Paint storage and selection.

[MOWboss]

I took a break the other day to clear my mind. I find that painting figures and detail parts therapeutic for me. I always try to have something in progress either cleaning, priming or ready for paint.
I just finished painting a half dozen bookcase, shelf detail units. I'm sure you've seen those resin castings that have pails, gears, crates etc on their shelves and workbenches with tools and junk cast on the top.
So I got to wonder how others out there store and select paints for their projects. So here's what I've evolved into over the years in hopes it might help someone or better yet offer up some suggestions to improve the way I've done it.
I have about 90 bottles of craft acrylic that I store in a rack on their sides.
I use an Avery label to assign a number to each bottle top (as purchased).
I label a tongue depressor with the bottle info (manufacture, color and #), paint a color sample on the bottom 2 - 3 inches and assign it a number.
The tongue depressors are drilled out and assembled numerically to become a color fan.

I add the info to a sheet , in numerical order, with a notation column.

How this works for me....

In a folder I keep lists of past successful paint schemes. I pulled out the list for shelves/workbenches - 17 colors listed by number. I now have the basic colors for my project. Over time I've recognized some colors are unique in themselves - I have a green that looks like the ole Coke bottle green. Upon discovering this green I added it to my workbench list. It's listed in my notes as Coke Bottle. Or in my notes column I have a note like "Construction Equipment (Yellow) so when I want to paint a bulldozer - there it is.... You get the idea.
I also have a color list for figures - Men - Women (cats, dogs); sorted by pants, coats, shoes, etc...

When I start a new project I'll pull out my tongue depressor color samples and fan them out to select the colors I want to use. Those numbers get added right on my print or instruction sheet. I impress myself when years later I really like the colors on ..., and I have those colors filed away on a plan or instruction sheet.

I wish that years ago I would have had the smarts or instruction to establish some type system for my ever expanding paint colors.
So what methods do you have to select paint colors?

 

[AirbrushNo5]

Snap sealed plastic Skyflakes cracker boxes dated on the top with the original year of paint purchase..
Works ok…I know what’s oldest
All the same brand in one box…
The Vallejo, I just pile all in a couple boxes….used/unused
Open Tamiya paints all in the same box…OPEN…
Humbrol in another box…
AK in another box…
I am too lazy to do an inventory…
I have right now 9 of these boxes…dating back to 2015…
My prob, is I bought a lot of paint for military modelling…mostly WW2 AFVs..
And getting into this hobby fairly recently, I am using colours I didn’t buy…..
grunge, rust etc

 

[TLOC]

I store all Aryclic paint except spray cans upright. I separate the Vallejo Air product line from the Model Color and Panzer Aces series of Arcylic paints. I have a separate rack from Vallejo for Tamiya XF and F series Arcylic paints. Tamiya are stored by product number in the rack, Vallejo by color groups.

I have been playing with oils and have been practicing using the Abteiling 502’s stored in the drawer on the desk below the one marked Files.

While not as organized MOWboss’s methods, I do keep notes of my concoctions.

 

[AirbrushNo5]

I store Vallejo on their sides as the pigment settles over a larger surface area in the dropper bottle and I believe it is easier to shake up…
sometimes I attach the dropper bottle to a jigsaw with an elastic for an extra shake…

BTW…neat colour chip/mix fans on the popsicle sticks…that is a great idea…

 

[MOWboss]

I store all Aryclic paint except spray cans upright. I separate the Vallejo Air product line from the Model Color and Panzer Aces series of Arcylic paints. I have a separate rack from Vallejo for Tamiya XF and F series Arcylic paints. Tamiya are stored by product number in the rack, Vallejo by color groups.
View attachment 160387
I have been playing with oils and have been practicing using the Abteiling 502’s stored in the drawer on the desk below the one marked Files.

While not as organized MOWboss’s methods, I do keep notes of my concoctions.

I noticed a couple of "banged up" hopper bodies (?) on your bench. I've been experimenting (without much satisfaction) banging up hopper/gondola bodies. Basically I've heated up (with a torch) various carriage bolts, cut nails and such attempting to bump out or deform the bodies to show hard use and abuse. Is that what your doing to those bodies? Any suggestions?

