Expired Paints

If the containers are intact and the paint has been stored in a cool environment you will be able to use the paint for some time. Heat's a killer. Chemical reaction rates double for every 10 degree rise in temperature.

It MUST be shaken to redistribute the fillers.

There are tests for paint cure and adhesion. Fed-Std 595 is a place to start. Or contact your supplier and ask him how he tests his product. You don't have to tell him why you are asking. Of course, you should already know all this if your company has any kind of tech staff!!!! You apparently don't test these materials yourself.

If you have fresh paint, a side by side test would tell you lots.

The simplest test involves painting a test panel, curing it, then scribing an X in the paint with a knife. Place a high quality tape strip over the X and pull the tape off. You'll need a 4 1/2# rubber roller to properly apply pressure to the tape. If any paint comes off with the tape, you'll know you have an adhesion problem, perhaps caused by age, perhaps not.

Is the reputation of your company worth the risk?

Depends if its Striped Paint, or Plain Paint!

I'll insert my first two-cents deposit before things get too outta control here.

While it is certainly true that proper mixing is vital, given the inevitable settling of pigments, and separation of resins and vehicle ... advice regarding "Tape-Adhesion" (or other adhesion-type) testing, Pencil (or other) hardness tests, etcetera, are going to be of little use*** unless additional info is known.

You state that you are the OEM-user. So: "What is the Paint Specification"? On what sort of surface Profile is it applied, upon what kind of primer, to what kind of substrate, adhering to what Surface Cleanliness Standards, and what will the (environmental) exposure be after curing, and what kind of Performane Guarantee must be met...?

*** such advice (above) all falls under the category of "I heered-telluh-sich-a-thing oncet-upon-a-time, so it MUST apply here as well!"

Watch out especially for any advice to use "X" brand of thinner in such-&-such quantity, then apply in "such-and-such" fashion (that is, UNLESS that's EXACTLY what the paint mf'r suggests...!)

Today's highly edumacated polymer chemists know what they're doing when they specify ONLY a certain Brand & "Number" of thinner to be used with their paints or protective coatings. That advice is NOT simply to promote Sales of that particular thinner. It is to insure that you get the full performance that can be extracted by PROPER mixing and application of their (paint) product.

Now ... if you don't necessarily NEED to achieve the FULL potential of which that paint might otherwise be capable ... we can talk some of that "experimentation"...

Best Regards to all ~ If you're in the U.S., have a GREAT Thanksgiving...!

"PS"...Re: "So: What is the Paint Specification?"

I sat through a great seminar-lecture a few years back, in which was mentioned the tidbit that follows...

Can anyone (here) answer WHY chunks of foam came off the shuttle, taking-out a smidge of the wing's leading edge ... costing the lives of many dear astronauts, and countless millions in pecuniary losses...?

It was in large part due to the fact that there WAS NO SPECIFICATION for the application of same...! Whoever penciled-in the act of "insulating-the-tank" decided that it just wasn't important enough to require any special preparations, or training of the applicators, or specialized inspection of the finished product .

You can BET YOUR LIFE that such specification NOW exists.

There are tests to evaluate extending shelf life, and as recommended already, contact the supplier/manufacturer to find out what the actual tests for their product are. Nobody else will know more about it.

a) I though some paint man will be here

b) This is a single component pack (Normal Zinc Phosphate Red Oxide primer)

c) main problem is the disposal of the paint. Any Idea how to dispose ?

If you are in the USA, I know all the details and will be happy to share. What is your location? If not in USA, I can give general guidance, but not specific requirements.

I have done some paint formulation over the years. It is pretty hard to answer your question without being able to examine the paint and doing some tests. Generally alkyds are fairly stable if kept in a closed container. Getting rid of the stuff may be expensive.

Got anything around the plant you could paint? Sometimes you can check with different distributors that specialize with surplus or out of date stock, it may be possible to sell it off very cheap and save yourself disposal costs.

All the expiry date is saying is "If used after this date, the paint manufacturer will not cover its use with any warranty."