Can You Clean Brushes with Lacquer Thinner When Using Artist's Oils?

Yes, but you don't want to as this will eat the glue inside the ferrule that holds the bristles - ask me how I know!!!

  TURPENTINE

is your friend!

       I used to be an artist, and I've used artist oils for over thirty years. I've done everything you can think of to destroy paintings, not just models, but also paintings as well. You can find this at www.joannfabrics.com  www.dickblick.com Hobby Lobby, www.michaels.com www.unitedartsupply.com , or even at your local hardware store, Do It Best, or Home Depot, etc.  I hope that this helps.

~ Cobra Chris

I'm not an artist, or at least that isn't my medium but I do use oil paints.

In addition to Turps, I like to use "Turpenoid" because it doesn't smell.

Yep, LT does all kinds of crap, like stripping the paint off the handle of the brush and getting it all over your fingers.

GMorrison

 

In addition to Turps, I like to use "Turpenoid" because it doesn't smell.

GMorrison

Yep, LT does all kinds of crap, like stripping the paint off the handle of the brush and getting it all over your fingers.

 

~ Cobra Chris

I've been cleaning my brushes (when using hobby enamels) with lacquer thinner for years without a problem.   Is it because of the artists oil paint that I should be using turpentine?  Should I not even be cleaning with lacquer thinner with hobby paints?

Dave

NEVER!! Lacquer thinner is for only ONE thing - cleaning tools after painting mostly spray equipment. It's not intended as an all around paint thinning, or cleaning agent. It's made for cleaning only - not thinning the paint as its' name suggests. You can use it for this, but only if you're hoping to paint with a higher flash off rate. This makes it dry faster, but weakens the formula which is why REDUCER is made to do this without thinning the paint and destroying its' coverage, or capability to offer a durable finish. This is a harsh solvent, and should only be used with metals where there is no glued part, or parts that can have a reaction to it. It can also EAT synthetic, and plastic brushes so as a rule of thumb - never use lacquer thinner, or MEK (Methyl Ethyl Ketone), or other solvents such as Xylene (ZY - lene) both of which are highly caustic, and toxic to the nervous system. Avoid all of these as they are for sale to the public, but with the intention of those who use these products professionally with the proper spray equipment, and respirator to protect themselves from it.

~ Cobra Chris

Only time you would need lacquer thinner is when using lacquer paints. 

Hmmm.

 I would have to stand in agreement with " G " . Turpinoid is your friend .Lacquer thinner is for stripping paint ! leastwise that's what I was taught ! Lacquer paint on real cars was one thing .

 There's really no use for it in Hobby use except removing CA stuck fingers from the model's surface or cleaning your airbrush .

   Even there , after cleaning and reassembly , I shoot clear non-Contaminated turpenoid through it .My brushes NEVER see that vile stuff .Strip paint , You Bet ! Thin Paint Uh-Uh !    T.B.

I am Sorry ;

    Chris , did you have a leaky respirator ? I thought that is what caused you to give us SquiMonica LOL.LOL.LOL.Still wanna Know , when do we see the rest of the band ?he's gotta be tired of playing solo ! LOL.   T.B.

Guys,

Hate to be the voice of dissent, but I use lacquer thinner for many things.

After I've cleaned a brush with mineral spirits or turpentine, lacquer thinner gets that last little bit of cr@p out of the bristles.  Of course, I don't soak the brush by leaving it sitting in the jar - but nobody ever does that with a paint brush anyway, right?  Then I wash the brush out with soap and water; therefore the lacquer thinner does minimal damage to the brush.  I don't give a rat's patootie about the paint on the handle.

Lacquer thinner also melts styrene, which is good if I have to carve the plastic for some reason.  When adding fur texture to Aurora's Wolf Man, for example, a quick pass or two with a brush moistened - but not dripping wet - with lacquer thinner softened the hard edges left by the tools.  That made the carved fur look more like molded detail.

Lacquer thinner also softens solvent-based putties like Squadron Green.  I used that to fill a seam on the textured shirt of the Aurora Hunchback.  The solvent helped feather the putty into the surrounding areas.  Then I simulated the shirt texture by poking the softened putty with the end of a small brush handle.

I keep a bottle of lacquer thinner on my work bench at all times.

Gentlemen, thanks very much for the advice, I will be switching solvents very soon!

Thank you!

Dave

Oh, just one more thing, should I continue to run lacquer thinner through my airbrush when cleaning up or can I use a less potent solvent?

Dave

Use acetone to clean your airbrush - it's a lot less toxic, and has great cutting power without being so destructive.

