has anyone had any problems with micro kristel clear turning somewhat stiff after two are three weeks.

Model Railroader General Discussion (Model Railroader)
1

the post is the same as the subject line. i would be interested in hearing some opinion

2

If you mean in the bottle - it will if you don’t keep the cap on it. Take the cap off, get what you need and immediately put the cap right back on. I have a bottle that is over four years old and still works as new. If the lid if left off for any length of time, it will develop a rubbery skin that will ultimately cause the whole bottle to stiffen up.

Mark.

3

Ditto what Mark said.

Don’t keep the cap off for any longer than neccessary. I also clean the semi dried residue from around the neck of the bottle each time I use it. That allows the cap to seal properly and removes any material that might cause the contents to stiffen up.

There is the remote possibility that you have been sold some old stock, but mine is at least four years old and works perfectly, so old stock is likely not the issue.

In the same vane, cleaning the necks of your paint bottles before you put the caps back on is also a good idea. It allows for a better seal when you put the lid back on and it allows the lid to be removed very easily the next time you want to use the paint. How many times have you had to get out the water pump pliers to get a lid off because of dried paint on the rim? Paper towels are your friends![swg]

Dave

4

Tux,

Good advice above.

My bottle is about 5 years old, which due to my neglect I have to toss out. Recently when I opened it to use the MKC, the material in the top 1/3 area of the bottle was stiff. Before I threw it away, it then dawned on me that the layers towards the bottom might still be good.

I inserted a tooth pick, broke through the hardened layer and sure enough there was a small amount of material towards the bottom that was still good. I was able to use it to apply styrene “name boards” to a pair of passenger cars that I Alcladded.

I’m usually careful, but I blame myself realizing that on 2 previous jobs I had removed the cap, left it off for 1 to 2 minutes, then reinstalled the cap without cleaning the top because I was so focused on finishing my passenger cars. [banghead]

Lesson learned as after 3 decades of scale modeling, I knew better. [8)]