Home Improvement : How to Keep Skin From Forming on Stored Paint

QUESTION: What’s the best way to store partly used cans of paint without having them develop a skin on the surface?

ANSWER: Here are several solutions that have worked for us:

* Store the can upside down.

* Cut a piece of wax paper the same diameter as the inside of the can and drop it down on top of the paint. When you are ready to paint again, simply remove the paper and the paint under it will be ready to stir up and use without lumps or pieces of dried paint skin to strain out.

* Blow into the can before you put the lid on it. The carbon dioxide in your breath prevents the paint from oxidizing. Printers use this system to prevent a skin from forming on unused inks.

* The best answer we’ve found is to pour a thin layer of the proper solvent for the type of paint onto the surface of the paint left in the can. Use just enough thinner to cover the surface of the paint. Then, the next time you use the paint, simply stir the thinner into the paint.

This way, you have no skin formed at all and there is nothing in the can to fish out and dispose of without making a mess. Besides, most paints will spread much more easily when they are slightly thinned, especially those that have thickened a little as their solvents evaporated during a previous use and storage period.

Look at Freezer Coils for Refrigerant Leak

Q: I have an old Frigidaire combination refrigerator-freezer with the freezer on top and the thermostat in the evaporator. With the thermostat set at “A,” the freezer is cold enough, but the refrigerator is at about 28 degrees Fahrenheit and the food freezes. With the thermostat at “C,” the freezer is about 20 degrees, and the refrigerator about 34.

When a serviceman looked at the refrigerator, he said there were drops of oil on the compressor terminals. This indicated a refrigerant leak, which he said would cost $300 to fix. I realize that this appliance has reached a ripe old age, however, it’s still capable of freezing food and is only used intermittently for extra cold storage space at holiday time.

A: A drop of oil on the compressor terminals might or might not indicate a refrigerant leak. A good way to see if you have a leak is to look at your freezer coil. Begin by defrosting the refrigerator thoroughly. Turn the thermostat back on and let the refrigerator run for a while, then open the door. Check the frost pattern on the freezer coil. There should be frost all over the coil. This would indicate there is no refrigerant leak.

If only a small portion of the coil is frosted, this could indicate a slight shortage of refrigerant in the system. You can have a serviceman add refrigerant to the system. This would not be too expensive and it would keep your refrigerator going, especially if it is not in day-to-day service.

If you do have a good frost pattern on the coil in the freezer, we would suspect a defective thermostat if everything is getting too cold in the refrigerator section when the freezer is operating at the correct temperature. Replacing it is a straightforward job. Just make sure you get the correct part for your model.