Are all laquer thinners the same?

Yes and No,

In general, generic "laquer thinner" is pretty much the same thing no matter which brand you buy. However, the actual laquer thinners and vehicles used in paints will vary somewhat from manufacturer to manufacturer.

If you are using a generic brand to thin paint, you may notice some difference in characteristics between brands, but probably nothing extreme. I almost always use the manufacturer's recommended thinner for any paint I use.

Dave,

Some have different drying times I believe which might affect the drying time if you use them for thinning paint. If you are using them for cleanup then don't worry about it. You should probably have no problems.

Mike

I was told that the hardware-store lacquer thinner is not the same as a branded thinner for thinning auto paints. From the results I got from my tests, I have to agree with that. The generic thinners dry too fast for paint application, resulting in a very grainy surface. All paint-grade thinners have a "temperature" rating, so that the retarder mixed into it is calibrated correctly (the higher the shop temperature, the slower the thinner must be)

Unless you paint in a very cold (60 F) or very hot (90 F) environment, a medium temp thinner is what you need. Note that you can buy these in a professional auto-paint store only, or perhaps in an Autozone if you are lucky (look for the temperature rating, if there is none on the can, then it is not meant to be used for spraying paint, it is for cleaning purposes only)

Thanks for the replies! Mustang, I'm just using lacquer thinner to clean up my airbrush and brushes, so the generic, hardware store types should be fine.

Thank you,

Dave