Testors Thinner?

[Thumb]

I'm needing to get some more thinner and was just looking online and found out there are different thinners and have a couple questions about them.

The first one is this Testors Floquil MM 8824 Enamel Thinner in which I never heard of 'Floquil' before and wondered what if any difference there is?

The second question is what is the difference between the regular Testors thinner and the 'Airbrush' thinner?

I know with lacquer thinners there are different temp ones for slower or faster drying.

[Snake45]

May 19, 2011 7:33:26 GMT -6 Thumb said:

I'm needing to get some more thinner and was just looking online and found out there are different thinners and have a couple questions about them.

The first one is this Testors Floquil MM 8824 Enamel Thinner in which I never heard of 'Floquil' before and wondered what if any difference there is?

The second question is what is the difference between the regular Testors thinner and the 'Airbrush' thinner?

I know with lacquer thinners there are different temp ones for slower or faster drying.

Thumb, what kind of paint are you interested in thinning, and are you thinning it for airbrushing or brushing? Tell me that and I can help you.

[Thumb]

Well, for the smaller parts I usually either brush or spray Testors enamel paints, the ones in the little jars. I've always used the Testors enamel thinner to thin down the paint either to old clumpy paint and brush it or shoot it with an airbrush. The most thing that I'm interested in is what if any, is the difference from the Testors enamel paint thinner and the Testors enamel Airbrush thinner. I can buy both but why if they are the same.

Sometimes I use lacquer paint but I have lacquer thinner for that.

[Snake45]

May 19, 2011 20:25:05 GMT -6 Thumb said:

Well, for the smaller parts I usually either brush or spray Testors enamel paints, the ones in the little jars. I've always used the Testors enamel thinner to thin down the paint either to old clumpy paint and brush it or shoot it with an airbrush. The most thing that I'm interested in is what if any, is the difference from the Testors enamel paint thinner and the Testors enamel Airbrush thinner. I can buy both but why if they are the same.

Sometimes I use lacquer paint but I have lacquer thinner for that.

I too use the Testor enamels--both the little bottles and the various lines of Model Master--for almost all of my model work. I quit buying expensive "special" hobby thinners decades ago.

To thin too-thick enamel for brushing, I'll add a TINY bit--only a drop or two--of generic (Walmart or hardware store) lacquer thinner. A SMALL amount in enamel will not cause it to craze plastic, even if brushing it.

For airbrushing the enamel, I'll use either generic lacquer thinner again, or naphtha (lighter fluid). Lac thinner makes an almost perfect enamel thinner for airbrushing, as the enamel will dry and cure completely in 24-48 hours. For airbrushing flats and semigloss paints, it IS ideal. For glosses, however, it dries so fast that you'll always get some "orange peel" or pebbling somewhere that will HAVE to be polished out.

When I'm going for a smoother finish requiring less or no polishing, I thin the enamel with naptha, which doesn't dry quite as fast and lets the paint flow out to a higher gloss. It also completely dries/cures the enamel in 24-48 hours, it just remains more "flow-y" for the first few minutes, which is the critical time.

Naphtha's big drawback is that it for some reason catylizes the paint and turns it into jelly in a period of days or at most, weeks. Therefore you never want to thin more paint with it than you're going to use in the next, say, 24 hours or so, or it will be ruined. Paint thinned with lacquer thinner will still be perfectly brushable or airbrushable for YEARS if the cap is airtight.

[Thumb]

Thanks Snake, I'll remember that. You also hit on something I have a problem with a lot of even when using a 'flat' paint, it still comes out with a shine especially most 'Flat Black' spray cans, they have a tendency to have a sheen to the paint. I've started to use regular black primer if I want a real flat black look.

[david]

I use a lot of the Testors 1/4 ounce and 1/2 ounce bottles of enamel. I use a cheap grade lacquer thinner from the local ACE hardware. It's called Klean Strip I believe and a gallon costs about $12. Go with 2:1 ratio, paint to thinner, go around 20PSI (or more) and air brush to your heart's desire. The lacquer thinner is great for cleaning the air brush too. Just spray endless light coats and keep moving and let the color build up. It will not craze or wrinkle the enamel, it lays down and tightens up really well, and drying time is not any more than it is with enamel generally. Try it, I think you will like it.