jonwinn Posted October 3, 2020 Share Posted October 3, 2020 (edited) I just bought this about a month ago. A small square bottle of Testors enamel gloss red paint. I used it a week or so ago and it was fine. I went to mix it up and the brush handle came out covered with thinner and little bits of pigment. It looks like the paint in the bottle is coagulating and morphing into little chunks of rubber stuff. Are there any chemists in the house that can explain this? I tossed a bottle last year that completely turned into a glob of rubbery like substance. Looks like it's time to switch brands after a mere 50 years. jon Edited October 3, 2020 by jonwinn Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jonwinn Posted October 3, 2020 Author Share Posted October 3, 2020 (edited) Image 2 jon Edited October 3, 2020 by jonwinn Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Mstor Posted October 3, 2020 Share Posted October 3, 2020 You didn't by chance add any thinned paint back into the jar? That can often upset the balance of the components necessary to maintain the pigments in suspension, or something like that. Suffice it say it will mess the paint up. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jonwinn Posted October 3, 2020 Author Share Posted October 3, 2020 Yup, that's it! So once it thickens you can't thin it! So much for Testors. I really don't remember this happening years ago. Oh well. jon Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ElectroSoldier Posted October 3, 2020 Share Posted October 3, 2020 (edited) Im not sure if its going to help knowing whats wrong with it but your carrier has separated almost completely from the medium which is what carries the pigment. A small amount of a quality enamel thinner and a really really good mix might fix it for you. But I doubt it. Having read the last two posts now I would say it now depends on the thinner you used, I would say it works to help use it but once added to the bottle it separated the medium from the carrier... I never pour thinned paint back into the bottle because of this problem. Edited October 3, 2020 by ElectroSoldier Quote Link to post Share on other sites
WymanV Posted October 3, 2020 Share Posted October 3, 2020 I've had that happen with all brands of enamels I've used over the years. Saving thinned paint is a crapshoot-usually it survives but from time to time this happens. Considering how seldom it happens and how relatively inexpensive it is, I just dispose of the offending paint and buy another. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jonwinn Posted October 3, 2020 Author Share Posted October 3, 2020 I did NOT pour thinned paint back in. I THINNED pea soup thick paint with TESTORS enamel thinner. I will never do that again. jon Quote Link to post Share on other sites
habu2 Posted October 3, 2020 Share Posted October 3, 2020 1 hour ago, WymanV said: ...Saving thinned paint is a crapshoot... this - only thin as much as you will use Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Joe Hegedus Posted October 3, 2020 Share Posted October 3, 2020 23 minutes ago, jonwinn said: I did NOT pour thinned paint back in. I THINNED pea soup thick paint with TESTORS enamel thinner. I will never do that again. jon I've noticed that thinning Testors enamels with mineral spirits (i.e. paint thinner) will cause them to react in this way. I've also found that using a decent quality lacquer thinner (thinner, not paint stripper) to thin them does not result in them separating and coagulating for some reason. The lacquer thinner thins the paint, but if it evaporates and the paint thickens up again adding more lacquer thinner restores it. Gunze Mr Color thinner works a treat with Testors and MM enamels, as does their leveling thinner. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jonwinn Posted October 3, 2020 Author Share Posted October 3, 2020 (edited) Ok, I thinned the paint in the bottle with what made sense to me. Testors thinner for Testors paint. I know know that's wrong. So if I want to thin paint I should have taken some of the thick sludge Testors sold me and mix a small amount with their thinner in a pallet or paint cup to use brushing. I DON'T airbrush, I use small bottles to do cockpits and detail painting. So I could use Testors thinner in a cup or pallet to thin the amount need? jon Edited October 4, 2020 by jonwinn Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jonwinn Posted October 3, 2020 Author Share Posted October 3, 2020 (edited) Now you say I can thin the bottle with lacquer thinner? This won't turn it into a toxic rubbery mess? This is what I have for lacquer thinner, is this acceptable to use in a thick bottle of Testors paint? jon Edited October 4, 2020 by jonwinn Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Joe Hegedus Posted October 3, 2020 Share Posted October 3, 2020 1 hour ago, jonwinn said: Now you say I can thin the bottle with lacquer thinner? This won't turn it into a toxic rubbery mess? This is what I have for lacquer thinner, is this acceptable to use in a thick bottle of Testors paint?---John That's one that I've used successfully. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Steve N Posted October 4, 2020 Share Posted October 4, 2020 I've had that happen occasionally with Testor's paints since the 1970s. SN Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Scott Smith Posted October 6, 2020 Share Posted October 6, 2020 Every once in a while I would get the same result. Not sure why it happened, but I mix my paint and dump what I don't use now. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Stan in YUL Posted October 6, 2020 Share Posted October 6, 2020 The components of the enamel are clearly contaminated. Sometimes it’s what’s on the stir tool or a brush, and yes poring thinned paint back in the bottle will do it. Scrap it and get some more. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jonwinn Posted October 6, 2020 Author Share Posted October 6, 2020 Thanks for the answers and just to be clear again I DON'T thin paint for airbrushing and pour it back in the bottle! I will state it one more time, I GOOFED, common sense told me to thin Testors enamel paint with Testors enamel paint thinner. So much for common sense. jon Quote Link to post Share on other sites
