A Rick G. Trick

[Site Man]

OLD FORUM POSTS

Posted by Billy Bob on September 22, 2003

Rick Glawson recommended exhaling into cans of enamel (as you close the lid) to prevent paint skinning. He explained that the carbon dioxide (?) in our breath prevented oxygen from drying the paint (or something like that).

Anyone else heard this tip (and know for sure it works)?

Jeff Lang - Marbles

I have tried that trick, Bill, with little success. I figured there has to be an easy way to eliminate the air. I came up with marbles.
When I use size, it's usually a small amount, so, I replace the amount of size with a few marbles I purchased at the craft store. The kind that are used for silk flowres in clear vases are inexpensive enough. When the size gets low enough in the can, I remove the marbles & drop them in a can of spirits to rinse them off to re-use them.
When I use them in my paints, they help in agitating the paint like a spray can.
Basically, I displace the air.
I started out with washers I had around the shop, but when I saw those glass marbles at the craft store they seemed like the answer to me.
Been working so far...
Later,
Jeff

D. Bernhardt - Good Tricks

Yes remember this one well....although have only used it on quick size. Basically size is a varnish as oppossed to paint and instead of evaporating and forming a skin it oxygenates (sp?)and turns to jelly....by removing the oxygen(a quick puff into the can and quick close)of your varnishes and sizes this "jellifying" is prevented. As for my experience...works well! Also though for the 1-shot quick size i keep it in a eez-e-pour bottle and after use...turn it upside down. The skin forms at the bottom. When left upright the whole darn thing turns into a jello like mess and PDQ as well!

Patrick

I've tried a few things to prevent paint skinning. One is to store opened cans upside down allowing the skins to form from the bottom up. Works well as long as the paint is used fairly often and does not require serious mixing. Exhaling into the can works well on certain colors, but hold the air in your lungs long enough to absorb the oxygen or it seems to be less effective. Also you must only crack the lid to give it a pure charge of your breath. The drawback is that you get the exchanged vapors into your mouth, not good. You may want to use a straw. I tried filling the cans with nitrogen from my airbrush cylinder, again with mixed results.The
best way is to vacuum the air out of the can. Use a small vacuum pump used to pump out car air conditioning systems. Use 5 minute epoxy to place a nipple into the can's lid and after sealing the lid as usual, simply suck out the trapped air. I bought a Robinair unit for around $100.00, 110volt. It also has been connected to a 48" X 90" vacuum frame for over 10 years, a good pump it works great.

[Mike Jackson]

We've tried a few of the suggestions above over the years. Puffing carbon dioxide into the can might help, but once the can is about half empty, it still skins over badly. There is just too much air in the can and it skins. One Shot Gold Size is really hard to keep in useable condition after you use much of it. LeFranc seems easier on the skinning.

We tried bottles for a while, but I think they have some problems. You have to make racks for them to store upside down, and you still need to use them fairly often. The nozzle will usually get gummy if you don't. After a while, probably from our altitude, the bottles begin to collapse inward.

Of the suggestions above, the marbles seem to work best for us. They are cheaper than the size and can be reused to some extent unless you let the entire can harden as it nears empty.

Mike Jackson