I have a lot of Vallejo and Tamiya paints that I haven’t used in maybe 10 years for various reasons. Are they still good or should I trash them and buy more when I need to use them?
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Open them and see. I’ve got some decades old Testors paint that’s just fine.
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depends how you store them and how well the lids are secured.
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If the Vallejo paints have been exposed to freezing temperatures and/or frost they could be ruined as they are water based, the Tamiya paints on the other hand are alcohol based so should be ok if exposed to those same temperatures. As expressed by Lee open up a couple and check.
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A lot also depends on whether you’ve already opened and used some back in the day. Once a paint is opened and the factory seal is broken, air gets in - that can start the curing process that hardens the paint. The only way to know is to try each one - at least give them a shake to see if they still slosh around as liquid in the bottle!
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The type of paint and the packaging also makes a lot of difference. Anything with a plastic cap, and especially a flip-up lid, will dry out faster than ones in a glass bottle with a metal screw-on lid, let alone in a metal tin. Enamel paints will remain usable for longer than acrylics, and are usually easier to make usable again if they’re part of the way gone.
Which is to say that I have Humbrol tins that date from the 1970s and ’80s, and the paint inside is still perfectly usable — if usually requiring a lengthy and tiring stir. For contrast, I have also had Games Workshop paint in plastic pots with flip-up lids that became unusable within a few years of having been opened.[1]
There was a web comic about that about twenty years ago when those first came out, along the lines of, “We’re not making enough profit, anybody have any ideas?“ “I know! We’ll put different lids on the paint pots!” ↩︎
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Years? Don’t you mean Weeks?
M
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I have a little bottle of Ral Partha acrylic paint which is at least 35 - 40 yrs old. I don’t use it often so there’s still some paint left. Every few years I add a few drops of water and stir well as it tends to thicken.
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Thanks for all the responses. My impulse was to throw them in the trash but I’ll give them a shake first and see what luck I have.
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Not quite—paint generally does not react with air. Air getting is does not start the curing process. What does that is solvent loss to the air. There is a tiny amount (one hopes it’s tiny ) of air in the container when the paint leaves the filling line at the factory. That air quickly becomes saturated with the paint solvent. Every time the container is opened, it loses solvent to the air. When it is resealed, it loses a small amount of solvent to the air enclosed. A container that’s half empty loses more solvent than one nearly full.
What the solvent in the paint does is keep the paint binder (film forming part) molecules from coming together and binding. Some paints (Tamiya acrylics, for example) can be shelf stable for decades because they are packaged in glass bottles with very well designed caps that don’t permit solvent loss if tightly closed.
The oldest Vallejo paint I have is about 10 years old, and still fine, but I used very little of it.
The best way to check if an old paint is still good is to open the bottle and stir it by hand. If it’s stringy, or you see something that looks like a fragment of decal, the paint is history. Otherwise it should still be good, though it may need a little more solvent to replace what has been lost. Be certain that the solvent you add is completely compatible with the paint. For Tamiya, that’s 90% isopropyl or their proprietary thinner. For Vallejo, distilled water might be okay, but I’d use their proprietary thinner because I don’t know if they also use a co-solvent with the water that could be critical to stability.
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One problem with revitalising paints like Vallejo is those dropper bottles themselves: by the time they’re too thick to come out anymore, you can’t fix them by shaking but it’s almost impossible to stir inside them. OTOH, pots, bottles or tins intended for dipping your brush into are easy enough to stir thinner into. Anyone who’s owned pots of Revell Aqua Color for a couple of years will probably recognise them getting thicker over time, because the cap doesn’t seal well enough, but all you need to make them usable again is some water and a cocktail stick. Try that with a dropper bottle …
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The eye-dropper cap on Vallejo can be removed as well. Although not as comfortable as Tamiya or Humbrol, you can still stir them.
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I have a bottle of Tamiya XF-1 Flat White that I purchased in 1985 that’s still perfect. Now that’s shelf life!
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Yeah, i have Tamiya paint bottles that are 30 year old, Model master Enamels, and some old Pactra bottles .
EDIT: sorry folks, i need to proof read.
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Thanks everyone. Learning a lot here. I will check things before I throw them away.
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There’s a lot to unpack here- paint can be fickle. The temperature, humidity, lack of agitation can all be a factor . I highly recommend getting an inexpensive vortex mixer and give the older paints about a minute to minute and a half to reconstitute.
For Thick or Clumpy Paint
If the paint is still wet but has lost its creamy consistency, follow these steps:
Assess: Open the dropper bottle and check the consistency.
Add Liquid (Sparingly): Use a dropper or pipette to add one to two drops of distilled water, Vallejo Thinner, or an acrylic medium. Distilled water is preferred over tap water to avoid impurities, which can affect the paint over time.
Mix Thoroughly: Add a stainless steel agitator ball to the bottle if it doesn’t already have one, or use a toothpick to stir the contents. Shake the bottle vigorously for at least a minute, or use a vortex mixer if available, until the paint is smooth and the agitator ball can be heard clicking freely.
Test and Repeat: Squeeze a drop onto a palette or scrap material to check the consistency. If still too thick, add one more drop of liquid and repeat the mixing process.
For Semi-Dry to Almost Solid Paint
If the paint has a semi-solid skin or is nearly solid but not completely hard, break up the paint inside the bottle using a sturdy tool like the end of a paintbrush. Then, add two to three drops of distilled water or medium, close the lid, and let it sit for several hours or overnight to rehydrate. Afterward, mix thoroughly, adding single drops of liquid and mixing until it is smooth and lump-free.
Important Considerations
Vallejo paints are water-based acrylics, so never use solvents like lacquer or enamel thinner, as this will damage the paint. While water can thin the paint, using an acrylic medium or flow improver from brands like Vallejo, Liquitex, or other suppliers will help maintain the paint’s original quality. To prevent paint from drying out, always ensure the cap and dropper tip are clean and sealed tightly after each use. Adding an agitator ball to bottles can also help maintain consistency and make mixing easier in the future.
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Well, yes. But trying to stir a deep, narrow bottle is rather difficult, is what I was getting at 
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Works well in Vallejo bottles with nib removed. Also handy for mixing paint on palettes, etc.
‘Tamiya Stainless Steel Paint Stirrer (2)’
—mike …
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I use a paint bottle shaker for Vallejo, of which I have two. I also add two stainless steel agitator balls to the bottle.
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For normal paint shaking/stirring, you mean? I was talking about what to do when the paint has become a thick blob that’s still soft enough to revive by mixing solvent in, which IMHO is doable in a relatively wide pot using a stirring stick but very hard in a narrow one like those dropper bottles.
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