breadneck Posted October 6, 2020 Share Posted October 6, 2020 Corona got it. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ElectroSoldier Posted October 6, 2020 Share Posted October 6, 2020 Its more to do with why the paint was pea soup thick than adding the enamel thinners to the paint. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jonwinn Posted October 6, 2020 Author Share Posted October 6, 2020 (edited) Thanks, I am tempted to buy another bottle of Testors red enamel and IF it is thick and unbrushable I will try as Joe suggested and try my Mr Color 110 lacquer thinner. I like enamel paint and have been using Testors for over 50 years. I really don't remember this many problems way back so I am wondering if it is a new eco friendly formula that is easily tossed out of balance by thinning. If that doesn't work I will consider getting some 2 inch brushes and a putty knife at Home Depot and give up on plastic models and try painting "happy little clouds". jon Edited October 6, 2020 by jonwinn Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Stan in YUL Posted October 7, 2020 Share Posted October 7, 2020 22 hours ago, jonwinn said: Thanks, I am tempted to buy another bottle of Testors red enamel and IF it is thick and unbrushable I will try as Joe suggested and try my Mr Color 110 lacquer thinner. I like enamel paint and have been using Testors for over 50 years. I really don't remember this many problems way back so I am wondering if it is a new eco friendly formula that is easily tossed out of balance by thinning. If that doesn't work I will consider getting some 2 inch brushes and a putty knife at Home Depot and give up on plastic models and try painting "happy little clouds". jon Unfortunately, I don’t expect that any lacquer thinner will have the desired affect. The resin binder in the enamel has been affected. It’s like trying to un-bake a cake. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jonwinn Posted October 7, 2020 Author Share Posted October 7, 2020 (edited) Something like this? jon Edited October 7, 2020 by jonwinn Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ElectroSoldier Posted October 7, 2020 Share Posted October 7, 2020 Paints are made of 3 things not 2. Pigment Binder carrier The pigment is in the binder and gives the colour, the binder is what makes the pigment stick to the surface of what you are painting, the carrier is usually but not always like a thinner. It is what makes it easier to spread the binder over the surface of what you are painting. It is the carrier that causes peoples confusion with acrylic paints, in that it doesnt have to be a water based carrier to be an acrylic paint. The acrylic part is the binder not the carrier. In your case the problem is the fact that the binder has had an adverse reaction with the carrier and the carrier has damaged the binder, that the the red goop, its red because of the pigment, its goopy because of the binder. the liquid around is is almost certainly the carrier, in your case its mixed with enamel thinners. The problem with the paint existed before you added the thinner, it manifested itself as thick paint, you added the thinner which highlighted the problem to you because it thinned it down so you could see it was separated. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jonwinn Posted October 7, 2020 Author Share Posted October 7, 2020 OK so the paint had problems before I tried to fix the problem? So my main concern is why the Hell does Testors sell enamel thinner which can't be used with enamel paint. So what the Hell am I suppose to do to thin paint? I am no chemist and all of this is just making me more confused!!!! Everything I learned years ago has to be thrown out? Or do I need to send my paint to a lab to have it analyzed in order to know how to thin it? Or is this Testors' problem caused by lack of QC? jon Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ElectroSoldier Posted October 7, 2020 Share Posted October 7, 2020 Im not 100% sure it did what you think it did. I think the thinner you used just highlighted a problem you already had and made it a bit more liquid... My first port of call for any paint is the thinners of the same brand that states its for that paint. I cant get hold of that particular thinner but if I could then its what I would use too. a Lacquer thinner like Mr hobby leveling thinner or the Mr Hobby Thinner wouldnt be my first choice. It might work but then so would many other things. It might be that the paint had a problem. It might be that the thinner has a problem, that thinner is on its way out but that paint is too and they bounced off each other so it might work on in another paint but not that one. Personally I would try another pot of paint as the thinner of the same brand should always work. Other thinners are always a second choice. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Mstor Posted October 12, 2020 Share Posted October 12, 2020 On 10/3/2020 at 3:27 PM, jonwinn said: Ok, I thinned the paint in the bottle with what made sense to me. Testors thinner for Testors paint. This. Did you actually thin the pain IN the bottle, i.e. add thinner INTO the bottle? If so, this could cause your problem. It is essentially the same as returning thinned paint back into the bottle. If this is not what you did, then I have miss construed what you wrote and you can ignore this post. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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