thinning tamiya acrylics

I've heard of people doing that but haven't tried it myself. I normally use isopropyl alcohol with a couple of drops of acrylic retarder. Alcohol causes them to always dry to a flat finish so if you are looking for gloss, don't use it.

The best thing to use with Tamiya acrylics that I've found is Tamiya's thinner. It is primarily alcohol (the label reads something like "Contains isopropyl ethers" or something like that) but it also appears to contain some retarder because it dramatically slows the drying time. It also allows the gloss paints to dry glossy. Still, since I normally want a flat finish most of the time, I usually just reach for the alcohol.

really?
im gonna invest in some 4 sure.... tamiya paints dry 2 quick!! and paint alot better when thinned!!!

btw... i tried windex and it worked fine.... tried amonia aswell, works well but the paint smells horid!!!
thanks 4 da help!

You can slow the drying time down with acrylic retarder, but the Tamiya thinner already contains some, I think. Retarder is available at most art supply stores and is manufactured by a lot of companies (Createx, Golden, Floquil come to mind). Normally a drop or two is added to the paint and it will dramatically slow down the drying time. I have some Createx and I think I paid something like $5 for an 8 ounce bottle. At a drop or two at a time that should last forever.

When I hand brush acrylics (which is not very often!) that's what I use for thinner. I'll get a few drops of paint out of the bottle and thin it with retarder at about 50/50. It's thin and it takes a good while to dry so it is usable with a brush.

Good to know that the Windex worked OK. I had heard of it, but didn't really know how well it would work. I didn't think of it at the time, but I've also heard of people using auto windshield washer fluid. It's probably close to being the same as Windex, but costs less.

I use windex to clean up Tamiya & Gunze. It litterally disolves those two types of paints. I started an Abrams a long time ago, wasn't happy with the Tamiya Buff color that I painted it. A guy giving a seminar at TamiyaCon said that Windex would remove/disolve Tamiya paint even if it's been fully cured. I went home, sprayed it on & it worked. I use the Tamiya thinner for my Tamiya paints. It's not all that expensive. Just get the big bottle & it will last you a very long time. I've been on the same bottle for over a year & it's not even half empty yet.