Paint thinners

Most folks like to use Mineral Spirits and others like to use Lacquer Thinner as replacements for the OEM thinners.  My preference is for DuPont Automotive Enamel Reducer 3812S.  It smells, looks and acts exactly like Testors (or MM) thinners - I get mine at the local NAPA dealer but you can find it at most Automotive Supply stores.  It costs a little bit more than mineral spirits or lacquer but it's still cheaper than Testors thinner (Testors is 3 or 4 bucks for 2 to 3 ounces - my last gallon of enamel reducer cost me $23 for 128 ounces).

You can find generic mineral spirits or laquer thinner for 15 to 20 bucks a gallon at Wal-Mart, a lumber yard/home improvement outlet, or about any hardware store. 

Mineral spirits is pretty universal for enamels. Use lacquer thinner for lacquers. "Paint thinner" is usually a less refined form of mineral spirits (but can be or contain any paint solvent) and may contain small amounts of other solvents, some of which may not be compatible with hobby enamels. "Lacquer thinner" is similar, but with a blend of solvents intended to dissolve most lacquers.

For specialized enamels and artist's oils, mineral spirits is the best choice. "Odorless" mineral spirits are fine. 

Do not use lacquer thinner with enamel paints in your AB if you have used certain types of filler/putty, since the lacquer thinner is too "hot" and will dissolve the putty (like tamiya liquid surface primer). I still use lacquer thinner to clean the AB and brushes, nothing works better.

jay12472 wrote:

Hello Is there anything else that will thin enamels? I've always used model masters enamel thinner and was wondering if thing works better and is more cost effective. Jason

Klean-Strip Paint Thinner.  It's actually made with 100% mineral spirits and goes for a couple of bucks for quart can at the hardware store.  I've used it for years with no issues.  Semi-recently, I picked up a bottle of ModelMaster Airbrush Thinner, just to see if there was some sort of improvement with the manufacture recommended thinner.  I can't detect any difference in painting with the ModelMaster stuff vs. the generic stuff. 

 Hello jay12472,

 I've been using laquer thinner for a little over a year with enamels to no ill effect. It will reduce uncured spot putty which can help if your not inclinded to sand in nearly impossible areas. I pick up a quart for 3-5 dollars at the local Hardeware and it will last 6 to 7 months. I use it for clean up and a lot of general chores. The best I've seen for actual cleaning is acetone. I think that stuff will strip the enamel off your teeth if you're not careful. One thing I should mention is I don't use the paint brush very often, and I think the laquer thinner will speed the drying time a little, so you may want to keep that in mind. The laquer thinner straight on plastic will craze/etch the surface of some plastics if your not careful.

 I would suggest considering what type of finish you're after, and what type of application method you normally use and make you're decision based on what will work best for you. As for me I will always have a special spot set aside, upon my workbench, for the jar with the label "LAQUER ATTACKER". Egads... I'm being overwhelmed by the fumes!

 Hope this helps,

 Best Regards,