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Author Topic: Storing Hobby Materials in low Temperatures  (Read 1276 times)

Offline Midaski

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Storing Hobby Materials in low Temperatures
« on: October 28, 2014, 06:25:54 PM »
I unfortunately am faced with having to keep a fair amount of my hobby related stuff outside in a shed.
Now the UK is not going to suffer the snow and ice and freezing temperatures that some of you fellow members go through, but it will still go below feezing this winter in the UK.

I doubt it will affect my metal figures, but what about today's hard plastics - indeed what about old plastics - do they get brittle or detiorate in the very cold?

Then there's paints - both spray cans and acrylics and glues like PVA, plastic glue, and Superglues.

I've always had my hobby stuff safe and secure inside the house, so none of it has got that cold before. I have some room left indoors so it may be a case of selecting what is safe outside, and what should be kept at a decent temperature.

Any help, advice or experiences will be gratefully received?

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Offline Bishmeister

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Re: Storing Hobby Materials in low Temperatures
« Reply #1 on: October 28, 2014, 06:29:32 PM »
I keep my superglue in the fridge, it lasts for ever. So cool temps are good for superglue, not sure about everything else though.
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Offline steveb

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Re: Storing Hobby Materials in low Temperatures
« Reply #2 on: October 28, 2014, 08:54:47 PM »
I would keep sprays  and regular glues inside.  plastic figures should handle cold okay, metal figures also, but the question with metal is the paint job, metal expands and contracts faster and more than plastic, this is probably bad for the acrylics we use.  I would check with friends for possible storage of most loved pieces.  Have you used up space under beds, in attic, or crawl spaces, lift up floor boards and store between rafters, on top of kitchen cabinets, in baggies thumb tacked to the back of doors that are normally open, or closed like a closet,  under the drawers in your dresser, below the sink in the loo.  under the couch, or easy chair.  Just remember to keep a list of all the storage spaces, there is nothing like finding something that you stored away 5 or 6 years ago and then finding it a week after you needed it.  steveb

Offline Shadespyre

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Re: Storing Hobby Materials in low Temperatures
« Reply #3 on: October 28, 2014, 09:30:46 PM »
Unless you are in the Frozen North I doubt anything will suffer much. But for spray paints, bring them indoors and warm them up before you use them. If I'm forced into undercoating in the winter I often stand my spray can in a bowl of warm water.

Offline ZeroTwentythree

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Re: Storing Hobby Materials in low Temperatures
« Reply #4 on: November 02, 2014, 02:06:49 AM »
steveb is right, however the size of the metal figures is small, and the dried acrylic paint probably has some flex to it, so it *might* be OK. I'm no expert, though. Another thing to keep in mind is how brittle super glue is.

I've kept my figures in an unheated, uninsulated attic in Ohio the past few years and they have been fine. Due to heat leaking from the rooms below, plus solar heat gain from the roof, it rarely gets too far below freezing, though.

I would definitely try to keep unused paints & glues indoors, though.