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  • #987833
    Aires
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        Recently I read on an art forum that the life span of a tube of acrylic paint is far short of that of oil paints. Does anyone have enough long term experience with artist grade acrylics to address this?

        The long life span of tubes of oil paint is well documented. The article has made me question the wisdom of having a large supply of acrylics unless one has a rapid turnover. Would be very much interested in responses to this question as I use both acrylics and oils and my turnover is not rapid. I have accumulated quite a large collection of acrylics and would hate to think I may lose them from sheer age.

        #1114884
        AndyMcC
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            I’ve got tubes of System 3 paint that are at least 4 years old and are still usable, in a couple the binder has split but all thats needed is to mix them back together and they work fine. I think if you store them in a cool place and keep the lids on tight they should last for years :)

            Have no fear of perfection, you'll never reach it - Dali
            Do not fear mistakes - there are none - Miles Davis

            #1114882
            Guide
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                I have had some acrylics that lasted 30 years and are just fine. Others are good for 5 to 10 years before seizing up. Depends on how they are stored, cared for and handled.

                One manufacturer told me to get a small refrigerator for the studio to store paint in as a way to prolonging their life. Might be of some merit. Do not store them in the household refrigerator. I have paint that I have had for decades and still can use it.

                So, go figure, there are no hard and fast rules.

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                #1114886
                Nilesh
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                    I have some that have lasted more than twelve years. I can’t say for certain that they are exactly the same as they were originally (and they have probably changed somewhat) — but it isn’t easy to notice any difference or any problems. If the water cannot evaporate, they should be fine for quite a while.

                    #1114890
                    Rick G
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                        When I started painting, my mother-in-law gave me some that she had used when she used to paint. They’re over 30 years old and still work fine.

                        #1114892
                        hogwild
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                            Over the last 30 years I have developed a palette that I am quite happy with. I only use 9 colors, but in that time I still had left overs that I have collected over the years I don’t use anymore. The other day I was going through my old acrylic paints to see what I could throw out, and just for the heck of it I opened a few of those old half used tubes to see if they were still good. To my amazement, tubes of brands that don’t exist today were in perfect condition. Today I like to paint with Winsor & Newton Finity also I use Liquitex softbody titanium white. Does anyone remember Grumbacher?

                            See where I’m coming from at http://www.russhoggerfineart.com

                            #1114889
                            Raymo
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                                Oh yes, I still have quite a few Grumbacher paints left. I recently switched to Liquitex Heavy Bodies.

                                #1114887
                                Aires
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                                    Thanks, everyone, for the responses based on your own personal experiences. At the present I have a fair number of Heavy Bodied Liquitex, they are stored in a cool basement and well cared for so your experiences ease my mind considerably. The information I read seemed quite solid, giving artist acrylics a pretty short life span, so it had me concerned that I might be asking for trouble keeping more than basics on hand.

                                    I gave thought to the above assertion because in my first attempts at acrylics, I did try a brand that dried hard as rock in the tubes after a very short time, caps and tubes intact and closed immediately after putting paint on the palette.

                                    #1114883
                                    bullyluvver
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                                        The only problem I have with acrylics is the open end clogging up. Unless I clean each tube every time I use it, it always clogs. If anyone has a solution I’d love to hear it.

                                        ps..Hogwild…I love your art!

                                        Gail :thumbsup:

                                        #1114894
                                        jjusticeart
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                                            Acrylics should last if you store them properly. I have some grumbachers given to me 10 years ago that are like brand new. I’ve had them longer than I’ve been painting. If the binder separates, you just shake and squeeze the tube a bit to mix them up. the only reason oil paints have a record of lasting a long time is that they have been around a lot longer than acrylics and have a recorded track record. Besides Oil painters tend to be biased toward their medium. I paint in both oil and acrylic and have had some old oil paints that seem to get stinkier with time (Must be the linseed).

                                            Jane Justice
                                            Williamsburg, Virginia
                                            Acrylics, pastels, Oil, Glass, weaving, textiles
                                            and yes, I have ADD!..oohh, look a chicken!!

                                            #1114888
                                            noodle1
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                                                I still have and still use the first Acrylics I ever tried, the Grumbacher Finest, which no longer are made, and they’re fine…now that would be like almost
                                                30 yrs ago. I’ll get booed here but the only ones I have found get hard in the tubes fast are the Golden Paints, and I take good care of all my paints, all the others stay fine and useable. When I dabbled in oils I found the longer they were around they’d leak oil from the bottom of the tube tho not
                                                dented or poked or pierced. I have no complaint about “old” acrylic tubes.

                                                Elaine


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                                                #1114893
                                                hogwild
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                                                    To bullyluvver, If you have trouble with a clogged top try puting it in warm water for a while. Sometimes I end up twisting them off with my teeth, or use pliers that does’nt hurt so much. PS Thanks for your comment’

                                                    #1114891
                                                    Old Radagast
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                                                        It’s hard to say how long they can last. I had to toss a 1/4 tube of Raw Umber once because it totally gummed up after a few years; on the flip side, I have a tube of Naphthol Crimson that is ancient: Windsor and Newton hasn’t made “Naphthol Crimson” in their Finity line for many years (it’s now “Naphthol Red Medium”), and the tube is of a very old design (3 versions ago of the Finity tube labeling). It’s a good thing that paint keeps since I really don’t use “fire engine red” that often in landscapes! However, I’d bet that Raw Umber, the iron oxides, and anything cobalt based would never keep that long based on my experience. Not sure about Cadmiums since I haven’t used them.

                                                        Matthew

                                                        Still much to paint and much to learn!
                                                        My blog: https://autumnglade.blogspot.com/

                                                        #1114885
                                                        mek42
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                                                            From a FAQ on Golden’s website:

                                                            [B] I use GOLDEN Fluid Acrylics and like to mix custom colors that I use often and store in my empty Fluid Acrylic bottles. Does mixing the paint diminish the shelf life of the paint in any way? (I don’t add any mediums or additives to the paint).[/B]
                                                            Most paint mixtures should keep well on the shelf. However, the earliest sign of a negative change is to notice the mixture thickening. This doesn’t necessarily mean the paint is unusable, but it’s an indication to try to use up the paint fairly soon.
                                                            Also, some colors simply have better shelf stability than others do. Whites, Blacks, Phthalos, Pyrroles, Hansas all come to mind for great long-term fluid stability. Some Quinacridones, like Magenta and Red, do much better than Quinacridone Gold and Violet. Earth colors commonly thicken up faster than other colors.
                                                            As you can see, this variation of pigment keeps us very busy in the lab, and we are constantly trying to improve shelf life. Our goal for each product is about ten years or more of shelf life when stored in normal room environments.
                                                            Blending colors does add another dimension to all of this; however, as long as the containers are sealed and kept well, they should remain usable for many years.

                                                            Hope this helps!

                                                            #1114881

                                                            I have some tubes of oil paint that are 80+ years old (no don’t even go there, I am not THAT old). I inherited them from my great uncle. As for acrylic paint, I do not have tubes that are old enough but I have ones that are around 10 years and they are still fine.

                                                            Carol
                                                            "Mercifully free of the ravages of intelligence" - Time Bandits[/color]
                                                            Moderator: Acrylic Forum
                                                            My websites: Discoveries With Colour Adventures in Photography[/B]

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