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OK: now I’m getting interested. It’s a good idea to know
your tools. Whether there’s a safety issue involved or not, I think
understanding the stuff you work with will lead to better results.
Here’s some interesting stuff on “lacquer” thinners.
On “Extra Strength” Ace Lacquer Thinner the following
appears on the label (after all kinds of Highly Flammable, Use only in Well Ventilated
Room warnings):
Contains methanol, toluene, acetone, glycol ether, petroleum
Distillates, Ketones and Esters.
Ace also sells Klean Strip Green Lacquer Thinner which is
described as a “substitute for regular lacquer thinner.” It claims to be
biodegradable, “contains 99% less hazardous air pollutants than regular lacquer thinner”
and “contains no petroleum distillates.” It does contain: acetone, Ethel
acetate, and methyl ethyl ketone.
I use Extra Strength only for very ugly cleaning emergencies
and the stuff is really potent. (Amazing how well it gets rid of paint stains
though.) I use Klean Strip for airbrush cleaning and it is much milder than
Extra Strength, but still strong and I’m not sure I’d use it on plastic.
I was not able to find
the MSDS for Tamiya thinner. I did find it for Mr. Color Thinner. (Who knows,
Japan may have more lax rules on stuff like this. You can get a MSDS, a list of
warnings for solvents, for about anything in a hardware store. ) Anyway, here’s
what’s in Mr. Color:
isobutyl alcohol, Pentanone, methyl-Ethanol, butoxy-Pentanone,
4-hydroxy
And Wikipedia has to have its say. It claims that tuloene
has a paint thinner smell and that xylene has the very faint sweet odor. They also claim that xylene is only used as a
paint solvent if one desires a slower drying time. As noted, only Extra
Strength has tuloene listed as an active ingredient.
I’m no chemist but it’s obvious that what you could call a “lacquer
thinner” varies all over the map. You said you found Gunze’s Leveling
Thinner strong stuff. That is not my recollection
– but I only used Mr. Color Thinner. I don’t know what the leveling agent is,
but I’d guess it’s to help Gunze with hand brushing. Gunze is very popular with
sci-fi and miniature modelers and they use the paintbrush a lot. So if you used
regular Mr. Color, you might find it easier stuff. Regardless only the first hardware
store brand contains toluene. I’d be very surprised if Tamiya lacquer thinner
did. Tamiya needs a lacquer thinner because of their very wide sale of lacquer
spray paints – it is also recommended for their putty. (Thinning epoxies is
something lacquer thinners seem to be required to do.) This would not need be
anything powerful: I have some Revell-Germany Aqua Color water based acrylics
and they claim to be “self leveling.” I’d say their boast is close to the
truth. I’ve painted a goodly patch of Konig by hand and the brush strokes are
almost invisible. Anyway, if you don’t hand paint, you might want to give Mr.
Color a try. I do recall using Mr. Color thinner with Tamiya paints very
successfully.
Doesn’t look to me that we’re looking at any serious
problems here of any kind as long as you don’t drink or sniff stuff. Acetone
and ketone, both listed above, are created by the body and increased levels of
ketone, if you believe Dr. Atkins will make you thin if not rich. That said,
hard core lacquers can be pretty hard core if simple experience is any
guide. I’ve been told that Alclad is potent stuff. I only use Tamiya
spray paint outside.
Lastly, I’d guess problems with feathering Vallejo comes
from over-thinning with water or alcohol. I used Golden on a Sopwith Camel
recently for exactly that effect (rotary engines shoved out huge amounts of oil
onto the sides and underneath the aircraft using them) and got excellent
results. I had the stuff heavily thinned with airbrush medium, GAC 200 and
retarder: sprayed at maybe 10psi at an
inch away and put very light pressure on the brush. The ratio was probably 70% medium to 30% paint
give or take
Eric