Opening Fxxxing Paint tins

[Epona]

My opinion as a one-time professional is that Dulux is usually the best option.
Not that it is applicable in this case, but Farrow & Ball is touted as the high end paint of choice for those with more money than sense, but there's nothing particularly spectacular about it other than the price tag and the somewhat amusing colour names.
Cheaper paints tend to not give as good a finish or not be as hard wearing.
Dulux are kind of the sweet spot in terms of quality & cost.
And you can open their tins with a flathead screwdriver or a paint tin opening tool.

 

[Shippou-Sensei]

No gap or leverage points. Stupid design.

You must need stuff like I have for opening phones and other tech



The blue fan looking thing is basically a pile of modified guitar pics.


I got the pro set that also comes with a big leaver action suction cup. I've used it to pull dents out of our car.

 

[friendofdorothy]

Get a jigsaw/reciprocating saw and cut the inside of the lid out. Probably get plastic fragments in your paint though.

How quickly will you use up the tin? Cos you could just stab through the plastic lid and cut a hole for getting the paint out, then tightly wrap the tin up in several layers of thick plastic bags to keep it from drying out.

Can opener

Bugger it up with a can opener and then take it back to B&Q

Lift and pry the plastic surround off first (with a set of pliers) then open the now-revealed lid as usual.

Never seen a Valspar version.
Maybe a Mr.Bean approach would help. Just drill a hole in the lid and drop in an explosive charge.

That all sounds very messy!

 

[friendofdorothy]

You must need stuff like I have for opening phones and other tech

View attachment 426872

The blue fan looking thing is basically a pile of modified guitar pics.

No.

 

[Shippou-Sensei]

No.

Well need is a strong word.

I'm not sure I need it.

But I enjoy having it.

It's reverse Marie Kondo

 

[friendofdorothy]

Last time I was in Wickes I bought a tool for opening tins of paint, and I've never looked back.

Why would anyone design a container that needs a special tool? When paint containers have for decades been opened ok with ordinary tools or cutlery. Stupid design!

I've been using the same large screwdriver to open paint and stir for thirty plus years. I refuse to buy a £2 thing that is useless for anything else.

 

[friendofdorothy]

Well need is a strong word.

I'm not sure I need it.

But I enjoy having it.

It's reverse Marie Kondo

It wouldn't help gety kitchen painted would it?

 

[friendofdorothy]

Thank you all for listening to my woes. I appreciate to opportunity to let off stream here, suburbanites, I aways feel you will understand my trivial domestic issues.

Btw kitchen ceiling looks good now.

 

[Epona]

Why would anyone design a container that needs a special tool? When paint containers have for decades been opened ok with ordinary tools or cutlery. Stupid design!

I've been using the same large screwdriver to open paint and stir for thirty plus years. I refuse to buy a £2 thing that is useless for anything else.

I understand your frustration!
As someone who worked as a painter for a while, I got a paint tin opener keyring and it was brilliant - but I spent several months opening paint tins many times a day so it made sense.
Not so much so in terms of DIY - you want to be able to open tins of paint with whatever you have to hand without breaking anything

 

[two sheds]

Next week: how to crack open a boiled egg.

That all sounds very messy!

well you can't make an omelette without getting the lid off

 

[Shippou-Sensei]

It wouldn't help gety kitchen painted would it?

Would help getting lids open.



Beyond that not much help.

 

[Puddy_Tat]

Yes I saw that. No idea what that wee tool she was using.

I'm going to go out on a limb here - but I don't have that in my toolbox, I would say it looks like an old fashioned toffee hammer

Almost looks like a geological hammer but it's is too curved

looks like the sort of small claw hammer thing you get in really cheap crappy tool kits from cheap plastic tat shops

 

[Shippou-Sensei]

I'm going to go out on a limb here - but I don't have that in my toolbox, I would say it looks like an old fashioned toffee hammer

I have a toffee hammer and it's more axe shaped than claw hammer shaped on the non hammer side

 

[StoneRoad]

One of the stupid things, imo, is that the water-based paints really don't need that level of security to prevent spills ... if you get a colour mixed to spec, to take home, the tin doesn't get one of those fancy seals.

Perhaps "someone" has over-reacted because "someone else" managed to spill paint in their car and then sued ???

 

[Saul Goodman]

One of the stupid things, imo, is that the water-based paints really don't need that level of security to prevent spills ... if you get a colour mixed to spec, to take home, the tin doesn't get one of those fancy seals.

Perhaps "someone" has over-reacted because "someone else" managed to spill paint in their car and then sued ???

There are plenty of spillage opportunities between manufacture and purchase.

 

[StoneRoad]

There are plenty of spillage opportunities between manufacture and purchase.

And those will continue until the paint is on the wall / ceiling / or whatever [as my workshop floor can testify !]

 

[friendofdorothy]

24 hours on and my thumbs still hurt.

 

[friendofdorothy]

Painting all done. It was fairly hard getting the lid back on, it needed a hammer all round. There's some paint left should I need to redo anything when kitchen units are all in. At least I know not to try opening it on my own now. My thumbs still ache.

I will never ever buy Valspar paint again in those impossible containets.

 

[dessiato]

There's usually a tag on plastic paint tubs. Once this is removed you can get the top off by prying it by hand, they'll not open till that tag is removed. In my experience anyway.

 

[A380]

24 hours on and my thumbs still hurt.

Always the sign of a great weekend...

 

[Artaxerxes]

I was rummaging through some tins of paint left by the old owners to paint over some missing spots on my wall.

The tin is both sealed better than something in the Necronomicon but the tins also made of wet paper so trying to force the lid open led to a few frustrating moments when it looked like the rims of the lid would just rip off totally when trying to force it.

 

[friendofdorothy]

There's usually a tag on plastic paint tubs. Once this is removed you can get the top off by prying it by hand, they'll not open till that tag is removed. In my experience anyway.

As I relied to WouldBe on the last page...

No tab to break off, so it maybe it was a different style of lid you had. This lid was solid enough not to yield much at all. Or you must have thumbs of steel.

 

[friendofdorothy]

Always the sign of a great weekend...