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Hello all,

We have a can of marine paint in our collection, and we are wondering what is the best way to store it. The can is about 1/3 full, and the consistency of the remaining material is what I would call a gooey solid, i.e. it is not completely hard but it does not move at all when the can is tipped. There are no ingredients listed on the label, but because of its use and probable date, we are guessing that it is a copper paint.

Thank you in advance for anyone's help or advice on this!

Hello Karla,

Thanks for your intriguing question. I'll see what I can find for you, but I wanted to clarify if you are looking to keep the paint or only the paint can. If the paint itself is significant to the collection, is it feasible to store a small sample outside of the original paint can? Keeping the two together may be quite challenging, so if you can share any background on the goals of this storage solution, that would be helpful! Does the paint have any smell? Thanks so much, and hope to get back to you soon.

Best wishes,
Lisa

Hello all,

We have a can of marine paint in our collection, and we are wondering what is the best way to store it. The can is about 1/3 full, and the consistency of the remaining material is what I would call a gooey solid, i.e. it is not completely hard but it does not move at all when the can is tipped. There are no ingredients listed on the label, but because of its use and probable date, we are guessing that it is a copper paint.

Thank you in advance for anyone's help or advice on this!

Sorry, I meant to reply to the group!

We are primarily interested in retaining and storing the can. If the paint itself will contribute to the deterioration of the can over time, we would like to remove the paint, but we are not sure how to do that. The paint is not hard enough to chip out. If removing the paint is not possible, is there a way to store the can so that the paint does not present a hazard to other collection objects in storage? If the paint can be removed, what is the best way to store the can long term if some paint residue remains?

There is a slight odor to the paint. To my untrained nose, it smells vaguely similar to oil paint.

Thank you for your clarifying questions!
-Karla

Hello Karla,

Thanks for your intriguing question. I'll see what I can find for you, but I wanted to clarify if you are looking to keep the paint or only the paint can. If the paint itself is significant to the collection, is it feasible to store a small sample outside of the original paint can? Keeping the two together may be quite challenging, so if you can share any background on the goals of this storage solution, that would be helpful! Does the paint have any smell? Thanks so much, and hope to get back to you soon.

Best wishes,
Lisa

Hello all,

We have a can of marine paint in our collection, and we are wondering what is the best way to store it. The can is about 1/3 full, and the consistency of the remaining material is what I would call a gooey solid, i.e. it is not completely hard but it does not move at all when the can is tipped. There are no ingredients listed on the label, but because of its use and probable date, we are guessing that it is a copper paint.

Thank you in advance for anyone's help or advice on this!

Hi Karla,

Thanks for that information, definitely helps! Jason Church had the following advice:

"I would remove the paint remnants, wipe out the can with mineral spirits, let dry and reseal. That should do it. If they leave the "gooey solid" outside to dry a day or two they you can just put it in the standard trash receptacle.

As un-tech as it sounds I would scoop it out with a putty knife or serving spoon. The smell is from the oil it is thinned with. Probably linseed oil."

I hope that helps. The consistency sounds challenging, but it might be easier to work with further down if a harder skin has formed over top. Or is that overly optimistic??

Let me know if you have any questions.

Best wishes,
Lisa

Sorry, I meant to reply to the group!

We are primarily interested in retaining and storing the can. If the paint itself will contribute to the deterioration of the can over time, we would like to remove the paint, but we are not sure how to do that. The paint is not hard enough to chip out. If removing the paint is not possible, is there a way to store the can so that the paint does not present a hazard to other collection objects in storage? If the paint can be removed, what is the best way to store the can long term if some paint residue remains?

There is a slight odor to the paint. To my untrained nose, it smells vaguely similar to oil paint.

Thank you for your clarifying questions!
-Karla

Hello Karla,

Thanks for your intriguing question. I'll see what I can find for you, but I wanted to clarify if you are looking to keep the paint or only the paint can. If the paint itself is significant to the collection, is it feasible to store a small sample outside of the original paint can? Keeping the two together may be quite challenging, so if you can share any background on the goals of this storage solution, that would be helpful! Does the paint have any smell? Thanks so much, and hope to get back to you soon.

Best wishes,
Lisa

Hello all,

We have a can of marine paint in our collection, and we are wondering what is the best way to store it. The can is about 1/3 full, and the consistency of the remaining material is what I would call a gooey solid, i.e. it is not completely hard but it does not move at all when the can is tipped. There are no ingredients listed on the label, but because of its use and probable date, we are guessing that it is a copper paint.

Thank you in advance for anyone's help or advice on this!