 

[MOWboss]

I store Vallejo on their sides as the pigment settles over a larger surface area in the dropper bottle and I believe it is easier to shake up…
sometimes I attach the dropper bottle to a jigsaw with an elastic for an extra shake…

BTW…neat colour chip/mix fans on the popsicle sticks…that is a great idea…

Couldn't agree more about storing paint on its side. Love your thoughts on jig saw shaking. Here's my MacGyver paint shaker. Made from a caulking gun to hold an old electric carving knife. Some plastic vitamin bottle with a wad of tissue holds an acrylic bottle perfectly.

 

[AirbrushNo5]

Now that is a truly magnificent piece of engineering….!

 

[TLOC]

I noticed a couple of "banged up" hopper bodies (?) on your bench. I've been experimenting (without much satisfaction) banging up hopper/gondola bodies. Basically I've heated up (with a torch) various carriage bolts, cut nails and such attempting to bump out or deform the bodies to show hard use and abuse. Is that what your doing to those bodies? Any suggestions?

MOWBoss, those are roll on/off scrap container bins for the paper mill. I did a step by step a few years ago in MRH.

Basically after many unsuccessful attempts on these containers and eventually gondolas I turned to:

Using a propane torch heat up a wide flat screwdriver ALMOST to red hot. Touch briefly but firmly to the inside wall with the screwdriver’s flat edge tip making sure you are between the outside ribs.

I ended up using a lead pencil to mark those up on the inside. You don’t want to distort the outside ribs or the upper edge (lip) of the side walls.

I experimented with a heat gun but I could not get the heat concentrated within the rib area. The heat gun also was unable to heat up the screwdriver tip enough to melt

The heated screw driver ( I now use various flat tipped drivers) worked the best for me.

hope this helps

 

[TLOC]

Couldn't agree more about storing paint on its side. Love your thoughts on jig saw shaking. Here's my MacGyver paint shaker. Made from a caulking gun to hold an old electric carving knife. Some plastic vitamin bottle with a wad of tissue holds an acrylic bottle perfectly.
View attachment 160391

Nice.

I use a Vortex mixer. (Behind the root beer bottle)

 

[santafewillie]

So I got to wonder how others out there store and select paints for their projects.

My system is basically mayhem. I do use a felt tip marker to write the date of purchase on the bottles. I'm impressed with MOWboss's system.

 

[TLOC]

My system is basically mayhem. I do use a felt tip marker to write the date of purchase on the bottles. I'm impressed with MOWboss's system.

I agree about being impressed with his system

 

[CambriaArea51]

My system is basically mayhem. I do use a felt tip marker to write the date of purchase on the bottles. I'm impressed with MOWboss's system.

I have what I call an organized mess. Looks like crap but I know where everything is. Drives my wife nuts.

 

[rlundy90]

These are my homemade racks built from scrap wood. The first is my Pan pastel rack and the other one of my paint racks.

 

[AirbrushNo5]

For CambriaArea51 and santafewillie, I know where to look for paint…
It just takes a few minutes…lol

 

[TLOC]

MOWboss, let me know if you don’t want this response here. I can delete it…

While going over my paint inventory on 1/25 I needed a distraction. I took one of the roll on/roll off containers that I have been experimenting for dents. Pulled out the dead portable soldering iron and recharged it.

Back to it today, 1/27

marked off the ribs inside roughly with a pencil

applied pressure with the hot tip to the inside of the container TRYING to stay within the lines

it works and wasn’t as much work as it is when I use a torch heating up the screw driver bit I described above

I need to do a better job of sanding the inside of the container but heavy rusty weathering the inside should work

I used the portable soldering tool as it’s easy to work with and I didn’t want an overwhelming amount of heat that the plug-in soldering pencil would provide.

UNLESS you hold it to the spot too long, a patch will work fine…


Encouraged now, I have a Walthers Mainline gondola I am going to work on in the next few days

Hope this helps

 

[Smudge617]

MOWboss, let me know if you don’t want this response here. I can delete it…

While going over my paint inventory on 1/25 I needed a distraction. I took one of the roll on/roll off containers that I have been experimenting for dents. Pulled out the dead portable soldering iron and recharged it.
View attachment 160783
Back to it today, 1/27

marked off the ribs inside roughly with a pencil
View attachment 160784
applied pressure with the hot tip to the inside of the container TRYING to stay within the lines
View attachment 160785
it works and wasn’t as much work as it is when I use a torch heating up the screw driver bit I described above
View attachment 160786

I need to do a better job of sanding the inside of the container but heavy rusty weathering the inside should work

I used the portable soldering tool as it’s easy to work with and I didn’t want an overwhelming amount of heat that the plug-in soldering pencil would provide.
View attachment 160788
UNLESS you hold it to the spot too long, a patch will work fine…


Encouraged now, I have a Walthers Mainline gondola I am going to work on in the next few days

Hope this helps

This should be interesting to see, but I'm never going to try this myself.

