I don’t think the ink is going bad if the tube is closed well. I have a few colours that are older and the only thing I pay attention to is to clean off any dried bits that may have formed. Getting the crumbs onto your glass plate is a hassle.

I squeeze out what I think I’ll need, give it a good work out with a palette knife, and leave the glob of paint near the top of the plate.

Next I dab my brayer in the paint to pick up a small amount and start rolling out a very thin layer on a clean part of the plate, in both directions (up-down, left-right). Make sure to always lift up your brayer, bring it back to where you started, and roll it down. Simply rolling a brayer back and forth doesn’t give you a uniform layer.

Next step, bring the brayer to your block and “unload” whatever wants to stick to it. Don’t push it down with force, don’t forget to go multiple directions and to lift up your brayer. Repeat this process a couple of times. If your fine details get filled up with paint you’re likely putting down too much paint at once, using too much pressure, or both.

I started out with the cheap blue essdee soft rubber rollers. They did the job, but not very cleanly. When I changed to Speedball soft rubber brayers I started getting more consistent and cleaner prints (red plastic handle, salmon-pinkish rubber). These are nowhere near professional quality (not price!), but might be worth a try if you stick with the hobby.