How long does paint last?

[David Thorpe]

While rummaging in the loft recently I came across a cache of old tinlets of enamel paints, mainly Humbrol, Precision, Cherry and Gloy. These will all be at least 20 years old, some considerably older as clearly several were used for making model aircraft and i haven't dome that for about 45 years. Almost all had been opened and partly used in the past. I've examined each and every one and, as expected, quite a lot have gone hard, or too lumpy to salvage, and i've discarded them. But a surprising number seem to be in good condition, nicely stirrable and of pretty good consistency - all the Precision paints, for example, fall into that category. If the consistency is good, I'm assuming that the paints also are still good and, with tinlets of paint currently retailing at over £2, I'd very much like to use them, albeit probably not on my best locos and stock. Is there likely to be any reason why I shouldn't?

DT

[Paul Willis]

While rummaging in the loft recently I came across a cache of old tinlets of enamel paints, mainly Humbrol, Precision, Cherry and Gloy.

Is there likely to be any reason why I shouldn't?

If they are still able to be stirred to get a good mix of pigment and carrier, then I don't see why not. I'm still dipping into a number of pots of Humbrol that I must have bought more than 25 years ago - during my days of making Tamiya WW2 kits with my schoolfriends. In fact, "German Panzer Grey" features on a number of items of P4 rolling stock

Flymo

[LesGros]

...I'm still dipping into a number of pots of Humbrol that I must have bought more than 25 years ago...
-Flymo

I will see your 25 years and raise it by 18... I recently dipped into a tin of red humbrol enamel for a restoration project. It was still perfectly viable after 43 years. All that was needed was little care to remove the skin, followed by a good stir.
But, like flymo, I have also found old tins which had not stood the test of time.