Talking 1 gal and qt rustoleum oil based paint cans. Stuff is getting expensive. So, after using oil based paint out of the can, hammering the lid on,, and placing the can in a large zip lock bag,, I go and open it 6 months later and have a 1-2" dried layer, making most of the paint useless. any suggestions for increasing the shelf life after opening them ??
We have the same problem with adhesive in the floor buisiness. I use some polyfilm or plastic wrap and stick it to the top of the liquid glue to keep the air in the can from curing it pre maturely. It sure helps, it might work for your paint situation as well. YMMV
I just turn the can upside down for a while. that makes sure not air gets in. After a bit I will turn it back upright. It may skin over but I have used gallon containers for several years.
Buy smaller quantities , four quart cans are more expensive than a gallon but if you buy a gallon and throw out a quart the gallon is more expensive. Or you could buy new quart cans and fill it with oil bace enamel is probably one of the most difficult pants to store.
I’ve got some paint of my dads from the 50s and the 60s. i’m really curious what I find. mostly I’m expecting dried up shit. i’m guessing most of it is lacquer.
I normally poke holes in the can rim , to allow paint to drain back before , cleaning the rim and seating the rim . Once it is sealed tight , I turn the can upside down for 2-3 days . I upright the can and tape the lid with quality 2 in tape . It has worked this way well for me . My Buddy stores his paint inside an old freezer that no longer worked , refrig unit gutted out of it .
Displace the air with a neutral gas (nitrogen, argon etc.) make the lid tight, invert it once before storage. Forget the ziplock.
It will help a lot if you keep it cold. Storing in a fridge will slow down the oxidation a lot. If you have a mig welder, use the gas hose to fill the top of the paint can with your inert gas mix. Loosely lay the lid in place, insert the little plastic hose under it, turn on the gas for several seconds and quickly hammer the lid down. No oxygen, no hardening. Do both and it will last a l o n g time.
Just turn all the paint cans upside down ALL THE TIME. If that is hard to see them that way on the shelf just flip the labels too. I have had and been using the worst product to keep sealed and that is Por15. I have had and used the same can from time to time for years. Still like new. It works!
I purge them with my MIG wire feeder gas (wire speed set to zero) then store them upside down. Lasts for years.
Having been in the paint business, I learned years ago to clean the rim before replacing the lid, oil based paint stores best upside down, even now and then give the paint a good shake, it will last for years. Try to keep the paint from freezing, rubbing s drop between your finger and thumb, if it feels gritty the paint has frozen. HRP
Hello, As it is for any paint in any gallon container, don't poke drain holes in the sealing area. The holes allow air to harden the top layers of the paint inside, faster than if you had a normal sealed container. Back when we did not have a lot of money, the smaller paint cans were plentiful and the local paint store was willing to sell to us at a discount. We never punched holes for drainage and did mix up the solution before sealing the unused portion of any can with a small tap to seal. No dents or gorilla hammering. In the later years, any paint stored long enough tends to use up the stored air and creates the hard surface in the existing paint in the can. We move the paint out of those gallons into smaller air tight sealed containers and that allowed the paint not to get slightly harder on the top layer and we were able to use the paint right away. Storage for those better sealed containers were still in the dark garage cabinets and out of sight until needed. Cleanliness of the original can sealing lid area is mandatory for better sealing and storage. You will still get some hardening, but not as much, depending on how long you store the paint. Jnaki We all have our stories about the quality and storage methods. This one worked for us. The thinner the paint, the less it hardens when stored in an air tight container. During our air brush era, the paints almost never got hardened, due to the correct storage of larger amounts. Some of the auto paint places could give anyone their outlook on storage paints. We all have our history of events...YRMV
We used some military spec paint on humvee parts for the defence industry, the paint was a single stage that cured through contact with air (as opposed to solvent evaporation) They wanted the air in the can displaced with the nitrogen spray... screw that.. I used to get cling film and push it inside the can onto the paint, up the sides of the can and then sealed the plastic between the lid and the can. It pushes the air out and the clingfilm on the paint prevents air getting at it. The clingfilm also stops the lid being glued on the tin. Also, inside that lip where paint collects, no need to clean it out, punch a few holes around it with a nail or significant other.. the paint drips back in the tin. The lid doesnt seal there so its ok yes, the clingfilm works. its also how i stop por15 from going bad in the tin before using the rest once its been opened. All por15 users take note. Ive seen that as a major por15 complaint the users cant figure out.
Local paint supplier told me it's the air left in the can, so need to eliminate the air space. They sell little 8 oz. cans and I buy those and pour leftover paint into 1 or 2 cans and then label them. When I reopen the cans the paint is always in great shape.
cleared dad's garage out 12 years ago. one little paint can i found is for his 52 ranch wagon that he customized. I haven't opened it but there's definitely liquid paint inside. probably 2/3 of the can is still full and it sloshes back and forth... I'm guessing that the can was sealed up in 1954. maybe even 1953. I stumbled across the can again today while I was checking out house paint that's stored at the family cabin.
And if you don't have argon/co2 available from a mig welder, you can buy a can of Bloxygen that serves the same purpose. http://www.bloxygen.com/?gclid=Cj0K...mUCY8aJxsOJKEZkhe34ZttXwpW3fPRswaAiTwEALw_wcB
What I do, FWIW, I poke 3-4 holes in the gutter , clean out the paint, breath into the can (displaces the oxygen- supposedly) , slam the lid on quick and store it upside down. Been working for many years like that. Mitch
I seen an old fella just with the paint can lid cracked above the can blow under the lid, removing oxygen replacing it with carbon dioxide... makes sense but don't know of any scientific proof.
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