I was hoping that I could get some help from the forum on the subject of storing colors. I am thinking of mixing a number of custom colors and wish to keep them long term. In the past I have put my custom colors in tubes. It's OK but a time consuming process. I have also tried putting color in jars but there can be problems because of the amount of air left in the jar.
Does anyone on this forum know of other ways of storing paint long term so that I don't have to remix color mixtures? I would prefer mixing my custom colors once.
Also, does anyone know of a youtube video on tubing your own color mixtures? I can't seem to find one. Hopefully there is a better and/or faster way of doing it than I am doing it.
Any info would help.
Thanks.
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rather than repeat all the details, if you search using the box top rhs on this page for (snap cap). A number of threads discuss long term storage of stock color and mixed values.
Denis
I'm wondering the same thing. So far, I'm using small little jam jars with the metal lids and rings. Those keep out the air better than the plastic ones and also better than the all in one piece kind of lids. Instead of trying to keep out the air, maybe just keep the jars in the fridge? How long is long term? A year?
As for the tubes, I almost ordered some so that I could put my colors in my plein air easel. (No jar will fit..) They were out of stock. I imagined myself using a palette knife or small mini rubber spatula and scraping it in the tubes and then tapping the end to settle the paint to the front end. Not sure if that will work or not. Seems better than a funnel...A large syringe might work. Depends on how much cleaning up you want to do.
Using the largest of my Decor snap caps my stock color lasts about two years. (I sometimes use marbles to displace the air).
The smallest Artists Choice snap caps keeps mixed values for about a month or six weeks, even longer if kept full and capped. When the painting is complete, with touch ups and reworks, I use the values to tone any canvas or panels. I can paint directly from the snap caps or mix tween values, cool or shadow values on the palette as needed.
It's great to be able to hop back in where you left off with plenty of mixed values.
Inexpensive, neat, portable, easy clean, convenient, disposable, tidy.......
Denis
Thanks for the info on the snap caps. I'll look into it.
Works with any brand of paint and SDM. The Venetian turps and clove oil does the trick.
Alkyd will not work like this as they are designed to catalyse to a dry solid quickly. You will get improved useable life with other oils, and snap caps, I would expect about one third of the life span suggested above.
Denis
@MikeO Here you go: http://www.amazon.com/EZ-InjectTM-Jello-Syringes-Medium-1-5oz/dp/B004QHQPCU/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&qid=1455300747&sr=8-10&keywords=food+syringe
Super cheap.
I I keep my medium in syringes too: I used left over ones I had on hand. They keep in there for a long time.
Here is another, simple, cheap, DIY method for storing excess paint or to batch up your own paint mixes from dry pigments.
Denis