Oil paints expiration date?

Question

I have bought a bunch of expensive "Georgian" brand oil paints at a low price but it still ended up expensive for my budget, because of my inexperience and a busy schedule, I wont be able to use them for a while,
1)can they just sit there for a long time?

2)how long?

3)will time effect them at all if they are sealed in their original tubes the whole time, even a little bit?

Answer 1

As long as you keep the caps on and keep them at room temp., they will be fine! :)

Answer 2

There may be some oil that will float on to if you leave it sitting on a shelf really really long. Just drain that and start painting.

Paint is a mixture that is rather stable but like all mixtures when left alone it tends to revert back in it's separate parts. Basically oil and pigment. In most tubed paint this happens very very slow. After some 20 or 30 years or so this process will be 'complete' and you will have some hardened goo in the bottom and oil like substance on top. Theoretically you could grind that down to a paste that would be usable paint again.

So:
1) No problem unless you are talking decades (20 years+).
2) Years and years
3)Well yes. Though not chemically so you could mix it back to be paint again.

Answer 3

Don't worry , your grand son might use them as long as you keeping the cap