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Thinner
- Thread starter iambrb
- Start date
ausf
Master at Arms
Yes, a huge difference.
Thinner is a universal term, just like solvent. Water is a solvent, water is a thinner, but water won't thin enamel.
To successfully work with paint, you need to use either what the base is or a very similar product.
Perfect example is Tamiya acrylics. They're are actually ether based, that's why they are flammable (how many acrylic paints can blow up?) and high concentrate alcohol works well with them.
Windex, which is ammonia works with others.
Thinner at a hardware store may be acetone, turpentine, denatured alcohol, etc.
Beware of the big cheap containers, you're not necessarily coming out ahead. MEK is active ingredient in Tamiya Thin, Tenax, PlastiWeld and will melt styrene or ABS like a champ, but the jug of MEK substitute at the hardware store doesn't bond anything.
Thinner is a universal term, just like solvent. Water is a solvent, water is a thinner, but water won't thin enamel.
To successfully work with paint, you need to use either what the base is or a very similar product.
Perfect example is Tamiya acrylics. They're are actually ether based, that's why they are flammable (how many acrylic paints can blow up?) and high concentrate alcohol works well with them.
Windex, which is ammonia works with others.
Thinner at a hardware store may be acetone, turpentine, denatured alcohol, etc.
Beware of the big cheap containers, you're not necessarily coming out ahead. MEK is active ingredient in Tamiya Thin, Tenax, PlastiWeld and will melt styrene or ABS like a champ, but the jug of MEK substitute at the hardware store doesn't bond anything.
I tend to use the commercial lacquer stuff for cleanup and get the brand name for painting. But having picked up the Vallejo Model Color again, forgot how hard it is to keep it thin and flowing.
ausf
Master at Arms
I fought the battle until I bought the 10ml eyedropper bottles from China. I mix equal parts paint and Vallejo AB thinner, mark the bottle and good to go.
I have the flow medium, but haven't had the need to use it yet. I only get tip dry if I've been spraying the same paint for a long session and since I got the larger AB, I no longer have to spend an hour covering a 1/16 tank.
Seems like I really go through their thinner, quickly! Wonder if there's an alternative version somewhere, some off brand maybe?
Heavens Eagle
Well-known member
I myself tend to like and use enamels over acylics for my base colors. The best thinner I ever found for enamels bar none was the old Floquil Dio-Sol. It worked with Humbrol, Testors and several others without any problems whatsoever. These days I use the Testors enamel thinner which seems to work ok.
As to acylics I have pretty much switched to Vallejo and some india type inks. The inks I thin with tap water. (the water here in Memphis is quite good) The Vallejo is used for shading and detail painting over the enamel. When spraying Vallejo I use a mix of water and Vallejo thinner. Usually it is sprayed quite thin as it is dust, dirt, or fading done to the base color.
For cleaning brushes I use the Testors acrylic paint remover. Not a thinner but some kind of cleaner which works on enamels quite well too.
For cleaning the airbrush, I use lacquer thinner for the most part. Acrylic paints get rinsed out with water and then a cotton swab with the Testors acrylic cleaner. With the lacquer thinner I use a way that doesn't spray a cloud but cleans out the airbrush.
MEK (Methyl Ethyl Keytone) is a fairly strong solvent and the Testors liquid glue uses it for the main solvent. Tenax, Ambroid ProWeld, Plastruct (not 100% sure) and WeldOn 3 all use Methylene Chloride. It is much hotter a solvent than MEK and works on styrene, acrylic and ABS.
As for MEK as a thinner, I use it only for thinning Squadron green putty in a bottle. I thin it to a thin paste.
As to acylics I have pretty much switched to Vallejo and some india type inks. The inks I thin with tap water. (the water here in Memphis is quite good) The Vallejo is used for shading and detail painting over the enamel. When spraying Vallejo I use a mix of water and Vallejo thinner. Usually it is sprayed quite thin as it is dust, dirt, or fading done to the base color.
For cleaning brushes I use the Testors acrylic paint remover. Not a thinner but some kind of cleaner which works on enamels quite well too.
For cleaning the airbrush, I use lacquer thinner for the most part. Acrylic paints get rinsed out with water and then a cotton swab with the Testors acrylic cleaner. With the lacquer thinner I use a way that doesn't spray a cloud but cleans out the airbrush.
MEK (Methyl Ethyl Keytone) is a fairly strong solvent and the Testors liquid glue uses it for the main solvent. Tenax, Ambroid ProWeld, Plastruct (not 100% sure) and WeldOn 3 all use Methylene Chloride. It is much hotter a solvent than MEK and works on styrene, acrylic and ABS.
As for MEK as a thinner, I use it only for thinning Squadron green putty in a bottle. I thin it to a thin paste.