Dried Out Paints. Is There A Good Way To Restore Them??

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Mon Skallywag

New member
Hello guys/girls!

Has anybody had any success in restoring dried out bottles of vallejo paint?

The colors in particular are from the Game Color series:
#5 Amarillo Lunar (Bald Moon Yellow) and #6 Amarillo Soleado (Sunblast Yellow) along with a few shades of red.
The main ingredient is dried up in the bottle with the nondrying liquid surrounding them. It's a pain trying to shake and stir them back to their original liquidity and opaqueness.

I have seen a few (Windsor & Newton) paint restoration mixers at my local art store but want to know if any of them are worth purchasing before I spend any money on them. I would also like to know all the necessities for properly restoring paint if it can be done (extra bottles, certain paint restoration products) and if Vallejo has any paint restoration formulas/mixers. Any help is appreciated thanks guys! :)
 
Shawn R. L.

Shawn R. L.

New member
It there's still any liquid in them I would ASSUME they can be brought back. Shake/stir like crazy. You might add a touch of water. Adding in an agitator - a pebble or something that won't dissolve and or rust - can really help things along.
 
Einion

Einion

New member
:smile-big:

Seriously, nearly all of what's been lost to evaporation is water of course so adding water back in is the main thing. It's best not to use tap water if you can help it, but if you don't have any distilled water then it'll do; boil the water first (and let it cool) if you want to be a little cautious.

Einion
 
V

vincegamer

Active member
*laugh*
Thanks for the plug.

Depends a lot on how dry they are. So dry they've pulled from the sides of the bottle and cracked, then they are hopeless.
Still glossy and goopy but too thick to come out of the bottle you can save.
add water, shake or stir with a stick if necessary. I have a little gizmo for making a froth in coffee that I'm thinking of sticking in the old paint to stir it around.
After it incorporates, add more water as long as there's room in the pot.
 
M

Mon Skallywag

New member
Thanks for the advice guys but this paint is the kind that is dried up and cracking. These are colors I bought but never got around to using much. The only thing wet and moving around in the bottle is the windshield wiper fluid that I thinned the paint down with originally. Otherwise it's dry to the bone. (My buddy taught me the windshield wiper fluid trick. It does not dry out like water and it wont dry out the paint.)

I thought that Windsor & Newton had something to restore dry paints with though? Some type of oil to mix the dry paint with that restores it to some fluid consistency. Maybe I read the labels wrong but I guess I will go to the art store and find out the name of whatever it is for sure. Maybe it's just flow improver.
 
No Such Agency

No Such Agency

New member
If the paint is DRY... it's dried. It won't reconstitute for the same reason that the paint doesn't melt off your minis if they get wet.
 
M

Mon Skallywag

New member
No Such Agency said:
If the paint is DRY... it's dried. It won't reconstitute for the same reason that the paint doesn't melt off your minis if they get wet.
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Thanks No Such Agency! That is all I wanted to know. Yeah I knew that water wasn't going to do the trick but figured there was some type of oil or other formula that reconstitutes bone dry paint. I even googled around a bit which is what I should have done first. The consensus is that if it is bone dry, it's a useless lump of plastic. I guess I can go ahead and throw them away! For me it is always the shades of yellow that dry up if they sit too long!
 
V

vincegamer

Active member
what's this about windshield washer fluid?

And if you're going to be away from painting for a while fill the pots to the brim with water before putting them away.
an ounce of prevention you know.
 
F

finn17

New member
Being an old git, who paints infrequently, I've probably experienced this problem as much as any...... :)

My Top Tips would be:

A paint shaker can be an invaluable tool, the Robartes appears to be the tool of choice, but Badger have introduced a battery powered mixer that is also very effective.

Add a couple of bits of (metal) sprue to aid shaking. I use air rifle pellets in the absence of sprue. One company (Reaper?) used to make tiny little lead skulls purely to add to paint bottles to assist mixing.

I top up with Liquitex airbrush thinners, a small bottle willl last almost forever.

Watch your bottle type. Vallejo-type bottles are normally pretty good as it's easy to wipe the tip before putting the lid on to ensure a good seal. The previous GW bottles were guarenteed to dry out once you'd opened them. Foundry Paints appear prone to drying as well. I've found with these sort of paints it pays to store them upside down so it's harder for the air to get in.

As others have said though, once it's dry and cracked it's not worth the effort
 
M

Mon Skallywag

New member
Thanks Finn! I am actually on my way to the art store now to buy some gear bits for a mini I am working on. Maybe I will post it up in a WIP section here shortly if I ever get around to taking pics. I've been too busy painting and doing other things as of late. Bone dry bottles of Vallejo make for a pretty sad day because I usually have to special order Vallejo colors in at my FLGS. They either sell out real fast or are kept low on stock.
 
F

finn17

New member
I like Vallejo paints and, just for a change, they are easily accessible in the UK. Have you tried Andrea paints? They come in the same bottles and I suspect may even be made by the same manufacturer. They might be easier for you to access?
 
V

vincegamer

Active member
Finn mentioned putting something in for an agitator.

I bought a packet of glass beads from the sewing store for that. Roughly 1/4 inch diameter clear glass beads, stuck one in each paint pot when I got the paints.
Generally I know an old paint is mixed enough to use by the sound of the bead rattling around inside.
Whatever you use, make sure it's inert and won't rust.
 
M

Mon Skallywag

New member
finn17 said:
I like Vallejo paints and, just for a change, they are easily accessible in the UK. Have you tried Andrea paints? They come in the same bottles and I suspect may even be made by the same manufacturer. They might be easier for you to access?
Click to expand...

Sadly the GW paints and hobby equipment are the only items well stocked in most of my FLGS's. Not that GW paints are that bad, I just find Vallejo paints to be highly superior in quality! I should also say that the Privateer Press line of paints are well stocked as well. It is not a big problem unless I have the bug and want to paint something right now and need certain colors. Luckily I am in the middle of mass Cryx army painting and plan to get around back to real mini painting after the summer. Maybe I will order the Vallejo paints directly in one big package instead of special ordering one color at a time.
 
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F

finn17

New member
eBay?

P3 paints are good.....

GW are okay, but the quantity is a bit stingy and they used to dry out terribly although I don't know how the new container performs...better I hope.
 
S

supervike

Super Moderator
finn17 said:
Definitely!

Can't emphasise this enough. Vince's glass beads would be a pefectly safe bet.
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Yeah...Years ago I bought the entire GW 'paint set' (100+ paints), and took the time to place a few BBs in each one.....THey started rusted within just a few weeks... Live and learn.
 
F

finn17

New member
supervike said:
Yeah...Years ago I bought the entire GW 'paint set' (100+ paints), and took the time to place a few BBs in each one.....THey started rusted within just a few weeks... Live and learn.
Click to expand...

I've made that mistake...Not with 100 paints though:D

Trouble is you don't seem to be able to buy copper BBs anymore, just copper-plated ones.
 
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