discussion Question about thinners?

[pjgtech]

I am brush painting my models and have a question about thinners.

My Tamiya paints are acrylic, so do I need to use a specialist acrylic thinner with those?
I also have some enamel paints, so I assume I need to use a specialist enamel thinner with those?
Obviously for water based paints, I assume I can just thin with water?

So my question really is are all thinners the same?
For example, what happens if I use an acrylic thinner with an enamel paint or vice versa, what happens if I use an enamel thinner with an acrylic paint? Do I need to use the correct type or will any thinner do?

Some of my models, (Airfix) come with the old small tubs of paint, not sure what type of paint they are?
EDIT, just checked, the Airfix box says they are Humbrol Acrylic paints.

Cheers for any info.... (still learning Lol)

 

[Valeron]

I only use Vallejo acrylics and thin them with tap water and sometimes Vallejo thinners.

I dont use other paints but I suspect oils and enamel paints cannot be thinned by water or acrylic thinners. I'm sure other people will have an answer to this.

 

[Waspie]

I solely use acrylics, specifically 'Vallejo'. So I use a Vallejo acrylic thinner. I have read that some acrylic thinners don't react too kindly other brands of paints so If I was using Tamiya paint I would use their specific thinner and so on.

Never used nor have I any intention of using enamels so can't really answer the question. BUT!! I would have thought there is a specific thinning agent for that medium.

Hopefully, one of the experienced 'painters' Ron, Andy, Tim will be along to put us right.

PS, it seems we never stop learning!!

 

[pjgtech]

When I said enamel paints, I meant washes, eg: Ammo(mig) my mistake, sorry, and I've seen YT vids of people applying thinners before applying the washes to help them run better.

I have now found (via the wonder of T'internet) that there are indeed acrylic thinners and enamel thinners, so I assume therefore that I need to use the correct one with the correct paint.

Cheers (every days a School day)....

 

[Ian M]

Yep. Enamels are normally thinned with a solvent. White spirit is as cheap as chips and works with them all... You can get pong free from art suppliers... at a price. Some use lighter fluid as an enamel thinner as it evaporates very quick and reduces drying/cure time. (two different things).
I have some Tamiya Acrylics and Lacquers. Mr Hobby self leveling thinners works well with the acrylics. The lacquers are fine as is.
I tried som Mig lacquers for a Japanese Aircraft as they had the colours I needed. Not sure I needed to thin those either.
My go to Acrylics have been Vallejo for quite a while, both Model Color range and Model Air. I use Vallejo thinner, I started out with water but not I didn't like the resulting soft chalky flakey finish. Water does not thin the paints, more like it just dilutes them.
A thinners is a carrier for the paint and contains many of the same binders as the paint, just no pigments, When you use them the thinners stretches the paint and fills in the gaps, so to speak. Water on the other hand will dilute the paint and break the binding agents down. You can see this happen as over thinned paint using water will fragment and the colour pigments separate quicker than if using the correct thinner...
Fun fact. If you wonder why a black paint sometimes changes not only the lightness of a paint but also alter the colour a bit, it is because black is not black but really really very dark versions of a colour. If you split black acrylics down with water some have a lot of red, others green or blue.

 

[pjgtech]

Thanx for the info, cheers.

 

[Waspie]

Thanks for the explanation regards water Ian. Last year when I started out I used distilled water to thin out my acrylics!! Awful results and that doesn't include the splattering with my A/B!! Bit of reading on here and I quickly bought some Vallejo thinner.
We have YT and we have Messr;'s Google and Co to research bibs and bobs but we can't get better advice than from people on here who have and do modelling themselves!!

 

[PaulTRose]

Those little pots that come with airfix kits should be filed under 'bin'

Braver than me brush painting tamiya paint.......never got on with it

What ever brand of paint you use stick with the same brands thinners is good advice

 

[pjgtech]

Those little pots that come with airfix kits should be filed under 'bin'
Braver than me brush painting tamiya paint.......never got on with it
What ever brand of paint you use stick with the same brands thinners is good advice

They are Humbrol Acrylic paint apparently, says that on the Airfix box.
I didn't think they were too bad, used them on my Tiger tank and Willys jeep and currently using them on my Sherman tank, but I'm a noob, so I probably have lower standards than others!
A couple of the little pots I've used were almost solid, very gloopy, but a bit of thinners and a very, very good and thorough stir and they thinned out nicely.

 

[Tim Marlow]

When I said enamel paints, I meant washes, eg: Ammo(mig) my mistake, sorry, and I've seen YT vids of people applying thinners before applying the washes to help them run better.

I have now found (via the wonder of T'internet) that there are indeed acrylic thinners and enamel thinners, so I assume therefore that I need to use the correct one with the correct paint.

Cheers (every days a School day).... [/



Enamels such as Mig washes can be diluted (thinned) with white spirit, but white spirit is better used as a solvent to clean brushes. It is pretty strong stuff and can actually dissolve glued plastic joints. I know, ‘cos I’ve done it . It also contains a lot of contaminants which are toxic, and make it smell awful. If you need to thin enamels, you are better off using artist grade odourless solvent marketed for oil paint. They do not have the contaminant, hence the removal of odour, and do not dissolve plastic joints. My “go to” is Sansodor by Windsor and Newton. It is a little dearer, but you don’t use much, and it is much nicer to work with. Keep your cheap B and Q white spirit for cleaning brushes, as nature intended.

Regarding water solvated acrylics, they can be diluted with water, it’s how a wet palette works, but there is a limit to how far you can take this. Dilute them too far and the structure of the paint breaks down, giving a very weak chalky finish. If you need an acrylic wash, you are probably better investing in one of the many ranges out there. Vallejo make at least two, the game wash range is excellent, for example. Other manufacturers, such as Army Painter and Games workshop, make them along with many other companies not commonly used in the plastic modelling field, but used in the gaming or figure painting world. If you do want to make your own acrylic washes, add something like Vallejo glaze medium with an added drop or two of flow aid. This works better with dark colours, by the way. Light colours have added white pigment, which never dilutes well and is pretty opaque.

Tamiya isn’t something I use much for brush painting, but if I did I would dilute it with X-20 thinner as a starter. Don’t use this thinner with water based acrylic or you will get cottage cheese.

Applying a wash of thinner doesn’t make the wash flow better, by the way. The wash should already be formulated to flow easily. What it does is minimise the chance of the wash drying with an ugly tide mark (called coffee staining).

 

[Waspie]

Bin = File 13!! Never got on with those little pots!! EXCEPT. rotor blade end caps - the yellow from my RAF SK3 was very useful.

 

[Tim Marlow]

Bin = File 13!! Never got on with those little pots!! EXCEPT. rotor blade end caps - the yellow from my RAF SK3 was very useful.

Send them on to Ron Spanner. That’s what he uses to get his great results…..

 

[Waspie]

Send them on to Ron Spanner. That’s what he uses to get his great results…..

The one thing if anything I have learned in my short time in the hobby. - Throw nothing away, collect everything!!