Thread: Stop paint skinning over?

Although my lathe painting is finished, I have had three other small painting projects and the paint (different tins) were all skinned. A right pain in the clacker when your using a sprayer. This time I put cling wrap in the tin on top of the paint. I'll have a look again in a month or two and see if it has worked, or if the cling wrap has dissolved or perhaps created new improved lumpiness.

Originally Posted by neksmerj

My Hercus restoration rolls on smoothly but slowly, so much so that the tin of enamel I opened the other day, had skinned over. I temporarily removed the skin, and put it back when finished. The tin was 2/3 full.

This raises a question, is there a liquid that can be poured over the paint, to seal it before replacing the lid? The enamel I'm using cleans up with turps.

Ken

Hi Ken
Dead bloody easy,mate!

Tap the lid back on and flip the can over and store the can lid down. No air under lid,no skinning.
Another trick is to drive a nail through the internal rim in a few places.
Spilt paint drains back in can and does not glue the flamin lid on.

Cheers
Grahame

If you've got a MIG or TIG handy, a quick squirt of argon or argoshield will displace oxygen from the tin. It's heavier than air so it is easy to 'fill' the container and pop a lid on.

Originally Posted by Grahame Collins

Hi Ken
Dead bloody easy,mate!

Tap the lid back on and flip the can over and store the can lid down. No air under lid,no skinning.
Another trick is to drive a nail through the internal rim in a few places.
Spilt paint drains back in can and does not glue the flamin lid on.

Cheers
Grahame

Same answer I was going to give.
But the nail hole is a new one for me, havn't heard of that before, will be using it though.
Dave

Hi GC,

At first I thought you had lost your marbles, thought perhaps the storms had smashed your outside beer fridge, but on reflection, your idea of tipping the tin upside down, has merit.

At first I could'nt see any difference having the air space at the top of the tin, or bottom. Where ever the air space is, a skin will form. Then the penny dropped, if the tin is inverted and a skin forms, when the tin is turned right side up, the skin will be at the bottom of the paint, and should stay there, wallah!

Well done!

Ken

Originally Posted by neksmerj

Then the penny dropped, if the tin is inverted and a skin forms, when the tin is turned right side up, the skin will be at the bottom of the paint,

Takes a little while sometimes.

If the Skin forms in the middle or bottom third or anywhere in the can below the surface ,how do you not break it when stiring?

I'd heard of the upside-down tip.

The nail holes is new to me, but makes sense.

Another tip I've read is to fill the space with marbles. Tip in the marbles until the paint level is back up to the top of the container so there's no air (or not much) in the container. (However, I've always wondered about getting the last bit of paint out, cleaning the marbles to re-use them, what happens if the paint does go off - then you really have lost your marbles

Cheers,
Andrew

...If the Skin forms in the middle or bottom third or anywhere in the can below the surface ,how do you not break it when stiring?..

I second that question. After all, the tin still contains the same amount of air. I used to do the holes, but these days I just clean the lip completely.
Also, on my last painting project, after straining the lumps out and completely cleaning the tin, I poured off the small amount of paint needed into two small pill bottles. Virtually no air inside, perfectly sealed (didn't leak) and no light. Used about one sixth on the first day, yet on day two there was an enormous lump in the paint which must have been the skin.

Ken

I usually use plastic tape (the grey duct tape sold at $2 shops) I seal the lid onto the can and have opened cans seven years later without any skin evident. These have also been half full. The turn upside down trick works well too. It appears that if you prevent air getting into the can all will be well.


Regards Mike

If you are doing a lot of painting or using expensive paint a little at a time it might be worth purchasing a couple of concertina bottles. When you have finished for the day, squash them down and exclude all the air before you put the lid back on.
They use them to store photography chemicals and such that are ruined by exposure to the air.

Sounds like a good idea.

Here is an easy way that works for me: Shoot a little propane gas just pior to sealing the can; it displaces the air and being a petroleum gas instead of liquid, it seems to work for me. Wayne.