Okay, so I was reading this article: Games Workshop - Warhammer (http://us.games-workshop.com/games/warhammer/painting/tricks/default.htm)

And GW says that putting a penny in a pot prevents the paint from drying off, and helps t mix when you shake it. Well, I haven't had any problems with my paint yet, but I was wondering, do any of you LO guys do something like this?

I can't imagine why the paint would not dry out simply because a penny was in there. It will definitely help in shaking up the paint. The only thing I would think of to watch out for is the liquid in the paint could cause the penny to tarnish and the tarnish could mix into the paint slightly altering its color.

I have heard that glass agitator beads are the best - followed by stainless steel beads - as they won't rust or tarnish.

If someone knows the "chemical" or "scientific" reason why a penny would halt paint from drying out I would be very interested in hearing about it - however I suspect that the author of the article has to hard facts on it and is somehow associated penny in pot with it not drying out. Could just be coincidence.

Cheers,

-Mike

Copper shouldn't be reactive with anything you'd find in acrylic paint. Pennies are stainless steel up here anyway! =) It's possible that simply keeping paints well-mixed contributes to preventing them from drying out. (Or prevents the appearance the the pot is starting to dry out due to the bit in the lid getting clumpy?)

Could just be COINcidence.



-Mike

Bact to topic: If this actually works, then what kind of coin should we swedish painters use?
Copper or the silvery ones?
Unless I got some pennies left from my last trip to the UK...

I have pennies in all my GW paint pots.

It works very well, even if it's only for agitation/mixing. Can't really beat the price or the availability either...







.

I have no idea why that would keep the paint from drying... probably just an urban myth...

I have absolutely no science, but after having some paints dry out in the pot I tried putting a penny in each pot, and have not had one dry out since. Just my personal experience.

Tekore

Maybe it's magic?

What are pennies made of these days ? does it differ from country to country ?

For those of us who have stopped using pennies for years, what would be an ok sub ?

In the US they've been Copper plated Zinc for a long time. In the UK you can probably still find true bronze pennies in circulation, but new ones are copper plated steel. All Canadian coins are just stainless steel.

I'm pretty sure the real anecdote is 'keeping your paints well mixed preserves them longer' whether it's with a coin or a ball bearing or whatever you want to drop in there.

I've had alot of paint jars harden up on me. I also have 1 jar of scab red for 4 years now and it's still usable. The only advice i can think off is keep the lids closed as much as possible and keep your paint in a shady place at room temp or below. (that worked for me)

would BB's for a BB gun work? I'm thinking as long as they are washed off, and just put a few in, as one wouldn't do much...

I seem to recall however someone advising against BB's at one point, so I want to know what you guys think.

I was just talking to a friend about mixing agitators the other day. I bought some Adikolor paints that have severely settled out and keep meaning to go to the hunting store to get some BB's. While coins won't fit in the dropper bottles - it would be interesting to test if a pot with no penny and a pot with penny, left for the same amount of time in the same conditions would make any difference? Anyone going to set up a controlled experiment?

would BB's for a BB gun work? I'm thinking as long as they are washed off, and just put a few in, as one wouldn't do much...

I seem to recall however someone advising against BB's at one point, so I want to know what you guys think.

If I am not mistaken I believe that ordinary BB's will rust. What you would want would be a stainless steel ball.

Cheers,

-Mike

I use stainless steel nuts. First, because I have lots of them loose in my toolbox (just rinse them off of grit). Second, because they fit well and are heavy enough to agitate the paint.

Hmmm - good point - except I have been unable to source stainless ball bearings - anyone found one in a general type of store (hardware, sporting etc etc)??

Anyone going to set up a controlled experiment?

The problem is you have no control over the starting conditions in the pots. Buy two pots off the shelf in GW, even if they're the same color and shelved right next to each other, one might have been there for 9 months and another unpacked last week, and even if the dates aren't off, are they from the same lot at the plant with the same ratio of water to pigment to binder?