Ernie Willson wrote:


Don wrote:
I've never been happy with the way paint stores over a period of
years.
Whenever I buy paint and store it, I'm always very meticulous about
sealing the can, as well as wiping the lid and the groove for the lid.
It seems like no matter what I do, paint always seems to eventually
rust in the can or just plain dry up. I guess there's nothing that
can be done about the "skin" that forms.

Does anyone have any new or different ideas or some creative ways to
store paint for the long term??

Thanks!


The problems with the paint skinning is due to the Oxygen trapped in the
top of the can above the paint. A trick that I learned long ago is to
fill the top of the can with your breath before putting the top on. When
you do this you decrease the amount of Oxygen present and replace it
with CO2 which is non reactive. This doesn't completely prevent skinning
and rusting but IMO it helps quite a bit.

HTH

EJ in NJ

As I read Wiki, this would be insignificant:

The permanent gases in gas we exhale are roughly 4% to 5% carbon dioxide
and 4% to 5% less oxygen than was inhaled. Additionally vapors and trace
gases are present: 5% water vapor, several parts per million (ppm) of
hydrogen and carbon monoxide, 1 part per million (ppm) of ammonia and
less than 1 ppm of acetone, methanol, ethanol (unless ethanol has been
ingested, in which case much higher concentrations would occur in the
breath, cf. Breathalyzer) and other volatile organic compounds. The
exact amount of exhaled oxygen and carbon dioxide varies according to
the fitness, energy expenditure and diet of that particular person.

After sealing cans, I store upside down to keep out air but every now
and then a can will corrode and leak. Never store paint in an area that
cannot take a spill