Do oil paints expire?

I've had a set of oil paints for a few years now and I've probably used them once. It's a set of Daler-Rowney Georgian oils and I was wondering if they may have ';gone bad'; or something.





Also, what, if anything, needs to be done to prime a canvas for painting with oils. Anything special? or can I just start painting?Do oil paints expire?
Oils have a binder, which can dry out and become hard if exposed to air or intense heat over time. If you can squeeze the tube and it is not solid, then you should be able to salvage it.





Most canvas you buy is already primed - usually with an acrylic-based gesso. You can add more coats of gesso and sand to vary texture on the support.





You can use oils to paint on many other supports, like wood panels with the proper preparation.Do oil paints expire?
If your tubes were properly closed they should be OK. You can use them. Oil paint dries after some time when exposed. Make sure when you're done to close them back properly.





You can buy canvases in many stores that are already primed with an acrylic gesso. So I'm guessing that you are not a professional painter and so you can start painting with your oils right away from your palette. Clean your brushes after painting otherwise the oil paint will dry on them and you would not be able to use them anymore.
If the containers are kept tghtly closed,yu should be okay,but test run a dab just to be sure before get started.No you don't have to treat the canvas before you begin.You'll be fine
I have oil paints used by my father in the 1950's, and some are still usable, but some are not. The difference is quality - the good quality oils do not have any impurities in them, and if properly closed will last for a very very long time.





Lesser quality oils can ';expire'; even if the tube remains unopened from the factory - the oil will separate from the pigment, leaving a paint with no adhesive properties.





Check the paints for separation. A few drops is acceptable, but if you get a spoonful of pure oil with no pigment in it, just chuck it out and buy more.
Hi,





you already got some answers to both questions.


I just want to add that IF your canvas is not primed, then you'll need to prime it. Either using an acrylic primer or an oil one (you'll need to size it in this case).


Canvases with acrylic primer (vast majority in the market) can take acrylic and oil. Those primed with oil primer can only take oil painting.





Kind regards,





Jos茅