Does anybody know what the shelf life is for oil paint in tubes?

I have some paint that has been sitting around in my closet for over 3 years now. It gets very warm in my house during the summer. So I'm wondering if this paint would still be good? Or should I toss it?

Thanks for any help you can give. :)

The shelf live varys from brand to brand. The more the fillers the more the shelf life... but the less the quality of paint.

What brand(s) are they?

Are these true oil paints or acrylics? Acrylics are likely to be more stabile. On the other hand, I have let part full cans of oil base paint set around in my garage for years and they were still usable. If you foresee needing them, you might hang on to them. Their stability depends on the type of binder, driers, stabilizers, etc. and little to do with the filler. The less exposure to air, the better.

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Originally Posted by rickj

The shelf live varys from brand to brand. The more the fillers the more the shelf life...but the less the quality of paint.

What brand(s) are they?

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Hello,

Thank you to both of you for your reply.

The brands of the paint are mostly Grumbacher, and a few Winsor & Newton, and Daniel Smith Luminescent type colors. All the other colors are earth type tones. The reason I say this is because I know that some colors do dry faster then others. 2 brands are made with refined Linseed Oil and one with Alkali-Refined Safflower Oil. Some have never been opened.

I paint resin horse sculptures with them. Every now and then I have had a problem with the paint not drying properly, and the object stays sticky for ever. So I'm wondering if, by using paint that I know is old, if I would be tempting problems like this again. I'm thinking maybe I'll just have to do some test projects and see how they turn out.

I just hate to throw the stuff away, because it's so expensive. :eek: But I may have too. :(

It took me a while to figure out why if it is oil base paint it is failing to dry instead of thickening up. Could be in addition to the unsaturated oil polymerizing, alcohol, used in place of older solvents, is breaking down the ester linkages. That could lead to a material that would have much of the original texture, but once the solvent evaporated, leave a tacky mess. If the fine print on the label says anything about Rule 66, I am sure that is the case. I wouldn't think that artists' paints need to comply with anti smog laws, but I am no bureaucrat.

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Originally Posted by Harper

Does anybody know what the shelf life is for oil paint in tubes?

I have some paint that has been sitting around in my closet for over 3 years now. It gets very warm in my house during the summer. So I'm wondering if this paint would still be good? Or should I toss it?

Thanks for any help you can give. :)

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I have tubes of oil paint I didn't use for as long as ten years. As long as you can squeeze it out of the tube, you can paint with it. When it is too old to use it will become hard as a rock.

I agree with Daria -- oil paint in tubes can keep for years (I have tubes that are 15 years old and still good), as long as they are sealed well. If you get some oil separation, just stir it back together with your palette knife. If the paint seems a bit too thick, but still workable, add a bit of medium and blend well. If it mixes, it's still good.
I've been selling my paintings for years, and no one has ever complained about the paint disintegrating.

Hi there
Oil paints don't really go off, when you squeeze them out of the tubes, just mix them with a cocktail stick or something first to make sure they are smooth. My tutor at university told us that oil paints can sometimes take years to dry off properly, rather sealing the surface and still being wet underneath. Im not sure it's the right paint to use on resin - perhaps a craft OIL BASED rather than fine art oil paint?

Test it on a piece of paper or card. If it is all runny and meant to oil paint then it is meant to be a wee bit ruiny but not like water!

Tell me how you got on! Please
Thanks
Xxx