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Best all-purpose airbrush thinner for enamels

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  • Member since
    August 2008
  • From: Long Beach, CA
Best all-purpose airbrush thinner for enamels
Posted by pathvet9 on Friday, December 10, 2010 2:55 PM

I am looking for opinions and know I have read some preferences in the past. I am using Floquil and MM colors and am tired of paying so much for Testors' airbrush thinner.

I am tempted to try regular lacquer thinner out of the liter can but.........?      Hmm

Is there a better/BEST  all-purpose product at a more reasonable cost and size??       Whistling

Cheers, Jake

------------------------------------

Nuts to all but my Norfolk terrier is laughing

  • Member since
    July 2004
  • From: Sonora Desert
Posted by stikpusher on Friday, December 10, 2010 3:01 PM

Jake, the old black can stuff from Testors is the best. It gives the enamel paints more tooth or bite...soemthing about its' formulation. Their new red can "universal enamel thinner" is good too. But I only use that for thinning the paint I use regular hardware store bulk cans of thinner for cleaning. Thats the way I make the MM stuff last.

 

F is for FIRE, That burns down the whole town!

U is for URANIUM... BOMBS!

N is for NO SURVIVORS...

       - Plankton

LSM

 

  • Member since
    October 2008
  • From: Fullerton, Calif.
Posted by Don Wheeler on Friday, December 10, 2010 3:11 PM

The best thinner is the one that works best for you.  I use either lacquer thinner from Home Depot or mineral spirits for enamels.  I've had problems with Floquil and mineral spirits, but lacquer thinner works fine.  Lacquer thinner dries faster but stinks more.  Mineral spirits will cause less tip dry if you're trying to do fine work.

Don

https://sites.google.com/site/donsairbrushtips/home

A collection of airbrush tips and reviews

Also an Amazon E-book and paperback of tips.

  • Member since
    June 2010
  • From: Austin, TX
Posted by DoogsATX on Friday, December 10, 2010 3:26 PM

Everyone seems to have a different experience. I've gone back to using Model Master enamels for about 70% of my airbrushing work, and I use their red can thinner. Seems to mix up the best for me. I use a big ol' tin of lacquer thinner for cleanup work. But at least in my experience, mineral spirits and lacquer thinners (even the nice stuff Tamiya and Guzne sell) seem to mess with the spray characteristics in unpredictable ways.

On the Bench: 1/32 Trumpeter P-47 | 1/32 Hasegawa Bf 109G | 1/144 Eduard MiG-21MF x2

On Deck:  1/350 HMS Dreadnought

Blog/Completed Builds: doogsmodels.com

 

  • Member since
    November 2009
  • From: Twin Cities of Minnesota
Posted by Don Stauffer on Saturday, December 11, 2010 9:14 AM

Jake-

While I use  hardware store turpentine or mineral spirits for cleaning airbrush, I use Testors Airbrush Thinner for the actual thinner. How do you buy the thinner?  I buy it in the half-pint cans, and using it only for thinning the paint, it goes a long ways.  I can build a number of models with one can.  Considering the price fo the models these days, the cost of the paint and thinner is a minor expense (also, consider the price of PE sets!).

Now, for cleanup, I have stopped buying anything just labeled "paint thinner". I have gotten some real crud that way. I stick now to specific "turpentine" or "mineral spirits", the former if I can get it, the latter as a backup if turpentine is unavailable.  Much "paint thinner" now is a milky stuff with lots of solids in it.

 

Don Stauffer in Minnesota

  • Member since
    March 2003
  • From: Illinois
Posted by wjbwjb29 on Saturday, December 11, 2010 10:19 AM

Hey Don;

Isnt turpentine abit stinky or is there one that is oderless.

 

Bill

On the Bench:   Trumperter Tsesarevich on deck Glencoe USS Oregon

  • Member since
    August 2008
  • From: Long Beach, CA
Posted by pathvet9 on Saturday, December 11, 2010 2:16 PM

Don --- and others - thanks for the info. Is the 1/2 pint Testors Airbrush Thinner, the same as the black can that stikpusher talks about?

I have not had any trouble ... yet.. Whistling with the lacquer thinner in the blue can from Klean Strip(Lowes or HD?).

In fact, I decided to try that lacquer with some Floquil deck blue and it went down great! It is clear, not milky. But I will find a can of the Testors for the good stuff. All I saw was a skimpy little bottle...and I think it has evaporated some.    Huh?

Cheers, Jake

------------------------------------

Nuts to all but my Norfolk terrier is laughing

  • Member since
    November 2009
  • From: Twin Cities of Minnesota
Posted by Don Stauffer on Sunday, December 12, 2010 7:37 AM

wjbwjb29

Hey Don;

Isnt turpentine abit stinky or is there one that is oderless.

 

Bill

There is an oderless "turpentine" but I have never used it. I don't think turpentine is any worse than the 90+ percent isopropyl used for acrylics.

Don Stauffer in Minnesota

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