Half a croissant, on a plate, with a sign in front of it saying '50c'
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<working title> 10 things not to do in a heatwave

(actually the title is nothing like the idea but it was the inspiration behind it) : idea= vacuum pump valve for paint tins
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o.k. so I’ve finished painting & used up 1/3 of a tin of white gloss paint; thumped the lid back onto the tin & stuck it in the cupboard in the sure knowledge that the next time I open it, there will be a 4” layer of congealed unusable glob on the top that even a determined screwdriver will be hard pushed to penetrate. what a waste.

I am tempted to store it upside down but it says in large lettering on the lid. Store This Way Up! who am I to argue with that?

if one could vacuum pump all the air out of the tin of paint then it would remain all nice and non-drippy for the next time. perhaps if the lid came with a valve similar to a bicycle or car tyre, then you could either attach a reversed action bicycle pump or you could manually suck out all the air.

po, Aug 04 2003

the trouble with tins for World. http://www.halfbake..._20tags_20on_20cans
[po, Oct 04 2004, last modified Oct 05 2004]

Here's a halfbaked approach . . . http://bz.pair.com/fun/PaintCordian.jpg
[~26Kb image] The pump would have a bleed valve to prevent over-pressurization. [bristolz, Oct 04 2004, last modified Oct 05 2004]

[link]






       The pro painters I had working in our house last week do this: they lay down a piece of plastic food wrap directly on the surface of the paint. (Hmm, which gives me an idea.)   

       Your pump would be far less messy, though.
bristolz, Aug 04 2003
  

       There is a great experiment you can do with paint cans and other tins with airtight lids. Put half an inch, or so, of water in the bottom and heat it on the stove until the water is boiling and the water vapor and steam fill the tin. Seal the tin. Remove it from the stove and place it in cold water. Watch ensuing demonstration of the power of a vacuum.   

       You'd be better off pumping nitrogen in rather than air out. Or, of course, following bris' advice (we use tin foil rather than cling wrap, but same difference).
DrCurry, Aug 04 2003
  

       Ideally you an inert gas heavier than air though... Argon perhaps. It's a bit dangerous of course, but would be easier to flush onto the surface of the paint. + all the same.
neilp, Aug 04 2003
  

       [neilp] - you're not saying argon is dangerous are you? Or did I just misread? Unless you mean the suffocation angle?   

       You can get those small vacuum pumps for half empty bottles of wine, so I guess this could be adapted. I've never used them as I never have half empty bottles of wine.   

       I feel the inert gas idea might be better. The vacuum idea has a risk of paint tin implosion (potentially disastrous for your decor unless you're after the Jackson Pollock look). Large quantities of inert gas do have a suffocation risk, but only if you have vast quantities. Perhaps a small gas bottle to attach to the valve on top of the tin with a second, exit valve to flush the air out of?
hazel, Aug 04 2003
  

       I feared I might get in to trouble with that one..I meant in terms of asphixiation, cause, (and I know it's a slim chance) if you left the bottle open, it would surely just spill all over the floor and keep rising up, whereas nitrogen would mix better with air. Agreed it's only really a hazard if you're doing it in your bedroom and you have a futon.
neilp, Aug 04 2003
  

       suggested name : vacuupaint
neilp, Aug 04 2003
  

       //if you're doing it in your bedroom and you have a futon// clever, thats no 7 on my list   

       thinking more vaccupants
po, Aug 04 2003
  

       I was compiling a bunch of old paint remnants for disposal and noted that the one small amount of oil-based paint stayed on top no matter how much latex I added to the barrel. Of course - oil floats on water. So how about this idea - rather than mess with argon, vacuum, pumps and other hoohah, just add a layer of baby oil sufficient to cover the latex paint remaining, then close the can. You would need to remove the baby oil when you next used the paint, which could be done with a basting syringe.
bungston, Aug 04 2003
  

       From "Snarfyguy's Household Hints": Throw the damn thing out and get a new can the next time you need to paint.
snarfyguy, Aug 04 2003
  

       or we could have toothpaste style paint tins.
neilp, Aug 04 2003
  

       [po] - list ?
neilp, Aug 04 2003
  

       List?
bristolz, Aug 04 2003
  

       How about a concertina paint can? Collapse it down to the appropriate level and re-seal. Might make it difficult to estimate how much paint is left though.
phoenix, Aug 04 2003
  

       just estimate the volume by mass.
neilp, Aug 04 2003
  

       Why do they use steel cans for paint? Seems like they are always rusting and suffering from this thick film issue. I say store paint in milk containers - thin plastic that you can squeeze the air out of. This would have the added feature of being able to tell what color your paint is.
Worldgineer, Aug 04 2003
  

       I like that one world, but would the paint make the top hard to take off? we're into corned beef territory here.
po, Aug 04 2003
  

       //would the paint make the top hard to take off?// No.   

