PeloBourbon | 20 May 2020 6:15 a.m. PST |
Hi everybody, I would like to consult the following with you fellow painters: As a long time user of vallejo colors, since the beginning I've got times to times the same issue: Once the bottle is open, the paint start to flow endlessly without any pressure for my part even without touching it, causing a waste of paint. It is due to a change of temperature ? I don't know, it's quite annoying Did this happen to you? What causes this and did you find a solution? Thanks in advance for any hint. Alberto |
Extrabio1947 | 20 May 2020 6:55 a.m. PST |
I'm not a scientist, but I've experienced the same problem with Reaper. As Peter King (an American sports journalist) would say, I think (I think) what causes this is once you release the bottle after squeezing it to release a drop of paint, the bottle acts as a bellows and sucks air back into it. The next time you use the paint, the trapped air (especially after shaking the bottle) displaces the paint, causing it to flow out the nozzle. Or it could be caused by phases of the moon. 😉 |
tabletopwargamer | 20 May 2020 6:58 a.m. PST |
I just don't worry about it. Its not exactly costing much is it. |
Thomas O | 20 May 2020 7:10 a.m. PST |
I have this happen every now and again too. Not sure if it always the same bottle or not. Whats worse is you open the cap and go to put a drop or two on your wet pallet and don't notice that the dropper nozzle came off in the cap! Talk about wasting some paint! |
Lluis of Minairons | 20 May 2020 8:06 a.m. PST |
Hi, I've experienced that same flow issue, but occasionally only. It uses to happen me on specially hot days here (or so it seems to me) – only after having shaken the bottle, though. Does it makes any sense to you? |
DyeHard | 20 May 2020 8:21 a.m. PST |
I am a scientist: While I have not studied this directly, I very strongly suspect that it is do to increased pressure inside your paint bottle do to heating. Shacking the paint and holding the bottle in your hand both heat the bottle, paint, and air inside the bottle. In other bottle styles the larger opening allows air to escape when the lid is opened. But these dropper style bottles may not allow this. Suggestions: 1) The easy way: After shacking up the paint, tap it fairly hard on the tabletop several times. This will knock the paint towards the bottom of the bottle. Open to allow air pressure out, then use as normal. 2) The hard but more sure way: Have a way to cool the bottle, such as a cup with ice water. After shacking up the paint, place the bottle is the ice water for a while (about the same time that you had taken to shake it up). Now it should not matter what angle you hold the bottle when opened, as air should be drawn into the bottle. Now I suggest leaving the bottle open until it is room temp, then recap. P.S. do not take too long to dispense your paint, your hand is really very warm compared to room temp and simply holding the bottle will heat it and drive paint out if the opening is pointed down. |
PeloBourbon | 20 May 2020 8:43 a.m. PST |
Extrabio1947. This can be the reason behind, thanks for your input! tabletopwargamer. True and I agree it doesn't stop me to paint but it If I can avoid it I prefer not to spill it. I would rather my paint on miniatures than on a paper towel or in laying in excess on my palette. ; ) Thanks for your answers!!
Alberto |
Timbo W | 20 May 2020 9:46 a.m. PST |
Also could happen if you seal the bottle tightly on a hot day then open it on a cold day, fix as per Dyehards advice. |
PeloBourbon | 20 May 2020 9:53 a.m. PST |
Die Hard, Many thanks for the explanation, hot weather here in Spain, doesn't help too. Maybe it's time to add a mini fridge to the hobby table. Thomas, I know perfectly what you mean… And I bet that's always happening when you are using color for a small detail and not the main one for the whole unit of 30 miniatures :D LLuis, It does, too often I don't put back the bottle in their rack and they start to accumulate by my left elbow under the lamp… Thanks everybody I take good note of all of this. |
vagamer63 | 20 May 2020 10:08 a.m. PST |
The problem is caused by trapped air bubbles when the bottle is shaken. When the top is open it allows the air to escape (the equalizing pressure theory) which carries the paint out the nozzle ahead of the air. To avoid this issue do the following after shaking the bottle, but before removing the lid. Hold the bottle with the top up vertically in the palms of your hands. Rub your hands gently back and forth (like you do when you try to warm your hands) without squeezing the bottle for about a minute. This will help free the air bubbles as the paint will sink back towards the bottom of the bottle. Then open the bottle top, the paint is ready to dispense. There is a You Tube video on this as I remember that was posted 6 or 7 years ago on the Vallejo Channel. |
Acronim | 20 May 2020 1:35 p.m. PST |
For me it is not a waste problem, it is a problem because that excess can cause stains on the equipment or clothes, even on the hands and from there to the same piece you are painting! And when it dries on the cap, you can prevent it from closing properly. It occurs with the densest paint, such as metallic colors, for example. It is because the nozzle is blocked by the paint and does not let air in, which prevents the bottle from recovering its initial shape; It is as if you continue to apply pressure, and the paint continues to come out until the pressure is equal to the outside, which does not happen until enough paint comes out, or the bottle recovers its shape when it can suck in air from the outside. Cooling the bottle can help, because cold plastic is stiffer and easier to regain its shape. Solution; try to get the paint without pressing the bottle at all. If the paint is too dense, you may have to shake the bottle, but you will see the excess return to the bottle effortlessly as soon as you put it back upright. Other solution; avoiding pressing the sides, press the bottom of the bottle with the index finger; there it returns more easily to the previous form, recovering the excess paint. |
Wargamer Blue | 20 May 2020 5:37 p.m. PST |
This happens to me all the time in summer. And with Vallejo only. It gets quite hot here. Paint flows out like lava. Winter, no issue at all. I'm not an expert but I've always believed it was temperature related. |
79thPA | 20 May 2020 5:50 p.m. PST |
If too much excess comes out, I scoop it up and put it back in the bottle. |
Timmo uk | 21 May 2020 2:26 p.m. PST |
I do as 79th PA. It happens to me from time to time but it's easy enough to recover the paint. I use a stainless lab spatula for this. |
PeloBourbon | 23 May 2020 8:46 a.m. PST |
|