Model Forum / General / Models / August 2005

In article
<PPmNe.635147$cg1.271100@bgtnsc04-news.ops.worldnet.att.net>,

I use Floquil enamels and buy lacquer thinner in a gallon tin from the
hardware store. It works well for thinning as well as cleaning. I also
picked up a smaller container of xylene to experiment with; it was
equally effective at thinning. I didn't notice any great difference
between thinning floquils with lacquer thinner or with xylene.

FYI, lacquer thinner is pretty hot; you can glue plastic together with
it, all sorts of nasty stuff. When you thin your paint with it, there's
not enough to damage the plastic although I'm sure it helps the paint
bind.

my two cents --- Stephen Tontoni

Kevin,

Well, you have opened up a can of worm here - and you thought it was
paint!  Two responses have already wandered off into the use of lacquer
thinners, which can work with some enamels but is not really an answer
to your question.

You can clean up with many more solvents than you can use for thinning -
thinner has to work properly with the paint chemistry, cleanup just
needs to carry it all away.  I airbrush enamels, and use white spirit
(which is called mineral spirits in the US, I believe) for cleaning
brushes and for most of my airbrush cleanup.  Final clean for airbrush
parts is in Badger airbrush cleaner, which is an aerosol can of xylene.
 It think it is important to clean the airbrush throughly after each
painting session.  Paintbrushes get a wash with detergent-and-water.

The safest answer *for thinning* is to use the manufacturers thinner
with each brand of paint.  That is the only way to be sure that the
paint chemistry is not upset.

Other solvents can work well, or can be a disaster,  the only way to be
sure is to experiment. I once tried thinning Revell enamels with white
spirit.  The resulting mixture took about three days to dry!

Apparantly Revell enamels are 'synthetic' enamels, and the chemistry is
not as simple as I am used to.  White spirit works for cleanup, but thin
with Revell Color Mix thinner.

I mostly use Humbrol and Xtracolour enamels in the airbrush, and have
found that both of these can be thinned successfully with white spirit
(the UK name for mineral spirits). Humbrol do make their own thinner,
but over the years I have never had any problems using white spirit.
But try it out for yourself!

Yes, you can use different solvents.  I have yet to find a substitute
for the Testors thinner as far as actual airbrushing, so I buy the
Testors stuff.  BTW, it is available in half pint cans, that makes it
cheaper than the bottles. Some other concoctions work, but not as well
as the Testors thinner.

For cleanup and airbrush cleaning, I use hardware store paint thinner.

You will find if you use the Testors stuff for thinning only, it goes a
long ways.  A half pint lasts me at least a year, and I do a lot of
modeling.

I use all sorts of thinners with all sorts of paints (and lots of
experimenting).

But I don't use Lacquer Thinner with Testors paints.  Also, each brand
of Lacquer Thinner has a slightly different formula - so unless someone
mentions a specific brand - you'll have to experiment yourself.  Most
of the time, Lacquer Thinner is too "hot" for styrene plastic.

I use Testors Thinner exclusively with Testors paints.  And your Hobby
Shop can order bigger quantities.  I buy mine in metal tins. It is much
cheaper than buying it in small bottles.

But for cleaning my airbrush (after painting), Lacquer thinner is the
best!

Peteski