Tuesday's Tips and Techniques for Watercolor Painting

Stuck Watercolor Paint Tube Caps

Haven't painted in a while?

Haven't opened that tube of paint to fill up your palette?

Finding you've got yourself a well stuck cap?

I lay the tube of paint on my table top and squeeze all the paint towards the cap with my fingers. If you have one of those fancy little paint tube gadgets you can use that too. With all the paint towards the top of the tube, you have a sturdier tube of paint to grasp and you won't be twisting the tube into a pretzel. Try now to twist off the cap.

If that does not help. Soak the top of the watercolor tube of paint in a little dish of warm water. This may loosen up and soften some of the dried up paint that is keeping the cap in place. Using a painting rag to dry and hold the tube, again try to twist off the cap.

I rarely get a stuck cap, but these methods have always helped me.

Some people have had to use a small plier to twist off the cap after soaking. Just remember to squeeze all the paint close to the cap so you have a greater mass to hold onto.