 

[MOWboss]

MOWboss, let me know if you don’t want this response here. I can delete it…

While going over my paint inventory on 1/25 I needed a distraction. I took one of the roll on/roll off containers that I have been experimenting for dents. Pulled out the dead portable soldering iron and recharged it.
View attachment 160783
Back to it today, 1/27

marked off the ribs inside roughly with a pencil
View attachment 160784
applied pressure with the hot tip to the inside of the container TRYING to stay within the lines
View attachment 160785
it works and wasn’t as much work as it is when I use a torch heating up the screw driver bit I described above
View attachment 160786

I need to do a better job of sanding the inside of the container but heavy rusty weathering the inside should work

I used the portable soldering tool as it’s easy to work with and I didn’t want an overwhelming amount of heat that the plug-in soldering pencil would provide.
View attachment 160788
UNLESS you hold it to the spot too long, a patch will work fine…


Encouraged now, I have a Walthers Mainline gondola I am going to work on in the next few days

Hope this helps

MOWboss, let me know if you don’t want this response here. I can delete it…

While going over my paint inventory on 1/25 I needed a distraction. I took one of the roll on/roll off containers that I have been experimenting for dents. Pulled out the dead portable soldering iron and recharged it.
View attachment 160783
Back to it today, 1/27

marked off the ribs inside roughly with a pencil
View attachment 160784
applied pressure with the hot tip to the inside of the container TRYING to stay within the lines
View attachment 160785
it works and wasn’t as much work as it is when I use a torch heating up the screw driver bit I described above
View attachment 160786

I need to do a better job of sanding the inside of the container but heavy rusty weathering the inside should work

I used the portable soldering tool as it’s easy to work with and I didn’t want an overwhelming amount of heat that the plug-in soldering pencil would provide.
View attachment 160788
UNLESS you hold it to the spot too long, a patch will work fine…


Encouraged now, I have a Walthers Mainline gondola I am going to work on in the next few days

Hope this helps

Thanks for the update. I appreciate your response.

I'm not familiar with the protocol where things end up.

I must confess that many - many years ago I used an old soldering iron. This old iron was about the size of a
hammer (handle), had a 3/8" tip and probably dated back to vacuum tube usage...... Its been lost to the ages
but I remember it was hot and produced results similar to what your experiencing.

I wonder about todays plastic evolution compared to the 30 - 40 year old Train Miniature and Athearn pieces I banged up in the past.
Lately I've been thinking about sanding down (scalloping out) sections of the inside wall before applying heat.

It's encouraging to see you pursuing this idea. I'm a big fan of dirty and worn equipment and abused hopper/gondola bodies are something thats been lacking from weathering techniques.

 

[TLOC]

Thanks for the update. I appreciate your response.

I'm not familiar with the protocol where things end up.

I must confess that many - many years ago I used an old soldering iron. This old iron was about the size of a
hammer (handle), had a 3/8" tip and probably dated back to vacuum tube usage...... Its been lost to the ages
but I remember it was hot and produced results similar to what your experiencing.

I wonder about todays plastic evolution compared to the 30 - 40 year old Train Miniature and Athearn pieces I banged up in the past.
Lately I've been thinking about sanding down (scalloping out) sections of the inside wall before applying heat.

It's encouraging to see you pursuing this idea. I'm a big fan of dirty and worn equipment and abused hopper/gondola bodies are something thats been lacking from weathering techniques.

I have a few things on the benches today. Between weathering projects I have pulled a gondola out of inventory. Sometime today a few dents will appear on both sides of the car.

 

[Smudge617]

I managed to turn this.

Into this.

Hopefully I'll be able to find what I'm looking for now.

 

[TLOC]

I managed to turn this.

View attachment 160845
Into this.

View attachment 160846
Hopefully I'll be able to find what I'm looking for now.

That looks great.

Bottle finding, yes. Finding the bottle you want, is another story.

I still pick up the bottle for a look see…