I agree that Humbrol ain't what it was, but I don't have problems with the stuff myself. If a new tin is "sludge", then it has to be stirred until it is broken up and dissolved completely. I then add a small weight of some kind (a spare screw or nut or similar), replace the lid and then shake for a minuter or two. The theory behind this is that if it works for aerosols, then it should work for Humbrol - and it does! It may also be necessary to add a drop or two of thinners - cheap white spirit will do. All of this does take a bit of time, but no more than 3 -4 minutes or so.

You could try other paints - Phoenix/Precision or whatever they are called now are quite good. Revell is pretty awful - I avoid it like the plague - and I don't like acrylics very much either. I haven't tried the expensive stuff like Vallejo or Citadel.

You should be able to redeem your orange patches by subjecting your tin to the above treatment and applying a new coat over the old. 

Hope this is of use.

Regards

David C

Hi David C

I do stir to excess but I'm thinking of adding a touch of IPA to the tin, if it dosen't work then I can always bin it. My stirring

implement is a small electrical screwdriver that has a ring worn into the shaft where it's rubbed it's way around 100's

of tins of paint, even the blade is showing signs of wear, a wonder I've not worn a hole through some tins !!

I'd not thought about adding a heavy agitator to rattle around inside. I wonder if this paint is thin enough to allow

enough movement to work, when I said sludge I really meant sludge. One tin I was working with I dipped the tip

of my brush into my thinners cleaning pot to thin the next brush full, just touched the paint top which was touched

as I could see the reflection change, yet the brush didn't pick up any paint. The stuff simply won't flow. Another example of non-flow is I have needed to rotate a brush as I worked otherwise a deposit (blob) on the side wouldn't

flow into the bristles.

This orange is going on thick, the only way to cover anything is to stipple, a brush stroke just moves paint off the surface. I could sand back, but in such a small sunken corner between wagon frames & roof that is going to be

difficult !!

I'm used to painting by brush, mostly aircraft, here is an example :-

Dad-1