Settled Vallejo Paints (VMC and VGC)

count zero99uk

count zero99uk

New member
Hi there,

Ive not done any painting for at least 6 months and some of my paints may not have been touched for even longer than that so when i came back to them today to pick out some paints i wasnt surprsied to find they had settled somewhat.

However a quick shake has not remixed them :( There is like a whiteish liquid on top of a dark coloured mass in most of the bottles, i shake it and all i seem to get is a bubbly white froth :(

Any advice on what i can do to remix these?

Thanks.
 
Dragonsreach

Dragonsreach

Super Moderator
Staff member
A Glass bead as an agitator dropped in the bottle, or call round to Starbucks, help yourself to some coffee stirrers, (forget the coffee, get a bottle of Orange) and stir the sediment.
 
count zero99uk

count zero99uk

New member
Thanks for the tip where can you get the glass beads in the UK? Also coffee stirrers I will see what i can purloin.

But just mixing will sort it then? I had horible thoughts of having to rebuy loads of paint - Its surprising what does and dosnt settle.
 
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kathrynloch

kathrynloch

New member
In my experience, Count, it depends. I just got back from my LGS as I had to grab some stuff that I didn't want to wait on shipping. They have a notoriously slow inventory turn-over, especially with paint. (They still have Reaper paints for sale that are in these short, wide-mouth jars. I have no idea how old they are but I don't recall ever seeing Reaper in anything but eye-dropper bottles.) Anyway, I accidentally picked up some VGC that had settled and didn't realize it. No amount of shaking fixed it. So I pulled the top off and the pigment was all caked together and pretty hard even though it was still surrounded by liquid.

So I stuck a dress maker's T pin in there, they're not as sharp as regular straight pins but you still have to be careful not to punch through the plastic bottle. And I used that to break up the gunk. I put about half of the gunk and liquid into an extra empty bottle and added Liquid Retarder, a little Flo-Aid and distilled water. I did that with both bottles. Then went back to the T pin and the tedious process of breaking this crap up.

After about 15-20 min, I got the wad of gunk cut down a bit - not all the way, but some. I shook 'em like crazy then let them sit. Every time I sat down and remember to do it, I'd grab the bottles and shake 'em like crazy for a few minutes. Since you posted this, I went and checked them. They are okay...but not great. I don't know how much I'd trust them on a nice miniature. Being one bottle, I'd probably go ahead and replace it.

In your case, I'd see what you can revive first because if you have to replace a bunch, that's going to run you some serious bucks.

So give it a shot on one or two bottles...what do ya got to lose?
 
Serenity

Serenity

New member
I believe the ideal device for reviving paint is a vortex mixer, but that's just going on what I've read. Other tools exist like battery-powered stirrers, but a dremel tool can be fitted with a stirring rod to do the same kind of thing. If I had a lot of them to work on, I'd go with something powered.

You can also find paint shakers designed for hobby paint, but I've heard they generally aren't designed to be worked hard. Other tools can be rigged to shake, spin or vibrate paint bottles, if you like to experiment.

I've had good luck with a car polisher, but I've never had to use it with paint that was extremely separated. I think Reaper's MSP line, maybe because it's thinner to begin with, is pretty easy to revive after several months in storage.
 
H

Harry

New member
I just started painting again after about 10 years and thought I would have to replace all my vallejos. Instead I've found that stirring them with a thin wire and dropping an agitator in there (3 glass beads) is all it takes to revive the paints.

I also had a pile of other brand paints (mostly GW), all of which are completely dried.
 
G

Grizzly

New member
Not sure what the regulations are in your country on BB gun supplies, but I use BB's for my paints. The silver colored ones, the copper ones have had bad reactions to my hobby paints in the past.
 
mickc22

mickc22

Granddad!
I made a paint shaker from an old jigsaw, can't seem to find a picture at the moment, but I've rarely come across a paint pot it can't revive
There my be a pic in another older thread, not done a search yet
 
count zero99uk

count zero99uk

New member
Glass beads would probably be the most non reactive, but its all ok atm :)

As for the jigsaw, :) cracking idea. I was thinking of masking taping the bottles to the whisk :)
 
K

Kalidane

New member
8mm glass beads work very well. One is usually enough although I put two in metallic paints for luck.

Stainless steel must be marine-grade stainless steel or you end up with problems.
 
Moradin

Moradin

New member
The trick I use when the paint is settled and really not cooperating with shaking is a long steel carpet needle to break the mass at the bottom of the bottle, just be careful to not go through the plastic bottom if the point is new. My needle had its point broken off a long time ago. Once it is broken you can add the glass beads and give it a good shake. It should be easier after.
 
C

cfwheeler58

Member
Stainless steel eco-friendly fishing weights...and shake the crap out of the bottle.
I've never had a citadel, vallejo or PP one for which this did not work.
Testors model master are junk once they congeal.....
No experience with Reaper paints yet.
 
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