Mark McGovern - it's been a long time since I've seen hide or hair from you, Sir! Welcome to our little discussion thread! It's good to see a familiar name in these parts again.

Hey, Tanker: That squirrel has been playing for a long time now. I'd hope that he would've learned to play some other instrument by now, but I think that maybe he's sniffed too many lacquer thinner fumes with me!

~ Cobra Chris

Will turps/turpenoid clean brushes after using enamels or even acrylics?

Thank you, Cobra!  It's good to be back.

deejer,

Oil-based paints require oil-based solvents.  So turpentine, turpenoid, mineral spirits, lacquer thinner - in short, any pertoleum-based solvent, will clean brushes used to apply oil-based paint.

Acrylics are water-based, so when the brush is wet, soap and water should clean them.  Each acrylic pant manufacturer seems to make their own thinners and solvents, so those will work as well (but beware of using different makers' paints and solvents).  Rubbing alcohol also cleans equipment used to apply acrylics but, again, check to make sure it will do the job with your particular paint.

I have succesfully cleaned dried paint of both oil- and water-based types out of brushes with lacquer thinner.  A cheap or fine-tipped brush will never be the same when that happens, though.

Thanks, I've been modeling off and on since the early 70s (started building when I was about 3).  But I've never used acrylics (was just familiar and comfortable with enamels).  I'm thinking about using oils for figures and will continue to use enamels for models (but will probably try a little weathering with oils.   Right now my Silicoil brush cleaning jars have lacquer thinner in them (that will change to turps/turpenoid to protect the ferrules in brushes).  Just curious: if I empty my brush cleaning jars which are full of lacquer thinner, and then pour in turps, will this be ok, or could some residue from the lacquer thinner interact with the turps?  Should I clean jars with soap and water before adding turps?

TY,

Dave

I only use lacquer thinner for cleaning a brush, if residue has built up deep in the bristles.  Ordinarily, I use mineral spirits for cleaning oils and enamels from my brushes, isopropyl with acrylics, and also SuperClean, again, if paint has built up.

In every case, once I have cleaned the paint, I treat the bristles with a little skin oil, to replace the natural oils that the solvents removed.  I just rub my fingers on my nose to pick some up.  I know a French painter who uses olive oil for the same thing.  There are products available on the market, too.

I do use lacquer thinner when I field-strip and clean my airbrush (Paasche VL), after a couple of sessions.  I always do blow thinner through it, after a session, and clean out the cup, the nozzle and nose cap, and clean off the needle.  But every couple of sessions, or when I know that I won't be airbrushing for a while, I'll take the whole thing apart and clean everything with lacquer thinner.

djrost_2000

 Just curious: if I empty my brush cleaning jars which are full of lacquer thinner, and then pour in turps, will this be ok, or could some residue from the lacquer thinner interact with the turps?  Should I clean jars with soap and water before adding turps?

TY,

Dave

 

 

~ Cobra Chris 

djrost_2000

  Should I clean jars with soap and water before adding turps?

TY,

Dave

 

 

I used to have silicoil jar too. I used this for cleaning brushes when I painted portraits. Wash all paint residue out it with lacquer thinner and a rag once you get all the paint out of it, then let it air dry. With all the reducers, and dryers that are in lacquer thinner you won't have to worry about it destroying anything. If you want to you can wash it with dish soap, and rinse it out, and let it air dry. This way it will clean up paint residue, and set your mind at ease. Mineral spirits is too complex (leaves an oily residue until completely dry), and isn't the best solvent to remove oil paint, but Turpentine is as this is the natural solvent developed for them. 

~ Cobra Chris 

Mister Cobra,

Thanks for the valuable advice.  At this point I'm thinking of tossing the old jars and getting new ones anyway.  At the very least I won't have to worry about metallics creeping into my colors (hmm, which one was for metallics two years ago?).

Gonna become a turps advocate,

Thanks Cobra and everyone!

Dave

djrost_2000

...At this point I'm thinking of tossing the old jars and getting new ones anyway.  At the very least I won't have to worry about metallics creeping into my colors (hmm, which one was for metallics two years ago?)...

That's what I do.  After a jar has accumulated a certain amount of sedimant and I've renewed the solvent a couple times, I take it to whichever group will recycle the stuff.  Then I take a new jar (pickles are usually about the right size) and label it on the lid.  The label includes the date I started the jar so I'll know when it's time for another swap.  I keep a jar for mineral spirits and one for lacquer thinner.

Thanks Mark!

Dave