Testors paint thinner substitute/replacement

[David G.]

Hello everybody,

I was at Home Depot yesterday and I got to thinking, why pay $3.00 per ounce for my paint thinner/brush cleaner when I could buy it for $3.00 per gallon. I'm sure somebody in this community knows what I could use as a replacement for the more expensive Testors Enamel Paint Thinner and Brush Cleaner that is carried at the LHS.

Thanks,

David G.

[droogie]

Hello everybody,

I was at Home Depot yesterday and I got to thinking, why pay $3.00 per ounce for my paint thinner/brush cleaner when I could buy it for $3.00 per gallon. I'm sure somebody in this community knows what I could use as a replacement for the more expensive Testors Enamel Paint Thinner and Brush Cleaner that is carried at the LHS.

Thanks,

David

I have used generic enamel and lacquer thinner from various hardware and big box stores for years with Testors paints. Lacquer thinner will cut almost anything and is a very effective brush cleaner also.

[Zoom Zoom]

I haven't used Testors thinner for 20+ years. Just generic lacquer thinner and sometimes even acetone (good for cleaning the airbrush). The lacquer thinner cuts Testors enamel just fine, I have yet to have any issues with plastic compatibility (those issues are more from the paint itself-automotive paint is much hotter, not the thinner).

[David G.]

Thanks for the input guys. I've got some options to consider now.

Thanks,

David G.

[crazyjim]

I use the cheapest lacquer thinner I can find to clean brushes. The Old Man (Donn Yost) recommends thinning Model master paints with cheap lacquer thinner for airbrushing. It's in his video.

[tuffone20]

David, thanks for bring this up because I'm about to run out of the Testors thinner I have and am not to crazy about having to buy more because of the price.

So now with this info I'll go buy some cheap stuff and have more money for models!!

[John E. Bowers Jr.]

Another plug for lacquer thinner with Testors paints. It cuts the paint down just fine using about half the quantity of the Testors thinner, and I've never had a bad reaction with the styrene.

[Thom]

Can someone tell me why you would use laquer thinner with enamel and not mineral spirits or naptha?

Thom Asay

[Lownslow]

Can someone tell me why you would use laquer thinner with enamel and not mineral spirits or naptha?

Thom Asay

i would stay away from naptha. laquer helps with the enamels drying time.

[Bainford]

Can someone tell me why you would use laquer thinner with enamel and not mineral spirits or naptha?

Thom Asay

[/quote

Yet another plug for laquer thinner. And just as Mark said above; it's cheap, it's readily available, and most of all, it works very well. In my opinion, it works better than the Testors thinner in a couple of ways; it dries faster, it flows well, the paint application is easy to control, and it works as a great airbrush cleaner as well. I use the generic hardware store brand (Canadian Tire in my case). Be sure to wear a good half mask respirator with fresh filters for protection against fine particulate and organic vapour for all your airbrushing.

[Zoom Zoom]

I learned two valuable tricks w/Testors enamels in the early 80's, when Testors came out w/their then-new spray car colors and Model Master line of paints. The guy that painted all those Corvettes and cars for the cans & flyers was Henry Gonzales, and he worked at Valley Plaza Hobbies. I talked w/him there one Saturday and he turned me on to using lacquer thinner & using Bare Metal Foil polish. I was already shooting auto touchup paint and buffing out w/either auto wet/dry or Flexigrit micron, he said that would work on enamels too...the lacquer thinner would help it dry faster. He was right...never looked back, never bought another container of Testors Model Master thinner. Absolutely unnecessary.