Thinning Testor Paint

ctruss53

A couple guys in my model club are using Mr Leveling Thinner to thin Testors enamel paints.

I honestly don't know how that can work because Mr Leveling Thinner is really supposed to be for lacquer paints. But they use it and love it.

And on a side note. I would also suggest going online and buying Tamiya X and XF series acrylic paints. They dry so much faster than Testors paints. They airbrush well if you plan to do any airbrushing. They are really great paints.

 

I won't disagree except to say if you want to take that to the next level, try the Tamiya LP lacquers thinned with Mr Leveling thinner. Or if to use the Tamiya LT then after the last coat with paint still in the airbrush top it off with the medium dry hardware store lacquer thinner and spray that on till you see the paint level right out.

As to the square bottle Testors enamels, I believe there are more color options and better color options than with Tamiya. Also the hardware store LT in the enamel has been done to thin enamels for decades, it's nothing new. And it does pick up the drying pace a bit.

A couple guys in my model club are using Mr Leveling Thinner to thin Testors enamel paints.

I honestly don't know how that can work because Mr Leveling Thinner is really supposed to be for lacquer paints. But they use it and love it.

And on a side note. I would also suggest going online and buying Tamiya X and XF series acrylic paints. They dry so much faster than Testors paints. They airbrush well if you plan to do any airbrushing. They are really great paints.

If you take mineral spirits and equal part hardware store paint thinner, mix them together you get a result very much the same as the Testors thinner to use as airbrush thinner with Testors enamel.. That's one answer and it works better than either product does by itself. The mineral spirits as mentioned leaves the finish coarser and to me less glossy. The paint thinner flows out like crazy but also can get cratters. Mixed together is none of either event.

IMO though, hardware store lacquer thinner works as good for thinning, especially with gloss paints and initial tack time is quicker. LT also stands head and shoulders above mineral spirits for cleaning the airbrush. So bottom line is you can do it all with one product that costs about 6-8 times less than Testors thinner does. Unless Testors enamel thinner gives you some kind of warm fuzzy feeling there isn't much need to go the extra hunt time to find it, or expense of it. If anyone hasn't tried LT 50/50 in enamel paints it's well worth one test shoot with the stuff and subsequent cleaning. The first time I tried it was with gloss paint on a 1/16 scale rear axle housing and I saw the over head lights as if a mirror in my dining room, in the bell part of the housing. I thought "oh it must still be wet" but it wasn't.

BTW, in 1-1 painting all we ever used for cleaning spray equipment was lacquer thinner.

I start at 1:1.  This is okay for most purrposes.  For a good gloss I go the 60/40, 60% thinner to 40% paint on last coat.   I also back of on the pressure from 18 psi down to about 14 psi.

What was your ratio Don.?

Don

Thank you very much I appreciate your advice and   time 

jkh836

Don

This is the testors i'm talking( check the link ). I just want to be clear that we are talking about the same paint.  Not Model Master . And I thank you for your reply it is very helpful.

 

 

 http://www.testors.com/category/133656/Testors

 

I use the same thinner and the same ratios for both the Model Master and the rectangular small bottles. I find very little difference in the two kinds.

Don

This is the testors i'm talking( check the link ). I just want to be clear that we are talking about the same paint.  Not Model Master . And I thank you for your reply it is very helpful.

 http://www.testors.com/category/133656/Testors

Personally, I find I do not qet quite as good a results using mineral spirits as I do with the actual Testors airbrush thinner. I buy it in the half-pint cans and use it only for thinning. I do use mineral spirits for cleanup, including the airbrush.

As a starting point I thin paint about half and half, maybe just a bit shy of that for brand new bottles, increasing thinner as paint thickens with age. I use 15 psi for gloss finishes, 20 for flat.

I find mineral spirits work for thinning- the paint sprays okay. It is just that I get a smoother, more attractive finish with the Testors thinner.

I love the Testors enamel- lots of colors available, I can get it at any hobby shop and many craft stores. It dries slow enough I can relax when airbrushing without worrying about immediate cleanup of the airbrush. I seldom use any other paint.

Mineral Spirits will work fine for thinning the paint.  If you're airbrushing, any generic lacquer thinner will work best for cleaning the AB.

Regards,  Rick

Thanks you

Mineral Spirits is fine for thinning most (including Testors) enamels. Can't really help with a specific thinning ratio because it varies, depending on such things as your airbrush setup, the air pressure you're using, the viscosity of the paint you're using etc. A general rule of thumb is to thin to the consistency of low-fat milk.