Using Cellulose Thinners With Enamels

[Bugatti Fan]

A friend of mine uses cellulose thinners to thin enamel for airbrushing. Says it dries off much faster.

Has anyone else on this forum tried this? Would be interesting to know, as enamel seem to be getting replaced more by acrylics these days.

[NOBLNG]

Yes, many folks have used lacquer thinner (cellulose) to thin enamel paints. Ratios vary but 1:1 seems to work for the little Testors bottles.

 

Edited June 3, 2022 by NOBLNG

[Snake45]

7 hours ago, NOBLNG said:

Yes, many folks have used lacquer thinner (cellulose) to thin enamel paints. Ratios vary but 1:1 seems to work for the little Testors bottles.

 

What he said. 

[Bills72sj]

I am in agreement as well. I recently sprayed Testors bottled enamel thinned with hardware store lacquer thinner in a 1:1 ratio. The spray out was easy to manage and it glossed out VERY well. It dried a lot faster than my Testors rattle cans too. I like the results so well I have recently purchased 3 dozen bottles of the stuff while I still can. (Mostly some beautiful metallics)

[robdebie]

I would recommend watching this video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lCKZ_fo4eW0&ab_channel=AndyX

Using this technique, I finally managed to spray enamels without any orange peel, super gloss, every time. But you do need to crank open that Paasche H !

Rob

 

[W Humble]

A little off topic, perhaps:  as a retirement job, I got on with the local PPG dealer, Martin Auto Color -- mostly as a delivery guy, but also doing some paint formulation from 'recipes' already stock.  I've been using PPG/Ditzler for forty years, I guess, and since I was a 'credit customer' (though a shade-tree restorer of 1:1 cars) they kept me for almost five years. 

To the point: don't be afraid to go to a 'big car' paint store (if you're over eighteen, of course) and see what they have 1.) as advice, and 2.) surplus in the back room.  I was eventually 'laid off' when the economy got un-good, but left under happy circumstances with about half a pickup-load of 'mis-matched' and unclaimed paints -- and all top-quality too!  I've been sharing them with my nephew, who is about the only person nearby that I know doing models: trucks, cars, and some rail-road by rebottling in my wife's old spice jars which she puts in the dish-washer for me.  I have some very neat colors, including a lot of trendy stuff (Ultra-violet, Monster Green, Hemi Orange, and plenty of whites.  Black I still have to buy.  Point Mk. II: they are the ones to advise on thinners, reducers, and hardeners, if you're in doubt; using lacquer thinners (the really HOT ones aren't available much any more) can possibly cause bubbling, wrinkling, and lifting on some undercoats.  Your slow-drying paints can stand some 'cellulose', but be aware that a big hit of it can lead occasionally to a major 're-do' job.  Voice of experience here!  On the other hand, I do use utility lac to rejuvenate the odd bottle of Testors or PLA or whatever.  I am not a fan of rattle-cans (there are exceptions, oc.) and the hardware store 'rusto' enamels are usually to risky.  No, I've never had 1;1 finishes ruin my styrene, as I usually use polyester or epoxy 2K primers -- same source.  I M Humble O...  Wick