       //we're into corned beef territory here// As a vegetarian, I'm going to have to say I've never been to corned beef territory, nor do I have a desire to. That being said, are you recommending packaging corned beef in milk containers? Should the milk container be expanded to all cow-based products?
Worldgineer, Aug 04 2003
  

       I have some new cans which are actually plastic. Even more practical - some paint is sold in large plastic jugs with no-drip spouts, like those that liquid laundry detergent is sold in.
bungston, Aug 04 2003
  

       //hard to take off// thinking that a plastic top would get cemented together by paint.   

       corned beef can link for you on its way. don't get too excited!   

       bung, my dear - have I told you lately that you are inspiralateralational?
po, Aug 04 2003
  

       Ah, thanks for the link. [Bung]'s right though - they have plastic bottles for paint now, so I would imagine the cemented-closed issue isn't significant. Now if we can get them to make them squeezable we can remove the paint-skin issue as well.
Worldgineer, Aug 04 2003
  

       make what squeezable? sorry I have been painting all day.   

       have you any idea how hot it is here?
po, Aug 04 2003
  

       USA Today (AKA "McPaper"), some months ago, cited the squarish plastic paint jug with the integrated dripless pour spout as one of The Best Products of 2002. Other products included the new Nissan ZX , the upside-down ketchup bottle, and some others.
bristolz, Aug 04 2003
  

       There you go, the upside-down paint bottle. Skin forms at the top and paint is poured out of the bottom.
FarmerJohn, Aug 04 2003
  

       [po] The plastic paint bottle. Please see my earlier anno. Oh, and open a window.
Worldgineer, Aug 04 2003
  

       window wide open. gawd its hot.
po, Aug 04 2003
  

       <aside> A very good friend of mine who lives in the San Francisco area is visiting London right now. She house swapped with someone who lives just north of London. Her last comment to me before she left was "It'll be great to get out of this heat for a few weeks."
bristolz, Aug 04 2003
  

       Unlucky your friend [bris]. Hope it's cooler North than East!
gnomethang, Aug 04 2003
  

       dont know what you're wingeing about [po], you're in the shade. Im have to paint the outside of the conservatory after I finish sanding it down by hand. Luckily I found a big rotten patch so I get a break while we get a carpenter in.
chud, Aug 07 2003
  

       me? whinge? never!
po, Aug 07 2003
  

       strongly advise not manually sucking the air out as the idea of drinking gloss does not appeal.   

       valve pump would work.   

       what about a piece of grease proof paper like that you'd stick on some jam. That'd do the job. Cheaper too.
jonthegeologist, Oct 11 2003
  

       you're just a rebel, I met your type before.
po, Oct 13 2003
  

       Plastic food wrap is also used for wrapping paintbrushes in so that, if you're carrying on with the same painting job the next day, you don't have to bother washing the brushes out.

As for storing paint upside-down - I once had to clean up a spilt 2.5 litre can of gloss from our bathroom floor. Very messy.
hippo, Oct 13 2003
  

       Sucking out all the air would probably increase the solidification problem, since the solvent will evaporate to fill the vacuum that much faster. What you really need is to establish equillibrium by getting a high enough partial pressure of the solvent inside the can. Which is easiest to do by adding more solvent. (Whether water or otherwise.)   

       Barriers to prevent evaporation are even easier, of course, like the plastic wrap. Though the store-it-upside-down approach is my favorite due to the high laziness factor.   

       I wonder whether most paint cans wouldn't implode under strong vacuum, resulting in a spectacular resolution of the dilemma.
beland, Oct 13 2003
  

       I seem to recall a spray that did what the plastic wrap on the surface does, except you didn’t have to remove the messy thing.
pluterday, Oct 13 2003
  

       temperature is vital.
po, Oct 13 2003
  

       How can you have finished painting with 2/3 of the paint left ? keep coating , thicker coating you'll be finished soon .
wjt, Oct 13 2003
  

       I have a fetish for brilliant white, the whole house is white except Egberts room which is blue :) and my bedroom which is black of course.
po, Oct 13 2003
  

       Howabout,   

       BUY A SMALLER TIN   

       </eco warrior>
Deathjester, Oct 13 2003
  

       Heat got to you Po? Where are you that its so bloody hot.
The Kat, Oct 13 2003
  

       its cooler now, thanks for asking. strokes Kat. do you bite?
po, Oct 13 2003
  

       No, just a kittan, really.
The Kat, Oct 13 2003
  

       Kat dies from stroke. Vet says, "This is the first day of the rest of your lives."
FarmerJohn, Oct 13 2003
  

       life is so ironic..
po, Oct 13 2003
  

       Going *all* the way back to the bit about using different gasses to form a layer - and considering a recent idea about competitively eating CO2, how well would dropping in a couple of pieces of dry-ice, and then sealing the lid work?
zen_tom, May 23 2006
  

