"Corroded to Death" Topic

Saw something I've never seen before today.

Went to open an old bottle of Reaper paints, a metallic brass color. Took the lid off, and discovered the nozzle was not only covered (on the outside!) with dried paint, but the nozzle had become brittle and had a large hole in the side. Instead of paint, the nozzle was oozing a milky looking substance. The entire nozzle shattered when I touched it.

Yikes! Tossed that bottle away and washed my hands thoroughly.

Plastics become brittle with age, as well as exposure to UV. I think the idea that plastic will last centuries, before decaying, are incredibly optimistic, based on first-hand experiences. I do not believe there is any contact poison risk, though. Most acrylic paints meet the ASTM standards for being non-toxic. Cheers!

Old metallic paints seem to get that milky ooze. I imagine it has something to do with the manufacturing process of metallics, but I don't know for sure.

I to have noticed that metallic paints do this.

Why the plastic of the bottle should go bad is mysterious.

But metallics seem to tend separate with the "pigment" (metallic powder) settling such that some electro-chemical reaction can occur. The milky white ooze is the binding media. I have also notice pressure build up in some samples.

I had some Ceramcote craft paints a few decades old. The cap is a brittle plastic. And often the lid would crumble.