I bought the interior color set from the above-mentioned line back in the Philippines. Now I’m in the US but I can’t find a dedicated thinner for this line. I read somewhere that these paints were “oil based.” I tried water (obviously didn’t work), Tamiya enamel and Model Master thinners but without success. Does anybody know what thinner to use or any alternatives?
Try some lacquer thinner?
Me,I use also lacquer thinner even the ones found in hardwares ( Gunze thinners are expensive) for the Mr. Color lines. Gunze’s got also this Aqueous Hobby Colors which you can thin with rubbing alcohol.
The absolute best way to thin this line of paints is to buy their thinner. I use this line extensively and the best results I have gotten have been with Gunze thinner. I used alcohol and lacquer thinner, but it doesnt give the best performance. Squadron mail order (www.squadron.com)has the big bottle (250 ml) for $8 or $9.Pricey, but in my opinion worth the results Hope this helps.
Tim
Ok… so I’m gonna try the lacquer thinner but then I saw other paint thinners for oil-based paint in the form of turpentine and mineral spirits on the store shelf. What are the differences among these solvents? Which is the best to use?
DO NOT use mineral spirits to thin paints!!! It will not under any circumstances dry and it will in fact ruin anything under it or over it. It is too much of an oil base and impossible to cure, especially when using an acryllic based paint. Lacquer thinner is the better choice if you choose not to use the gunze thinner, but it does dry very fast and will cause clogging and spitting in your airbrush.
Good Luck!!
Ok… So I went to Walmart and bought a can of lacquer thinner. On the way home, I also went to ACE Hardware and the guy there told me that I should use mineral spirits for oil- based paints because it will produce better results than the lacquer thinner. Needless to say, I bought a can of that also. I am NOT using the Gunze Sanyo acrylic paint line but the oil-based Mr. Color line. Now, I’m thrown to confusion. I dunno which one to use. [:(]
This is why I prefer using the dedicated thinner for the paint line…
The best thing to do at this point is to take an old model or a piece of sheet styrene and test the paint out with both mixtures. That should give you a good idea of what works and what doesn’t. If you still aren’t happy, I know some mail order houses do sell Mr. Color thinner. Again, kinda pricey, but the results are worth the trouble. Also, you don’t need to use the good thinner to clean your airbrush. Just use the lacquer thinner. Best of luck. and let us know what you find out in your quest.
Tim
Ok, sorry but i really have to “reawaken” this topic.
Im on Spring break (woohoo!) so I decided to start finishin up half-finished scale models. I tried to mix the Gunze Sangyo Mr Color Interior Green with mineral spirits. I ended up NOT with thinned paint with a clay like material (which is fun to play with, by the way).
I thought, “Hmm… maybe I am just an idiot and this is really acrylic even tho I swear I tried it before… Maybe I should try it again.”
So I grabbed my Model Master acrylic thinner and pepared a fresh drop of paint from the bottle. I squirted some into the paint and nothing happened. The paint and thinner did not mix at all. I am getting frustrated. I really need to finish something during my break… I prolly would just get Model Master colors tomorrow.
Um, isn’t Mr Color paints lacquer based?
So why not use a lacquer based thinner???
EUREKA!! The lacquer thinner worked!!
Im so stupid for not trying the lacquer thinner first. For some reason, I thought it would work just like the mineral spirits (they are both for oil-based paints, aren’t they?)
Conclusion: Lacquer thinner works for Gunze Sangyo Mr Color. Mineral Spirits work well for making addictive-smelling clay.
AND experimentation is a good thing.
Just the thought of finally using my brush after a long time excites me. Thanks guys!!