice rack it worked great for me so i got 2 more
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Rubbermaid-Pull-Down-Spice-Rack/16408640
jeff m
Jim, I had some bottles that were about a year old… LOL! It had dried somewhat, but I found that adding some Windex to it, letting it sit for about 1/2 hour, I could remix it. Before using it, I poured it through one of those funnels with the screen in them. They work like a charm.
I use empty car kit boxes. For example, a Branchline kit box for a 50’ boxcar will hold 12 1-oz bottles of Floquil or Polly-S paint.
Another tip I got from Tom at Doc’s Caboose in Kansas City - get hold of some 1.5 inch foam, the soft kind like locomotives come in, cut about a 3 - 4 inch square of it, and cut a hole in the middle with an eXacto knife a bit smaller than the size of the bottle. Use that to keep the bottle upright on your bench. Saves the accidental spill.
Well I went to Walmart to get the spice rack that someone posted and right next to that one was a two tiered version that is supposed to hold 16 spice jars… I bought it and was able to fit 11 bottles of floquil/badger etc per shelf! That’s 22 bottles in like a 10" circle of workspace! I’m pretty happy with it, thanks to the person who originally suggested walmarts spice rack