Thanks for the replies regarding keeping mixes alive (Roy) and cleaning
the bottles. I especially like Roger's solution. That guy needs to
start writing a column--something like "Hint's from Roger"--notice I
didn't put the word household anywhere!
It certainly sounds like an excellent and lazy way to cure the problem.
You don't find a combination like that very often!
Bob Werre
Bob,
For years I have kept a large glass jar, with a tight fitting lid, 2/3
full with a 50% mix of ammonia and household cleaner, such as Lysol,
to clean my paint bottles. When I empty a bottle, I drop it and the
lid into the mix: no need to wipe any paint off. When the jar is full
or I need some bottles, I dump the whole mess into a utility sink with
the water running and stand back: the fumes are intense. The bottles
will usually be crystal clear after a wipe with a paper towel.
Sometimes the lids need a bit of brushing with an old toothbrush. You
may loose some lids, which you used to be able to replace cheaply. I
have a drawer full of clean bottles in my estate<g>.
Roger Nulton
*From:* Bob Werre <mailto:[email protected]>
*Sent:* Sunday, November 25, 2012 3:32 PM
*To:* [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]>
*Subject:* Re: {S-Scale List} painter's decisions
We've a bit of a cold spell here, but it did warm up enough to mix a
small batch of paint and do a bit of airbrushing. That went fairly
well, I think.
Problem that I'm having is simple matter of housekeeping, economics and
perhaps health. I've always had a devil of a time managing that little
bit of paint left over when completing a job. I like to keep my mixes
until I've had a chance to closely inspect my work. More than once,
I've missed a little area, so basically it's worthwhile to do so.
However, eventually the model is reassembled, put on the layout and the
next project is started. This now leaves me with that mixing bottle
with aging paint that will eventually dry and harden like concrete. I
do tend to forget those until the next painting session some months down
the road.
Now here is where the decisions come in. Do I throw out those little
bottles and buy more. Do I try and clean those bottles (I do that now
when possible) using solvents--(besides the airbrush has to be cleaned
anyhow). The issues here are that I'm spending a fair amount of time
cleaning them out. Next the cost and ill effects of the solvents are
something to consider too--I generally wear a respirator and gloves, but
they're not fool proof. Rather than bring up wheel flanges, couplers
and the like, I thought I would see what opinions you might have!
Bob Werre
PhotoTraxx
