Old paints

[Routaporsas]

I was organizing my painting table, and I found (again) bottle of my old citadel rotting flesh. I'm talking about those old hexagonal 17,5ml bottles. I though that it might have gone bad, since I remember using in the past, but it was still good as new. That suprised me. It runs well and covers nicely after all these years. It must have been like 15 to 18 years since I bought that bottle.

Do you have any really old paint that is still good to use, and how old paint we are talking? I'm just curious to know more about this longevity of paints, or more precisely acrylic paints, though some use regularly oils as well. Don't know if this is the most hilarious topic in the world, but I found it suprising that the paint was still really good :smile-big:. I should find more paints, since I had some really old citadel metallic paints as well.

 

[Wyrmypops]

I've several of the hexagonal paints still (was a red shirt when that range got cancelled, so we got to pick what was left). Older than those though, have some from the previous range like the first elf grey and the spearstaff brown (that was just a tiny bit more yellow and glossy than the orc brown - wasn't as close as the bleached bone and flesh tone of that time though, so samey).

 

[RuneBrush]

I've a fair few of the pre-hex pots that are still fine to use. I tend not to as I prefer the formula of the newer paints (and yellows that actually cover). Still have some inks the same age that get pulled out every now and again

 

[moonmin82]

Do you have any really old paint that is still good to use, and how old paint we are talking?

Yes! Probably same as yours... same pots similar age. I haven't painted much in a long time so they're still fairly full. I find they can become a little "bitty" during use but there's a chance that that could be my brushes?

 

[Dragonsreach]

Routaporsas, you are not alone, I've some original round pots from the small box sets which must be 25 years old and still good.
Now that's good value for money from GW......

 

[freakinacage]

Yeah, the golden era. The fact that my old hex stuff has outlasted some of the newer stuff proves that it's not just rose tinted glasses imo!

 

[Routaporsas]

Ii is true that apparently some of the olde paints are lot better than many of these new ones. They just don't seem to last as long. Specially if you open the bottles. IMO those new GW bottles are not that great, though there are some really nice and usefull colors.

 

[paul222]

Its specialty of the good paints that never be spoil i have two old paint white and black i think 6 months old but at yet is able for use now i thinking that these paints are use for the kitchen paint..Is there any precaution before the use of old paints?

 

[ArmC]

Believe it or not, most of my colors are actually from the hexagonal era, bought probably around 96 or 97. I think it is the shape of the pot and how it closes that makes this possible, those were the best paint pots IMO. I have some very few older ones as well, anyone remembers Orc Brown?

 

[Humanitarian]

It's kinda how the coating industry goes. Find something that works well, use it in everything, it gets studied more, then regulated out of existence. Reformulate everything, find something else that works not quite as well, and repeat.

Generally speaking, if a water based acrylic has good pigment dispersions and a good amount of coalescent, it is going to last for a heck'uva long time as long as it is sealed. Just tip your pots over for a couple of seconds if you need to store them for a long time -- a bit of the paint will get in near the threads of the pots and dry out, helping to seal the container. A layer of tape to seal up the pot will help as well.