I asked a question before about reviving some really old Vallejo paints I have.. and I tried what some of the guys told me, and some worked to a certain extent.. but most were goners! Anyway, I'm about to order a bunch of paints.. I just chose some basic colours to start building a paint collection again. Problem is I sometimes go for weeks without any building or painting.. so, I was wondering what would be the best way to store these new paints I get.. I don't want to end up throwing them away after a couple of years.. I have these kitchen containers that have a silicon seal in the cover and it really keeps it air tight.. would that help at all? Would acrylic paints last longer in the fridge.. or in hot humid weather? I ask because I have some super glue that I store in one of those containers in the fridge and it does help lengthen it's life.

Problem is I can't just walk over to the hobby store to buy Vallejo paints when I need them.. because there are no hobby stores.. and ordering online lately can take up to a month.. so, I need to have a collection of paints on hand for when I get time to do some painting

Any advice will be most appreciated!

Thanks
Hisham

I am notorious for not caring well for my paints as far as storage is concerned. At one point in life I attempted to purge my house of anything that might release nasty chemicals into the air we breathe, and started storing everything in the shed beside my house. Even the garage got purged. Said shed is not climate controlled. It's hotter than $#i+ in the summer (I know because I recently spent a glorious week rebuilding it from the floor up, and even though this is the coolest summer I can ever remember, I was steadily making my own gravy in it) and freezing in the winter. Amd through all of that, my thirty year old FloQuil enamels, my Testors enamels and acrylics, and my Gunze and Tamiya Acrylics always work fine. Even old Krylon cammo rattle cans that have been in the since the US army still wore BDU's. I think the key is this: I carefully wipe any excess paint off of the rim of the jar before closing it up, and I make sure I crank the lid on tightly. It can never be too tight - that's what Lockjaw self adjusting pliers are for.
WAY back in the day, before I did this regularly, I'd have to strain my acrylics through panty hose to remove the particles of dried paint. Not now.
I have another theory that is too late for me to test but someone else can try it - store your previously opened paints upside down. My thought is that air can't get in the jars that way. Of course if you haven't closed them well it'll take way more than Lockjaws to open them back up again.

I know that paints should be stored upright in tightly sealed pots and out of direct sunlight. Paint that I do not use very often, I place a pice of clingfilm over the top abd then securing the lid. I should say that is on acrylic paints only, you could do the same with enamel paints but use the clingfilm on the outside.

Thanks for the input, guys.. All the paints I had, and the ones I'm going to order, are Vallejo and AK-Interactive acrylic bottles.. no tins or covers.. but I guess the same principle applies.. I could put a piece of clingfilm on top of the spout and then twist the top closed. Do you think putting then in an air tight container would help some more?

I've heard about keeping the bottles upside down before to keep any air from going in.. but it was always from people who heard it or read it, but never actually tried it.. so, can't tell for sure if it works.

Thanks again
Hisham

I use to do that but the pigments settle on the lid which can be messy as it is not always easy to get the carrier and pigment remixed. A fishing weight in the pot helps in that regard.

Just a thought for long term storage. Try vacuum sealing the bottles like you would food in those vacuum storage bags.