First of all, bless this forum. Tts invaluable for someone like me just getting into the hobby. Now my question relates to whether I need to buy airbrush thinner from the hobby store in order to get best results or is there something else I can use which will be cheaper from hardware stores and get same results. Here in Oz, a small bottle of Testors Airbrush thinner is about $4-5AUD approx. Will a 13/4FL. OZ last more than one model? Cos by looking at it Im not too sure it will or is that something I have to accept?
Okay, I’m no expert…
But I did buy a gallon of thinner from Walmart that I use for enamels, I think it is “mineral spirits” & I’ve had no problems. But for acrylics I haven’t found a good substitute yet. Maybe someone here will clue us in one that one.[bow]
So far, I’ve found that water with a pinch of Windex (ammonia based glass cleaner) thins acrylics very well for airbrushing.
A 1 3/4 fl oz jar should last 2 or 3 models - depemding on your airbrush and mixing cup.
Just use a few drops to thin the paint and use regular turps to clean your AB. Tho in truth,
regular turps will do you just fine.
It depends on what kind of paint you are using. Water and Windex work great on acrylics, but will do nothing for enamel or laquer.
For cleaning any kind of paint use laquer thinner. This will eliminate laquer, enamel, or acrylic.
For enamel or acrylic, mineral spirits will also work but it won’t cut laquer.
For acrylic a mixture of 2 parts distilled water, 1 part Windex, 1 part Simple Green works well but I don’t know if you have those available in Oz. Any ammonia-based window cleaner will work well but can cause the finish of your airbrush to change darken. Rinse it thoroughly in water afterwards.
Edit … That’s what I get for not reading the post thoroughly. I thought he meant for “Cleaning” his airbrush.
Anyway, most of what I wrote still applies, but for thinning acrylics for spraying I normally use isopropyl alcohol. You will sometimes get better performance using the recommended thinners. Specifically, using isopropyl alcohol with Tamiya acrylics will always cause them to dry flat even if the paint was supposed to be glossy. Additionally, some acrylic thinners (specifically Tamiya again) contain some reterder to slow the drying time down. This helps with the buildup of paint on the tip of the airbrush and also allows the paint more time to level out as it dries. Acrylic retarders are available at most art supply stores, and I usually add a couple of drops to my paint cup when spraying acrylics.
I use the brand name airbrush thinner when mixing paints partly because I think my personal results are better than when I’ve tried subsitutes… but I use mineral spirts from wal-mart for cleaning my airbrush and jars afterwards… you save a lot of thinner that way and for acrylics I clean up with alcohol and windex…
I’ve not had any issues with hardware store thinner for enamels, although I do use Tamiya thinner for acrylics. One thing to consider is that if you ever feel like your painting might be improved by the actual brand name thinner, you really don’t use that much for thinning paint. You end up using more thinner for cleaning than painting, and for cleaning, any old brand will work.
You don’t have to use the brand thinner for your paints, however it is generally recommended and you have the added insurance that you’re using the proper thinner without any guesswork. There are many alternatives afore mentioned by members here and they well extremely well. Such favorites not mentioned are:
Enamels:
- T.R.P.S. (terpentine replacement paint solvent)
- Dio-Sol (Floquil enamel thinner)
- Odorless paint thinner (AKA: Mineral Spirits)
Acrylics:
- Golden Airbrush Medium (available at well-stocked art stores)
- Liquidex Flow-Aid (airbrush retarder/thinner)
- Denatured alcohol (available at home stores)
I spray enamels (MM & Humbrol) and have used Dupont 3812S Enamel Reducer for years without any problems. Last time I checked, a gallon cost $21US and lasts about a year and a half (which is a bunch cheaper than buying the same amount of thinner in the little bottles in the LHS)
Why hasn’t anyone mentioned IPA for thinning acrylics? Thats what I use for tamiya paints and I like it. You have to work fast and it dries fast. I bought the tamiya thinner but I feel like I got suckered because IPA works fine for me.
What’s IPA?
As mentioned above, it depends on what kind of paint you use. I don’t use enamels, so can’t offer any advice there. As for acrylics. distilled water works fine, especially if you’re using Vallejo. Water with some windex will work, but IMHO, tamiya’s X-20A thinner works the best. It is expensive, but it should last you a while.
IPA stands for “International Phonetic Alphabet”, but I’m sure that won’t work through an airbrush.[:D]
Isopropyl alcohol is wthat is referred to, and that is approximately what we got in France, Remco. Except it is not completely pure alchohol we use, but way in the 90 percent. I guess the same as the aforementioned mineral spirits.
(by the way: hip-hip-hurray: with a hundred posts, now i can use aftermarket thingies!)
Regarding, Isopropyl… I haven’t tried it myself, but the guy at the LHS swears by it for acrylics. But it should be as pure as possible, not just regular rubbing alcohol.
Great acronym again: LHS
Sure it stands for Local Hobby Shop, but take a peek at this shop that everyone would have to have as a local shop! (and it’s only 35 miles away from my home!)
By the way: they do shop global, and they’ve got more than everything (?)
I did.
I have just used the name brand stuff to be safe, but I think I may try a few of these to see how they work… great information
oops yes you did. I thought I read all but I missed that. Anyway yes I like it too and I get the cheapest on the shelf 91% or 70% doesn’t matter to me YMMV. another acronym hehe
Man…
All this good info. Cramp in hand from writing.
Thanks guys.[bow]
That is some LHS!
The only experience I can offer is that I have just used Testors enamel for the first time and thinned with ordinary mineral turpentine. I was very impressed by the fine pigment and extremely uniform finish achieved. Whilst this only relates to one colour (Russian interior green) I feel in my hands the finish was better than that achieved with the Humbrol standard range. The difference in cost locally is $2.70 for the Humbrol and $4.15 for the Testors. I would be interested to hear other peoples opinions with respect to this. I am happy with the result and wouldn’t personally pay the difference for the dedicated thinner unless as others have said it was only used for thinning and not cleaning. If in doubt buy 1 bottle of dedicated airbrush thinner 2 identical models and do a test. At the end of the day what works for you and gives you the results you are happy with is all that counts. Could that money be put towards future projects or upgrades for current ones? These could outway any advantages to be gained by sticking to the brand. I don’t however feel you would be ripped off by sticking to the branded product if that is your choice as it is a specifically tailored product. Enjoy this great hobby and this great site - I know I am.