Is There A Way To Save My Dried-Out Paint?

[airwalkrr]

I have a sizable collection of paints that I spent a couple hundred dollars on several years ago. Then I moved and put them into storage. I have recently re-discovered them, but the problem is they are all water-based paints that have since dried out. I am wondering if there is any hope of salvaging this collection or if I am going to have to throw them out and start all over again.

 

[Umbran]

When you say water-based, I'm assuming you mean acrylics. They aren't quite "water based" - they can be diluted with water for use, but if they dry out completely, they become water resistant...

You can buy clear acrylic base, and sometimes dried-up paints can be revived with such. But once they become little dried bricks in their jars, though, I've never had much luck with that. I hope you can have more.

 

[airwalkrr]

Yes they are acrylics. And they aren't quite little bricks. They are malleable, but not spreadable with a brush. I am toying around with 5 seconds in the microwave + a tiny bit of water and stirring followed by more of the same. I seem to have come close to saving one of them but it has taken an hour or so. Plus I am not certain about whether microwaving them is a good idea, but hell I've ingested so much of the stuff over the years and it hasn't killed me. Supposedly non-toxic...

 

[nedjer]

Yes they are acrylics. And they aren't quite little bricks. They are malleable, but not spreadable with a brush. I am toying around with 5 seconds in the microwave + a tiny bit of water and stirring followed by more of the same. I seem to have come close to saving one of them but it has taken an hour or so. Plus I am not certain about whether microwaving them is a good idea, but hell I've ingested so much of the stuff over the years and it hasn't killed me. Supposedly non-toxic...

LMAO until it hurt Never thought of toasting the damned things. Have you considered a blowtorch to really get things cooking? A sort of creme-bruleed medium - might be a bit like a gesso.

Back in boring land: soaking up (and down) drops of water added slowly over a few days usually does the trick. A flow improver diluted maybe 25:1 in the water can help too. I've used Newton and Windsor before.

HTH

 

[TheAuldGrump]

Try a small amount of Future floor polish - it can work wonders in reviving old paint. Not always, but often enough to be worth trying. About one part Future to three or four parts water - but be warned, adding too much Future will make the paint glossy.

And since it is also a key component of Magic Dip it is worth having anyway.

(Magic Dip - because you will have a lot of Future left over....)
Water
Future Floor Finish
Ink - Flesh, brown, black, or Chestnut work best.
A plastic container with air tight lid that you don’t mind ruining.

Mix two parts water with two parts Future and one part ink. Depending on the ink you may need more or less - black or dark brown typically can have the water and Future brought up to three parts, maybe four, depending.

Great for a quick strong wash on figures.

The Auld Grump

 

[Shadowslayer]

I had the same thing happen with some GW paints after they sat for about 2 years. They were still wet, but tacky and clumpy.

What I did was simple: get something to drop in the bottle as an agitator....little glass beads is what I used. Drop one or 2 in your paint, then about 3-4 drops of water, then stir with a paintbrush handle to loosen everything up. Add another couple drops, close the lid then shake and rattle till your arm is about ready to fall off.

Be judicious with the water. Each color is a little different, so don't get impatient and add too much at a time.

This made the paints usable again.

Hope this helps.

 

[ExploderWizard]

You might be able to revive them but once partially dried they will never perform again as they were even if re-liquified. The partially dried bits will remain in the paint and ruin it as a smooth cover. It might be usable on rough jobs but I wouldn't trust it on really good minis.

 

[Shadowslayer]

You might be able to revive them but once partially dried they will never perform again as they were even if re-liquified. The partially dried bits will remain in the paint and ruin it as a smooth cover. It might be usable on rough jobs but I wouldn't trust it on really good minis.

That depends how dried out it was in the first place, but true enough. It didn't make all the colors good as new, but it made them usable.

But then I'm just a tabletop quality painter. Even the refurbed stuff was good enough to paint figs to game with. (And mine are still better than most of WOTC's paintjobs)

 

[frankthedm]

Water can revive a mostly dry paint pot.

Also shoulder massagers can be used to help with paint agitaing. Jury rig one to rumble with the paint pot attached to it.