Saving Paint

Joe in NY

Joe in NY

Promoted Users
I'm going to end up with somewhere between a pint and a quart of base and clear left over when I finish my car. Is there any way that you can store that amount of left over paint so it could be use for a touch-up if needed? Same thing for the activator which I know typically has to be used quickly after opening.
 
Base (unactivated...reduced is ok) if sealed in a metal can and lid is good for quite a long time. Up to several years. Last Shop I was at, Owner is as tight as a tick, and made us save every ounce of unused base. We would regularly use leftover base when doing collision repair. Never had any issues with it. As long as it looks good when you open the can and stir it or shake it, you can use it. Some silver toners start to "seed" after a couple of years, but we used base that was often a year or older (sometimes a couple of years:eek:) and never had an issue.
Activator is a different story. Opened activator I wouldn't trust it any older than 3 months. You could possibly get away with using it up to 6 months or so but I wouldn't.
 
i have some base that has been sitting around here for 15 years. no problem. just put it on a shaker, reduce and spray. clear itself will keep as well but not the activators. you will need fresh stuff for that
 
when an activator starts to yellow its time to not use it. I think the best thing you can do if you really want to save paint is to invest in some empty containers. Pints, quarts, gallons, half pints, there are plenty of sources you can get them in bulk on line. A clean container, more importantly a pristine sealing surface is your best insurance. Most of the time, its really just the lid that can use replacing.
 
The epoxy catalyst will yellow very quickly but still be good. Barry has acknowledged that on several occasions himself.

John
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top