The lids off – (or not)
I was graciously sent an email by some wonderful customers, to look at a thread on WetCanvas.com about our product. I am always delighted when our customers are so willing to share with us, to help us become a more responsible Company. It was a great thread that presented some less than complimentary information about our jar and tube lids either not closing, not opening… or cracking. Our lids have been a constant debate here at our company. After years of issues with our suppliers on our tubes and tube caps, we finally were able to move over to another supplier, with a better quality and a slightly larger cap to make it a bit easier to open. We are hopeful that the splitting caps will be less of a problem in the future. The sticking caps remain a problem as paint gets in the cap and then transfers to the threads. The same problems exist with our jars. I am usually forced to bang old jars against the floor to loosen the grip of the paint on the threads. I am probably like you. I am fairly sloppy when I’m using the paint. I usually don’t clean off the threads before closing the jars. When I’m cleaning up I’m grateful that I remembered to close the jar.
I am responsible for the choices that we make here at Golden Artist Colors, Inc. So the lids are also my responsibility. We’ve chosen the type of jars based on several parameters. The most important parameter is that our product is delivered in the most efficient way that won’t detract from the performance of the product. We hope it is the value of our product inside that remains the most resonant quality for our customers. We have also worked hard to make sure we are using materials that are recyclable as well as using post-consumer waste in their construction. The High Density Polyethylene, although not as attractive a container as some of the new transparent PET containers can reduce the evaporation of water by as much as 9% compared to more porous plastics. So although it is a clunky bottle, other than glass, it remains the most resistant to the changes that might occur in the paint over time while it is sitting in your studio.
The tube was also my choice. I like a metal tube better than the plastic. There simply tends to be less suck back of air in a metal tube, and less of an opportunity for the product drying in the tube.
Although it would be much better if the lid just worked all the time, every time, I do have some potential solutions for folks suffering from lid challenges and frustration:
Clean your threads before closing the container when you’re finished with the paint. Try using a small piece of plastic wrap directly on top of and in contact with the color in the jar and over the threads of your jars. This will help reduce the air space in the jar as well as creating a barrier to the paint sticking on the lid. If you’d rather, a small amount of petroleum jelly around the threads (avoid unnecessary contact with paint inside) will also help. Cleaning or removing dried paint from your jars will dramatically increase the useable life of your product inside. As all these products dry by water evaporation, so the better maintained seal remains the longer the paints will stay wet and workable.
We will continue to look for alternatives that meet our quality goals for our product and provide a better solution for storage, for use and for viable means of reducing our overall use of packaging material for our product. I’d welcome your comments for other solution that you’ve tried or ways you’ve been able to overcome the sticky lids. And again my sincere thanks for those folks who wanted to blow the lid off this problem!
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Comments
Comment from Anonymous
Time: September 21, 2006, 10:24 am
Thanks Aaron, Just bringing up the topic again as shared by customers, allows for a great discussion of possible solutions. Asking us to be neater is probably not one of those things anyone wants to hear.
I made a drawing of a design years ago of a cap with a wedge on its leading edge like a trains “cow-catcher”. I think I might have to resurrect it, yet I never figured out what to do with what it caught? I’m hoping that folks will send us their favorite designs for lids.
Comment from Anonymous
Time: September 26, 2006, 3:05 pm
Got it Aaron, thanks… (I did like the boxer mouth guard description!) Mark
Comment from Anonymous
Time: October 2, 2006, 4:20 am
Rectangular jars and lids, Mark.
You could pack more jars in a carton if they fit snugly together, and we could easily get a grip on a four-cornered lid.
MDG
Comment from Anonymous
Time: October 2, 2006, 4:21 am
Hi Rick!
What are you doing here?? LOL
Mark Gottsegen
Comment from Anonymous
Time: October 2, 2006, 10:13 am
Folks have been responding to stuck lids in the About website. Check out this link for ideas for your sticky tubes, until we figure out a better solution!
Thanks Marion
http://painting.about.com/cs/paintingknowhow/qt/tipsG19.htm
Comment from Kim Senior
Time: October 25, 2006, 8:06 am
If I have trouble opening a lid or tube, I run under HOT water for a bit.. then tap sideways gently , seems to almost always help open
Comment from Anonymous
Time: October 25, 2006, 2:02 pm
Mark,
I have two very old Golden fluids {Carbon Black & Yellow Oxide}-they are still usable.A number of years ago Golden switched over to the current design-that was a great improvement. I would like to see that type of cap used on Golden meduims especially the gloss and matte mediums. I tried the new Liquitex meduim, Palette Wetting Spray.It is an interesting product and I have had good results.What is the equivalent product in Golden?.Anyway I mention this product because Liquitex uses a spray pump .It is recommended to clean it out after each use.I did as directed and I now find that the pump is screwed up.I am wondering if Golden has considered using a spray pump on some of its mediums?
I like the idea of using plastic wrap on the jars.I have Golden in jars from way back when- from the time that Golden was first offered for sale @ Pearl in Paramus.I figured that the paint drying out was to be expected after so many years.Perhaps using the plastic wrap over the cover can prevent this.It is an indication of the quality of the product that it lasted so long .In fact I have a 4 oz jar of Permanent Green Light Matte that has to be at least ten years old.The top of the cap has a label on it and the yellow price tag reads $6.20 .I recently opened it to find that while it is drying out I am able to still use the paint! Kudos to Golden for such a great product.
Comment from dianne bugash
Time: March 31, 2007, 11:24 pm
Hi Pat – yes, the caps are frustrating but here is a solution which my husband and I discussed about 6 months ago and I have been using. When you open your tubes of paint, stick like colors upside down into a coffee mug that has just enough water in it to cover the neck of the tube. If the tubes are upright and not leaning, the paint will not come out and the neck stays clean. (its like sticking an empty glass upside down into a bucket of water- an air pocket forms so the paint wont come out.) When you put the new lids back on, you have clean necks. (I think I could patent this idea but Im not a marketer!) Let me know what everbody thinks. Dianne
Comment from barrett
Time: April 17, 2007, 7:07 pm
i have nearly broken a few teeth trying to get the caps off… too lazy to get the pliers! and i looove the metal tubes, better than plastic. especially as the paint is running low and you can just roll the tube up. the only thing is that dried paint is easier to get off the threads on plastic tubes than metal. any advice?
another reason i love the metal tubes- i find that with paint in plastic tubes, it tends to seperate. with paints that are like 5 or 10 years old, the clear meduim seperates from the color part. i have never had this happen with golden paints. is it the tube, or some secret ingredient you put in there?
oh and mark, where can we see some your artwork? what does the paint man paint?
Comment from LouAnn Ordile
Time: November 2, 2017, 12:36 am
I just read this article about your tube paint lids. It’s hard to believe that here it is 2017, 11 years later and Golden still can’t get this lid issue taken care of? I contacted Golden a few months ago through the website regarding the need for a replacement lid for a 2oz tube which had split. My quinacridone magenta is getting hard. I never got a response and I’m very disappointed in the Golden company right now.
Comment from Anonymous
Time: September 20, 2006, 11:59 am
Pat, thanks so much! We would absolutely replace the cap and any lost paint that was caused by a cap or lid defect.
Regards, Mark