Turpentine ate my hampster!

EdGrune wrote:

Try Weber's Turpenoid in the artist's supply aisle in your local arts & crafts store (blue & white can).  Turpenoid is a mild pretoleum distilate product sold to artists for thinning oils, varnishes, and for cleaning brushes.

Thanks, I'll try it. The problem is, we have only 2 such shops in the whole country, and the prices are hilariously high in them. :) Well, I guess 1 bottle will be enough for a long time... 

If you can't find something by that brand - ask the store clerk for a substitute.  I believe there are some Euro-specific brands.

Don't know about clercs in your shops, but here clercs are... extremely unhelpful. Most of them don't know anything about wares they sell, or know only the most basic things. The clerc in the store who sells artistic oils sure wasn't an artist himself - I had real problems explaining to him, that I need paints with finest ground pigments... :) In the end I've just took the most expensive ones, hoping they are the best. :)

So, turpentine is not supposed to eat through acrylics? Acrylics-on-plastic, I use Vallejo acrylics.

Yes, I'm located in quite a small Eastern European country. The problem is, there are no components list on bottles of solvent, usually. Well, I guess I'll have to check that shop that sells oils and things for artists; it's amazingly expensive, but I guess they should know what exactly they are selling as thinners for oils...

What exactly is "odorless mineral spirits"? From what I've read in the Internet, it's a very pure white spirits. Is that right? Clercs in shops who sell solvents are less than helpful; they don't know anything, anything at all, they usually don't even know big words like "organic solvent". Also, as far as I know, there are a lot of organic solvents. Oh, well, I guess I'll just have to check it again and again untill I'll find the one that works. :)

Try Weber's Turpenoid in the artist's supply aisle in your local arts & crafts store (blue & white can).  Turpenoid is a mild pretoleum distilate product sold to artists for thinning oils, varnishes, and for cleaning brushes.

I too have found that hardware store turpentine sold in the States to be harsh on acrylics.  But I have recently tried Turpenoid to thin oils for washes on both acrylics and enamels and have had better success.

If you can't find something by that brand - ask the store clerk for a substitute.  I believe there are some Euro-specific brands.

Try Weber's Turpenoid in the artist's supply aisle in your local arts & crafts store (blue & white can).  Turpenoid is a mild pretoleum distilate product sold to artists for thinning oils, varnishes, and for cleaning brushes.

I too have found that hardware store turpentine sold in the States to be harsh on acrylics.  But I have recently tried Turpenoid to thin oils for washes on both acrylics and enamels and have had better success.

I see from your profile that you are located somewhere in Europe. That means the actual content  of what you buy as "turpentine" or "mineral spirits" may not be quite the same as on this side of the pond. That might be part of the problem. However, mineral spirits should not attack styrene or resin. White spirits may contain naptha, which will attack some acrylics and enamels, particularly.

The other is that washes thinned with turpentine or mineral spirits will attack enamels. Washes made from acrylic artists paints thinned with water are strongly recommended over enamels. The opposite holds true: over acrylics, use oils thinned with odorless mineral spirits.

Another problem might be curing time. Twenty four hours is not enough for acrylics in wet, foggy England, for example. I'd wait at least forty-eight hours or use mild heat and air flow (an electric food desicator is ideal). For enamels, a longer wait might help, too.

If you paint acrylic over enamel, using a turpentine or mineral spirits wash may pass through the acrylic and attack the enamel. Acrylics, particularly flats, are relatively permeable until fully cured—and even then if they are thin coats. Same holds true for flat enamels. Using a clear barrier coat will help in all situations, provided it is not the same solvent system as the wash. Use water/alcohol washes over enamels or oils, use organic solvent based washes over acrylics. Make sure you know the components of the solvent!