How do you preserve your finishes

[Alan Gage]

A follow-up question – if there is wet paint or varnish or etc in the can rim how do folks clean it out before putting the lid back on? When I try to run a rag or swab around the rim I just chase it in circles, and half of it drips down the outside of the can.

It's probably a no-no but pretty much any can I open gets a ring of holes either drilled or poked with the corner of a straight screwdriver so that the spillage in the lip drains back into the can.

Alan

 

[dogbrain]

If there is one place I am all but guaranteed to get extra messy it is trying to decant something from a full can. Way too much, way too everydamnwhere, including inside the can rim (and on the bench, and my shoes. . . .)

Instead of pouring I dip cupfuls from the can and pour that into another container. Perhaps there is some other trick to that?

A follow-up question – if there is wet paint or varnish or etc in the can rim how do folks clean it out before putting the lid back on? When I try to run a rag or swab around the rim I just chase it in circles, and half of it drips down the outside of the can.

On this gallon can i removed the lid and drilled two holes on opposite sides. Replace lid and it will pour in a stream into a funnel. If you want to save the can, i suggest saving a different quart can lid, drill holes and keep it for future use.

For the can rim I punch holes in the channel so the liquid drains back in. Its my understanding that the can is sealed by the outside of the rim. This is how I've done it and it seems to work.

Mark

 

[Jim Dodd]

A few years back, I left unmixed resin in a plastic drinking cup. Thinking it would be OK, until I glassed again.

About a week later I noticed resin dripping from my resin mixing station.

The resin had softened the cup and it leaked.

Since then I have been leary of leaving resin in plastic cups, very long.

I've never had those same cups leak mixed resin, even when left over resin kicked !

Glad to hear Gator aid bottles can hold varnish !

Thanks Mark !

Jim

 

[dogbrain]

I'll just say that I assume the Gatorade bottles will hold the varnish long term. That is the experiment and I'll post to this thread with updates.

mark

 

[frozentripper]

Over the years I've saved various sizes of wide-mouth glass jars to keep leftover paint and varnish when the original can gets less than half full and the air inside might cause some surface skin to form... pickle jars, relish jars, olive jars, all sizes so the contents fill the jar full, with very little air. All glass and no fear of solvents dissolving that The metal screw-top lid might stick and refuse to turn but a paint can lid removal tool will loosen it.

The main problem with glass jars is having the right size available for the quantity of paint needing to be saved so space is needed to keep a good selection of sizes. People will think insane glass jar hoarder when the see the shelves full of empty jars, well, never mind that, you can always explain that away by saying each jar contains air collected from remote parts of the world.