Is Lacquer thinner good for thinning enamel paints ?
I got tired of paying high dollers for hobby shop thinner and went to Wal-mart and bought a quart of Lacquer thinner for a meer $3.50 ! Is this the right thinner for enamels?

TIA,

Garry

Yes you can use lacquer thinner to thin and clean enamel paints. Just watch that it don't puddle on to your paint job and eat through it.

Been using it for 30 years......
Suggest you have window open and fan going though.
And don't lay on heavy wet coats, or you'll craze plastic, but light coats are fine. Practice on an old model first till you get the hang of it. Once you do, that's all you'll use...... :-) :-) :-)
Also helps them dry faster.... especially Xtracolors.

hi there
i've tried lacquer thinner for enamel paint, but i have no idea why evertime i use it, the thinner always "eat" the plastic , do you have any idea how to use it properly ?
and can i use mineral spirits to thin enamel paint ?

cheers
Ricky

You can also use Mineral Turpentine to thin enamels.

Must admit though, I prefer to use the paint manufacturer's thinners. Yes, I know you pay a premium for it, but I have had too many finish mishaps to take any more chances.

Isn’t 'White Spirits' better for this?

Lacquer thinner has 3 speeds or drying times... fast, slow and medium.
Most wal-mart, home depots are mediums, fast and slow usually you get at an auto body supply house, but best to read can.
Fast will dry before it gets to model, and slow will surely craze the plastic. If you are crazing with the medium, you are 1. either spraying too close,and putting down a wet coat, or you are spraying too much paint and letting to pool.
2. Thinning too much, and getting too wet.
The idea is to spray very fine coats on, and let each dry, with the lacquer thinner, it's normally only a few minutes between coats, and you can spray another light coat. But the key is light coats, from a distance that it doesn't pool or lay there is a wet state. Also a smaller nozzle which allows less paint/thinner mixture to reach model surface may cut down on the pooling or wetness.
Since the primer I use is lacquer based, and doesn't harm the plastic, there should be no reason for the enamels thinned with lacquer thinner to harm the plastic, other than getting it too wet.

As with any new technique, practice on an old model first.

Yes you can use mineral spirits to thin enamels.

I have tried different thinners for humbrols and some worked good for one kit and destroyed another. They dont seem to react to all kits the same way. I got tired of spending $/€ 50 plus on a kit and ending up with parts falling off, or a lousy paintjob ... or worse ... getting disheartened halfway through a project. Worst was when paint and thinner seperate in the airbrush, all the thinner at the top and the thick paint clogging the brush.
How much does the thinner per model cost? I now stick with humbrols thinner for everything .. washes, thinning, airbrushing etc. and only use the cheaper stuff for cleaning. Now I know I wont have those problems. The cost is small enough for me to allow myself this luxury!
Just my 2 euro sents on the matter!

First off, thanks for the tips Dave!
Now I do all my armor by hand brushing my paints. would this thinner still be ok with this method ?

Regards,

Garry

Lacquer thinner is a compound thinner. It contains Methyl Ethyl Ketone (MEK). This is the same solvent that is in liquid cement. It will attack plastic. Safer solvents for enamels are Mineral Spirits, which has a slow evaporation rate (better leveling) but poor solvent strength (does not go into solution easily) or VM&P Naptha which has faster evaporation and higher solvent strengh. Both are available at building supplies and hardware stores.

You may have seen posts from guys saying they use cigarette lighter fluid as a thinner. Lighter fluid contains naptha. You may want to try it as a thinner on a test piece.

Gary.... YOU CAN NOT USE LACQUER THINNER FOR HAND BRUSHING.....!!!!!! You will melt the plastic......

Sorry for the confusion..... I just assumed that yous guys were airbrushing.
I forget that not eveyone uses airbrushes.

Hi,

I use lacquer thinner with Tamiya acrylics or enamels when I airbrush large patches of color (i.e. primer, the base color, camouflage colors, etc). The nice thing about airbrushed paints thinned with lacquer thinner is that it "bites" the plastic, giving the paint something to hold on.

For detailing, however, I use turpentine for enamels and rubbing alcohol for acrylics. I don't use lacquer thinner for handbrushing since they'll either eat the paint or the plastic.

Angela

Thanks everyone for your help and tips! I will try the Turpintine for my hand brushing, and save the Lacquer thinner for clean up.

Cheers,

Garry

FYI ONLY- We call "White Spirits" Turpentine in the US, for those who were wondering... I've been using Lacquer Thinners and Turpentine interchangeably for years. I also like like the various TESTORS Thinners, as well. TESTORS makes Airbrush Thinners in both "For Enamels" and "Lacquer Thinner for Airbrushing"...

Generally, I recommend the thinners suggested by the paint manufacturers, for those who have doubts about using Lacquer Thinners; they tend to be a little bit "Hot", so care should be exercised in their use, i.e- Use Light Coats...

You're probably using too much lacquer thinner in your paint mix. Also, make sure you PRIME your subject before any painting, and let it dry THOROUGHLY before any application of paint- 24 HOURS, at the minimum. I ALWAYS wait at least 48 hours before applying any paint, regardless of what kind of thinners I happen to be using at the time. I go by this formula whether I'm airbrushing, or brush-painting.

Don't use old paint, and always make sure that your paint is thoroughly mixed with your thinners. If you buy Automotive Lacquer Thinners, get a "cooler" blend, such as a "Slow-Drying" type, rather than the "Quicker Drying"-types, which are intended for Automotive Lacquers and "Powder Coat"-painting.

I like to stick with the various TESTORS Thinners, which feature Lacquer AND Enamel Thinners for my painting needs. I like to use Turpentine (NOT the Gum Turpentine Type) for my figure-painting. Don't use TESTORS Brush Cleaning Thinners with your Enamels- These are intended only for BRUSH CLEANING, and they will gel your paint if you pre-mix your Enamels in jars for multiple future projects.

If you're brush-painting, it's best to use a small, thoroughly mixed amount of your paint-with-thinner-blend in a small container that you're not going to save for later use on a new project. The paint will break down, but thinners remain potent, so re-using that paint mix is just asking for trouble...