Thinning Tamiya paint question

The whole idea of using acrylics is to get away from using petroleum based solvents. You can use lacquer thinner but I don't notice anything different than when I use iso alcohol.

The whole idea of using acrylics is to get away from using petroleum based solvents.

Point taken.  I have been an enamel guy for a long time.  But artist oils for dot filters, washed etc just seem to work better.  So I want to make the switch to acrylics for that reason to eliminate the step of putting extra coats of clear acrylic to use the oils. So the use of a solvent is not not an issue for me.

but I don't notice anything different than when I use iso alcohol.

So plain old isopropyl alcohol thins Tamiya just fine?  Plentiful and cheap.  Thanks Gerald.

HawkeyeHobbies

The whole idea of using acrylics is to get away from using petroleum based solvents. You can use lacquer thinner but I don't notice anything different than when I use iso alcohol.

A big part, but definitely not the whole idea. I'll use whatever paint works best for a given situation...and if you really want to get away from the nasty chemicals, it's really better to go truly water-based, such as Vallejo or Lifecolor or something.

Re: Tamiya and lacquer thinner. It works, and works well. Gerald hasn't noticed anything different, and maybe it's a climate thing, but I sure have. In my experience, lacquer thinner has a few significant advantages over iso:

- Zero tip dry issues

- Less prone to dusting

- Very durable finish...have yet to have any lift-off issues using Tamiya with lacquer thinner.

The other big one, for me, is Tamiya's wondrous reducability in lacquer thinner. Awesome for fading and filtering coats, post-shading, and the like.

Hi Marc,

The lacquer thinner seems to give Tamiya acrylics a little better "bite" (though Tamiya's lacquer thinner is styrene friendly). It'll dry a bit slower than when thinned with alcohol, reducing the "pebbling" effect that sometimes occurs and giving the paint more time to level as it dries.

I find I get better results with denatured alcohol (compared to Iso/Tamiya acrylic thinner) when using Tamiya flat acrylics, but that may just be me. I find I can get higher dilution rates and still get coverage when Iso/Tamiya acrylic thinner would be beading and running.

I think I'll try 100 proof Vodka next time, and see how that works......

Cadet Chuck

I think I'll try 100 proof Vodka next time, and see how that works......

Works great on the modeler.  Wasted on the model.

Tamiya is a lacquer based acrylic, so it makes sense to use a lacquer thinner. Iso alcohol works as well, and is what Tamiya bottles for use with their acrylic.

I sure wish Triarius was still around, he was an expert on paint and could explain it better, but there is a lot of misconception about acrylic paint, its toxicity or supposed lack thereof and it's differences and similarities with enamels. You can have an enamel paint with acrylic resins, and an acrylic paint with enamels, and all available with a lacquer. Acrylics are sometimes (but not always) water based, and are easy to clean and sometimes (but not always) can be cleaned with plain soap and water. They can also be formulated with lower VOCs, but certainly can't be drunk!

Isopropyl alcohol is still, and always will be, a petroleum product, derived from mixing water and propane.

It was the better "bite" thing that I had heard.  I tried both a little while ago, a batch thinned with lacquer thinner and the other with iso alcohol.  Proportions where the same.  The lacquer thinned batch seemed to need more thinning and from what I read above that makes sense.

Which raises another question with regards to painting in general. What are the advantages of being able to get a higher dilution rate.  2 people mentioned it so I am curious.

Bgrigg

Isopropyl alcohol is still, and always will be, a petroleum product, derived from mixing water and propane.

In my best Wayne Campbell... "I was not aware of that."

wing_nut

Which raises another question with regards to painting in general. What are the advantages of being able to get a higher dilution rate.  2 people mentioned it so I am curious.

Higher dilution rate = a thinner/more translucent spray. Excellent for fading/filtering/shading work. 

For instance taking this 109 from this:

to this:

Or...I didn't like the amount of contrast between the gray and green on this P-47, so I used a highly thinned filter spray of the dark green to knock it down a touch.

In my experience, Tamiya and Gunze Mr. Color both dilute extremely well. Model Master enamels aren't too shabby, either. The only paints I've had massive reduction problems with are Vallejo (separation issues) and White Ensign (I've literally watched the paint fall out of suspension in the airbrush cup, just like sand in a glass of water).

Thanks doogs.  Using mostly MM enamels I definitely notice what you mention.  When I get the right mix and keep it thin I do my pest paint work.  I'll have to play around with the Tamiya dilutions.