An idea about thinning Tamiya Acrylic

[CY343491]

Hi,
These days i'm obsessed about creating alternatives for X-20A thinner, because it's so expensive in my country i don't know why. I've tried %99 IPA (2:1 paint-thinner ratio, 24°C @%55RH), it dried so quick and created very dull and uneven (grainy) surface. I've heard that some guys using hardware store lacquer thinner, that's a cheap way but not compatible for me when i consider fumes as i have my cat always beside me . I have 5 liters of home brew Tamiya airbrush cleaner which contains acetone and butyl acetate. Have anyone tried to thin tamiya acrylic with tamiya AB cleaner? Acetone also have fumes but not strong as lacquer thinner.

 

[urumomo]

First , " lacquer thinners " from hardware stores are usually at least half acetone .
It's the methanol / ethanol component of " lacquer thinner " that is providing the benefit when used with the lacquer acrylics .

and butyl acetate is fume free , huh ?
plus , 50 % butyl is way too high a concentration for use in a paint reducer . Waaay .


SOLUTION :

 

[CY343491]

Does lacquer thinner include acetone? I didn't know that.
No fume free, i don't know health effects but i think that it is better than lacquer thinner. By the way that solution is impossible for my naughty cat .

 

[urumomo]

Example :
https://www2.pcad.edu/Facilities/he... Shop/WM Barr/klean strip lacquer thinner.pdf

 

[urumomo]

You need to find the SDS for the lacquer thinner you have access to .
Like I say repeatedly in these discussions , " lacquer thinner " is a meaningless term like " beer "
It doesn't tell you chit .
There is no standard .

Here's an older SDS for the same lacquer thinner above showing totally different proportions and the inclusion of MEK , which has now been replaced with ethyl acetate .
https://images.homedepot-static.com/catalog/pdfImages/e5/e54bf73f-b270-417b-9f4a-48a9a6097e40.pdf

... and I have another , even older SDS showing super high levels of toluene .
Ah , the good old days !

 

[CY343491]

Thanks for great infos, in my country hardware stores generally sell noname thinners which you can't find SDS.
By the way i've heard that some people use hydrogen peroxide for thinning, According to my very limited chemistry knowledge sounds like nonsense to me. Is it possible you think?

 

[urumomo]

 

[BlackSheepTwoOneFour]

Thanks for great infos, in my country hardware stores generally sell noname thinners which you can't find SDS.
By the way i've heard that some people use hydrogen peroxide for thinning, According to my very limited chemistry knowledge sounds like nonsense to me. Is it possible you think?

No. Don’t believe everything on the internet (especially hydrogen peroxide as thinner) when it comes to home brewed thinners.

Some paint brands don’t play nice with certain thinner brand- even home brewed types. ALWAYS a test for compatibility….

I use lacquer thinner exclusively for most of my airbrushing sessions. Certain acrylic paint brand react badly to lacquer thinner - PollyScale is one example. I do have a bottle of mineral spirits I haven’t used yet on certain acrylic paint brands.

The point I’m trying to get across is keep it simple for thinners. I have 3 types - lacquer, Tamiya thinner and Mineral spirit. Water and Windex also works wonders on certain acrylic brands because water is free, Windex is a cheap alternative.

 

[CY343491]

The point I’m trying to get across is keep it simple for thinners. I have 3 types - lacquer, Tamiya thinner and Mineral spirit. Water and Windex also works wonders on certain acrylic brands because water is free, Windex is a cheap alternative.

hydrogen peroxide was really a funny alternative.
I used to use mixture of windex, yellow soap and IPA as an AB cleaner. Have you ever tried windex to thin tamiya acrylic?