As much as the model paint industry is making on us model railroaders, why can’t they come up with a better jar lid/sealer!! I am not crazy about paying almost four dollars for a jar of paint that costs about .29 cents to produce, but one would think they could improve the lid sealer! I can’t tell you how many jars of paint have gone bad because the stupid “paper’” sealer has disolved into the paint! I have complained to the manufactures and got the usual song and dance that in order to keep costs down (yea RIGHT!!), this is the way it must be. I can’t tell you how mad it makes me when after opening a jar for the second time, the paper sealer is stuck to the jar and lid! Yes there are ways to avoid this such as clear wrap, cleaning as such, but the point is why should we be stuck holding the lid (excuse the pun!!) I wouldn’t even mind paying a dime more for a better lid sealer. I do have one idea, if you could find a way to punch out a lid from say a sheet of styrene and replace the lid. Any ideas out there?
One possible solution is to store the bottles upside down. The paint itself seals the bottle, instead of the lame paper seal.
Of course, make sure that seal doesn’t leak first…
Rob
For some reason small bottles of paint for hobby use always seem to have issues. Why not produce paint in small 1/4 quart cans like some wood stains I’ve seen on the shelves in my local hardware/paint stores. Metal lids like the full sized paint cans could be used and would be easy to reseal with a small mallet/hammer.
Trevor
Rob is correct.
I had about 20 bottles stored upside down for 23 years (Old Poly S water and Testors oil) I had bought these when I used to paint D&D figures. Only two of them dried out and I think it’s because of the pigment used in the paints (Flesh and white) or maybe they had fallen over sometime.
I store all my bottles upside down even if they only sit for a couple of days. What happens is that the little bit of air that gets in cures the paint right at the cap and seals the bottle.
Storing bottles upside down seems to work. Before opening, it’s always a good habit to shake paint bottles well.
However, one good rule of thumb to always remember is that whenever you finish pouring paint out of a jar…WIPE OFF the lid and the top of the paint bottle.
Solvent and Acrylic based paint left in these areas eventually form a layer of “dry, flaky crud” that allows a tiny amount of air to seep in. That’s all it takes to dry out the paint!
Recently a poster stated that his Model Flex paints kept drying out. The newer Modelflex paints on the market are pretty good. I’ve had Modelflex for nearly 2 years now, and non in the original jars have dried out on me yet.
Storing them ‘upside down’ does seem to help, but there may be more ‘urban myth’ than fact to this. the real problem is that as paint is used, there is more ‘air’ in the bottle to oxidize the paint(dry up). Since ‘evacuating’ the air is somewhat impractical, carefully cleaning off the lid/top of the jar before putting the cap back on seems to be the ‘best’ solution.
Jim
I’ve built model cars for over 35 years and one of the first things I learned was that small bottles of paint are always stored upside down on their lids. Its the same reason why bottles of wine are stored slightly tilted on their sides, it keeps the air out. I thought everybody would know that.[:O]
Wipe the paint off of the bottle’s threads and put a piece of plastic wrap over the top, and screw the lid on over it. The plastic wrap will keep the lid from sticking and will help seal the jar against drying out. The paper in the top of the cap may stick to the plastic wrap, but you can just leave it there, cut around the cap, and add another layer of plastic as you reseal the jar.
Hello Jim,
Believe it or not it, there is one good benefit to storing paint upside down.
I remember years back that after sitting on my shelf for more than a month some of my Testors and Floquil paints would naturally separate, and even after shaking the bottles the pigment and talc would remain at the bottom of the jar. I’d then have to grab a tooth pick, pick the material off the bottom, and shake the jar hard for about 2 minutes.
When I stored my jars upside down, no problem!
[;)]
I cut up squares of shipping bags, the thin ones from supermarkets, and use them over the top of the bottle before screwing on the lid. Or, sometimes I just buy a box of cheap sandwich bags (the ones without the ziploc closures, where you would just fold them over) and use them.
Not saying you shouldn’t store paint botles upside down, but it’s not exactly the same thing. In a traditional bottle of wine the bottle is stored on it’s side so that the cork (which is the sealer) stays wet. If a cork dries out it shrinks slightly, allowing air to enter.
Regards
Ed
A new thing I started doing because of the great lid and pigment settling conspiracy is to put in a couple of BB’s or small ball bearings to help in mixing the paint while it is being shaken.[;)]
Good thread. One of those wierd questions I would have never thought to ask, but has resulted in some real useful information that I can put into use now! Time to clean up those paint bottles and get them upside down.