       [po] Before closing the tin, pour a thin layer of white spirit on the top of the paint. Then it won't form the thick unusable congealed layer. Although as this idea's nearly three years old now it might be too late.
hippo, May 23 2006
  

       excellent idea, hippo.
po, May 23 2006
  

       No chance of needing this now!! - I hope this changes in the next couple of weeks!.
gnomethang, May 23 2006
  

       I want warmth...
po, May 23 2006
  

       ...and lo, your wish is granted.
zen_tom, Jul 27 2006
  

       Take a flat screwdriver and with your hammer pound the screwdriver through the drip rim of the paint can in dotted line fashion 6-8 times for a gallon can. As you mallet on your can lid, those holes in the rim will allow the can to "burp" out air, and you'll have a bit less atmosphere inside the can to set the paint over the longer haul. Of course, the holes allow excess poured or wiped paint to gather inside the can and thereby avoid spattering.
reensure, Jul 27 2006
  

       What we do here, see, is we hire a delightful young chap that comes with his friends when I am out having a few. By the time I'm back, he has painted what needed attention, cleaned his mess, aired the house, helped himself to any unlocked booze (not too happy about that one but whatchagonnado) and left me a nice note apologising for having moved some of my furniture.
I suggest you do the same, [po] dear.
methinksnot, Jul 27 2006
  

       but <slap> I find <slap> painting <slap> the old homestead <slap> so relaxing...   

       hey, snotty - how much you pay per hour?
po, Jul 27 2006
  

       Christ it's Hot!. I had to get on a train home today after the train that was cancelled. It was an Airtight Hellhole, I can tell ya!.
gnomethang, Jul 27 2006
  

       //hey, snotty - how much you pay per hour?//
I pay well. Are you offering? I will finish an addition to the McMansion in about three weeks and will need a painter (It's 16 degrees today, beautiful sunny day too). All-you-can-drink-with-me whiskey included.
methinksnot, Jul 27 2006
  

       I tend to flaaaag when I git offfeeeerred whissskey but...
po, Jul 27 2006
  

       what do you mean by sucking out the air manually? If you mix dry ice with paint the chemical reaction between the components blows up the paint in the air, more like the way Mr.bean paints his house.
sfx, Oct 18 2009
  

       //You can get those small vacuum pumps for half empty bottles of wine,//
What a strange concept. A bottle of wine is either "full", "half-full" or "not a bottle of wine anymore, time for another".
AbsintheWithoutLeave, Oct 18 2009
  

       Just pour some turpentine in before you close it up. Works for me.
vincevincevince, Oct 19 2009
  

       well, something like a microporous ptfe straw full of zirconium that wouldn't let the paint wet the Zr yet the Zr would absorb the O2 might do it, just toss the straw n the container
beanangel, Nov 29 2011
  

       At the risk of delving into elementary physics and/or/both chemistry, why would you expect removing the air to stop the paint forming a skin?   

       Surely the skin forms because solvent evaporates from the surface of the paint - in other words, the paint dries. In this case, removing the air will simply accelerate the process, no?
MaxwellBuchanan, Nov 29 2011
  

       oh, delve. please delve.
po, Nov 30 2011
  

       That should be why pouring a thin layer of solvent (e.g white spirit) on top of a solvent-based paint would stop it drying up. The partial pressure of solvent in the air-space in the tin will be such that no more solvent can evaporate.
hippo, Nov 30 2011
  

       You're all solving the wrong problem. Just bubble-wrap the walls.
RayfordSteele, Nov 30 2011
  

       //partial pressure of solvent// What the world needs is fewer of these wishy-washy partial pressures. Give me a solvent that produces a complete pressure.
MaxwellBuchanan, Nov 30 2011
  

       [Max] Oil paints "dry" by reacting with oxygen; evaporation of solvent is just the first step. Some traditional paint recipes have no solvent at all - just oil and pigment.   

       I agree that storing the can upside down works well. It also makes it easier to stir, as all the heavy gunk is at the top.   

       Another trick is to squirt some butane into the can before closing it.
spidermother, Dec 06 2011
  

       //Oil paints "dry" by reacting with oxygen// Good point. It will become an issue if the ISS ever needs a new coat.
MaxwellBuchanan, Dec 06 2011
  

       Two-part epoxy paint should work in space. Or just lift your visor and blow on it.
spidermother, Dec 06 2011
  
      
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