Can I use Klean Strip Paint Thinner to thin enamels?

I have found that the klean strip brand of enamel and lacquer thinners are too strong for model buillding purposes.  The enamel thinner will sevearly weaken styrene plastics and turn them into a brittle mess with parts snapping and cracking at the slightest touch.  The lacquer thinner will completely dissolve model plastic.

I recommend staying with enamel thinners formulated for model building as well as lacquer thinners formulated for model building.  I've soaked plastic parts in Mr Color thinner without any adverse effects, and at the same time, I've done this test with Klean Strip Lacquer thinner, and the plastic was completely dissolved.  

However, I do use Klean Strip lacquer thinner to clean tools such as my airbrush and such.  The stuff just never touches my models.

I use ModelMaster enamel paints extensively and I use Klean Strip Mineral Spirits for thinning and cleaning.  Although I've never encountered any sort of incompatibility or problem, I semi-recently picked up a bottle of ModelMaster airbrush thinner.  Having used the two different products, they seem to work identically to each other.  So once my ModelMaster thinner is used up, I'll go back to inexpensive Kleen Strip thinner.

Andy

Thanks for the reply Ed.  I am not going to take any chances and go with the lacquer-based thinner.  BTW, I'm just a wee bit north of you in Duncanville.

 Stuart

http://www.wmbarr.com/product.aspx?catid=21&prodid=104  (ain't google wonderful!)

Kleen Strip paint thinner is a mineral spirit-based product.   It would work on most oil-based enamel paints to thin & clean up.   Lacquer paint is a different beast than enamel -- you need a lacquer thinner to cut lacquer paints.  Mineral spirits do not have the desired effects.   But lacquer thinner will cut enamel paints. 

If you typically use mineral spirits to thin your paints, go a head and use it.  But experiment first.