Testors Model Master/Floquil Airbrush Thinner?

Repeating myself:

Quite frankly, thinner is thinner. If you want to spend over four hundred dollars a gallon for "Airbrush" thinner from a model paint manufacturer, knock yourself out. I've used gallon cans (under $10 a gallon) of Ace Hardware "Paint Thinner" for Model Master Enamels, Floquil paints, Testors' Dullcoat and Glosscote, Humbrol enamels, Testor's little square bottle enamels and tube oils for decades with no problems at all.  I keep some for cleaning brushes until it gets nasty and some clean one to thin paints or run through the airbrush. For my Vallejo paints, I use distilled water from the local CVS as recommended by the manufacturer. If a paint requires a proprietary thinner, the manufacturer has done this for one reason: to separate you from as much of your money as possible as quickly as possible.

jimbot58 wrote:

I have been using MM Airbrush Thinner for MM paints and Floquil Airbrush Thinner for Floquil enamels for years. (I was so sad when Testors decided to drop their Floquil Military Enamel line-I loved that paint!) Any way, now Testors is offering a "universal" thinner for both. Has anybody used this new product? Just wondering if it works as well as the old or not. I have enough of the Floquil thinner to last me about a hundred years or so, but my MM thinner is getting a bit low....

For what its wort.  The old Floquil paints were lacquer based and were thinned with Di-Sol, a Xyelene based solvent.  I think that included the Railroad and the Military line.  Look on the bottles and see what if Xylene is included in the formula, if it is you may have problems using paint thinner.  I tried paint thinner with the Xylene based paint and ended up with the paint couagulating.  I suggest for a more universal thinner use lacquer thinner it works with lacquer and enamel based paints, there are some that also us it for water based acrylics.

I think when Testors acquired Floquil they changed the base from a quasi lacquer to a pure enamel base and discontinued the Military line.

The current line of Floquil is enamel but, as noted, they were lacquer prior to the Testors buy-out.  Either way, I use Lacquer thinner for both Floquil & ModelMaster enamels.  Been doing it for years on at least a hundred models with no problems.  I still haven't forgiven Testors for discontinuing the Floquil Military paint line & cutting off Aeromaster.

Regards,  Rick

rjkplasticmod wrote:

I still haven't forgiven Testors for discontinuing the Floquil Military paint line Regards,  Rick

I agree there! I had just discovered the Floquil Military line when they dropped them. I had even started a few kits with them and did my F-117 with the flat black. I think the pigments were much finer myself and seemed to spray so well...

As to the cost of the thinner...have you considered that the MM paint you just purchased cost you about $800 per gallon!? And I seem to have an entire 16 oz. can of the Dio-sol but have always used the Floquil enamal thinner as stated on the bottles. I also discovered I still have another partial can of MM thinner, so I guess I'm good for a while. I'm always afraid to try the lacquer thinner as it can attack plastic. I will have to see when the time comes

ajlafleche wrote:

Repeating myself: Quite frankly, thinner is thinner. If you want to spend over four hundred dollars a gallon for "Airbrush" thinner from a model paint manufacturer, knock yourself out. I've used gallon cans (under $10 a gallon) of Ace Hardware "Paint Thinner" for Model Master Enamels, Floquil paints, Testors' Dullcoat and Glosscote, Humbrol enamels, Testor's little square bottle enamels and tube oils for decades with no problems at all.  I keep some for cleaning brushes until it gets nasty and some clean one to thin paints or run through the airbrush. For my Vallejo paints, I use distilled water from the local CVS as recommended by the manufacturer. If a paint requires a proprietary thinner, the manufacturer has done this for one reason: to separate you from as much of your money as possible as quickly as possible.

AL is dead on target here. I completely agree, no matter what someone tries to get you to buy....if you say you notice a difference....it's your money. I never stoppped to calculate if I was saving $400 or $800 a gallon but I knew it was quite alot. Besides WATER for artist's and Vallejo acrylics, I use cheap rubbing alcohol(under $3 a quart in any drugstore) for Tamiya paints(the Tamiya thinner BOTTLE works perfect on the bench) And for my testors Enamels, Floquil, and artist's oil paints, cheap($4 at Walmart) white spirit(paint thinner) and the testors thinner BOTTLE works perfect for that.

I have some laquer thinner, and I get it out when I need it only!(as it's very caustic, toxic and dangerous)for use with Alclad, Tamiya Liquid Surface primer and any job the regular thinner WON'T do, which isn't that many. Why chemical over-kill on your bench>? Why spend for namebrand thinner and pay shipping and wait when the corner store has a way better deal?