Hey all, as a guy who primarily uses Tamiya acrylics (X and XF paints) for airbrushing, this is a question I wanted to ask for a while now. I've read and learned a lot from Mig's FAQ2 book, but in the "paint types" breakdown, the book states that Tamiya acrylic paints are not really acrylics, but lacquers, and "for them to work correctly, they should be diluted with a lacquer thinner only." I've done some research on the topic but it seems like everyone seems to be OK with thinning the stuff with alcohol.

I was wondering if there is any major difference between thinning Tamiya acrylics with lacquer thinner and 91% alcohol? If they only "work correctly" with lacquer thinner, what am I missing out on using alcohol? My experience with Tamiya+91% alcohol has been mostly positive so far... they also seem to be the only paints I can shoot reliably (Vallejo jams constantly for me for some reason and I'd prefer not to use enamels for airbrushing). If I can get better results thinning Tamiya with lacquer thinner, I'll consider using it. What are some of your experiences?

Hi Lon,
I tried a lot - simply the original "Tamiya laquer thinner" gave the best results!
Unfortunatly it is not to buy in Germany.

Cheers
Steffen

Hi Steffen, what made Tamiya Lacquer thinner best for you, over alcohol or any other thinner? Did you get a better/stronger finish or richer color? Was the paint easier to mix maybe?

"if it aint broke dont fix it"

Hi,
I have only tried isopropylic alcohol and always worked fine. Do not feel the need to change...

I recommend buying a bottle of Tamiya Lacquer Thinner (I get mine from Amazon) and comparing it to the alcohol. Alcohol works, but the TLT works so much better.

Alcohol and lacquer thinner are both cellulose-type thinners, and Tamiya paints are reduced with cellulose thinners and not water.

Because alcohol will mix with water, this is the reason why SOME water can be introduced into the Tamiya paint solutions and has lead to some of the confusion on the true nature of these paints.

(Window washing fluids also often have varying amounts of alcohol in them to speed drying and to act as an anti-freeze. They also usually contain amounts of ammonia which helps the water in them enter into solution with the Tamiya paints, and why SOME brands of window washing fluids will work as reducers. The alcohol and ammonia are also why they work so well as brush cleaners for acrylics.)

Acrylic paints do not have to be water-based although many are. Tamiya are an example of one such acrylic that is not water-based.

I actually use a mixture of about 1/3 Tamiya X-20A Thinner and 2/3 ordinary hardware store lacquer thinners (Kleen Strip) as a reducer when I spray Tamiya paints. I like the drying properties of this mixture. It does not dry too fast on my airbrush tip, it will lay down just wet enough to get a smooth coat, yet it still dries fast on the model.

I do my airbrush cleanup with straight lacquer thinner.

However, this works for me in the temperatures and humidity that are usual in my workspace. Someone else might get better results for their temperature and humidity conditions with a different mixture. OR... IF I changed the temperature and humidity in my workroom, this mixture might not continue to work well for me.

Lon,

I've been thinning Tamiya paint with 91% alcohol for over 15 years with no problems. It's a lot cheaper than using their thinner, that's for sure.

Thanks for all the input guys. I've been thinning Tamiya with 91% since I started the hobby about a year back... Yep, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it", but I just wanted to see if there was any big advantage with thinning with LT. I might buy a small bottle of the Tamiya stuff to see for myself. Mike, thanks for the breakdown on the structure of Tamiya paints... it explains a lot. I'll also try your alcohol/LT mix and see how it works for me, as I do have some Klean Strip that I use as a cleaner.

Yes, there are substantial improvements in the quality of the spraying when thinned via their Lacquer Thinner (Gunze's Mr. Level Thinner also works superbly).

On top of Mike's superb explanation, the refinement in the paint's feathered edge when applying a free-hand camo scheme rivals spraying with enamels (if not better actually), which is why this has become the new standard of usage with Tamiya acrylics + airbrushing. I found it a massive difference over more traditional thinners, including their X-20A, washer fluids, etc. I can confidently, and repeatedly spray 3-tone schemes extremely tight and with fantastic results, far better than with any other paint/thinner combo. That's been my experience, anyway.

The tip drying issue is also reduced considerably.

This is not new really info anymore, it has been in use with the Tamiya R/C crowd for years for airbrushing their lexan car bodies, and the info was passed to military modelers more recently.

Been using this stuff for a year or two. Works fine, with less smell (still need a mask). Klean Strip Should be able to get.

I encountered issues with Tamiya acryls drying too fast, when using isopropyl alcohol. Adding a few drops of window cleaner helped, but did not remedy the problem. I have since moved into using lacquer thinners and Tamiya's acrylic thinner(X-20A). The difference in response is self evident. I highly recommend Tamiya's lacquer thinner. If you can't come by that, any mid to high quality lacquer thinner will work fine. Do not use Floquil lacquer thinner. On repeated attempts, it has caused the paint to separate. If lacquer thinner is all out, go for the acrylic thinner. I still add a couple of drops of glass cleaner to provide a cleaner edge.

I ordered a small size Tamiya LT just to try it out. I also did a test with 91% alc. + Klean Strip + Tamiya Flat White last night and it seemed to shoot out nicely without much tip dry, definitely less than usual, even without retarder. Thanks for all the input guys.

Tamiya make an acrylic paint retarder # 87114 helps a heck of a lot even when brush painting Tamiya paints .

I have personally tried 91% ISO, hardware store lacquer thinner, Tamiya's lacquer thinner, Mr. Color regular and self-leveling thinner and Testors acrylic thinner. Of all the above mentioned I find that the Mr. Color Self Leveling Thinner gives the best results. I have now gone to using it exclusively for Tamiya paints. It also does a good job of making Tamiya usable for brush painting as well.

Use Tamiya paints for airbrushing almost exclusively and use their thinner. Have shot it with clean strip as well and worked okay. Hadn't thought of the idea of mixing the two thinners up. Will make the more expensive Tamiya thinner last longer. May try that tomorrow night.