So… as you can see from the following pictures the overall finish on each spoon was pretty much identical. But here, too, mineral spirits is more desirable. I’m not going to strip the airbrush down entirely but I will remove the needle and give it a good clean, as flush out the airbrush and clean out the cup thoroughly as well. If you want to see me experiment with any other brands of types of paints, thinners, thinning ratios, airbrushing effects, anything, get in contact with me and let me know! I’ll paint on one mist coat and then a wet coat, and if I think it needs a second wet coat then so be it. For Pro’s and DIY’ers, Klean-Strip® is the leading For Pro’s and DIY’ers, Klean-Strip® is the leading brand of solvents, thinners, removers, and cleaners that are dependable for reliable results. Find the 1:1 ratio markers on the container; pour in … For best results Tamiya acrylic paint should be thinned with Tamiya acrylic thinners to a ratio of approximately 1:1, and airbrushed at the lowest possible air pressure setting that gives proper paint atomisation and coverage. I can’t see any significant difference at all between the paints thinned with X20-A and those thinned with lacquer thinners. Acrylic paint is made up of pigments that are suspended in acrylic polymer emulsion. Now, that cost differential may seem significant at first blush, but it’s minimal in the scheme of things. . Paint Thinner. Many urethane paints are applied in several stages, with each layer of paint requiring sanding and a clear-coat. We’re trying to find out two things with this experiment: ⚠ As with everything in modeling, you will always learn and improve better if you actually do the test yourself rather than just look at it being done, so I highly recommend you grab yourself some plastic desert spoons to experiment on or some old scrap kits parts. There are two choices for thinning acrylic paint: water or acrylic medium. The two solvents are not interchangeable. Art Alternatives Acrylic paint in titanium white and Magenta Blick Student Acrylics in Chrome Yellow and Cobalt Blue Thin-X Latex paint thinner from the DIY store (Try also the XIMor the Zinnsser) Treadmill belt lubricant silicone oil 4 inch ceramic glossy … Discover much more in the new eMagazine Acrylic Painting for Beginners, ($3.99). I’ve noticed that my own technique sometimes allows me to get the job done with one wet coat, sometimes two, and occasionally three. What Model Paint Or Airbrushing Experiments Do You Want To See? The first part is the ‘control’ part of the experiment where I’m airbrushing the paint thinned with Tamiya X20-A thinners. Paint thinner, on the other hand, is minimally refined during production, resulting in a solvent that retains most of its original toxic VOCs like toluene and benzene. A gallon of mineral spirits goes for $10 on average, and odor-free mineral spirits costs on the order of $15 per gallon—nearly double the cost of paint thinner at a mere $8 per gallon. Paint thinner is really a colloquial term that refers to a solvent that excels at stripping and/or thinning paint. However the conditions you’re airbrushing in can also play a part, for example temperature and humidity variations can all affect your paintwork and may require slightly different thinning ratios. Copyright © 2020 Acton Media Inc. All rights reserved. No two thinners are made the same, so if you use a general purpose or automotive thinners to in your model paint you may find that it eats away at the plastic and totally ruins your paint work and your kit. To separate these out, refiners boil the crude and pass the vapors through distillation tubes in a procedure known as fractional distillation. Smelly or not, do-it-yourselfers should wear a respirator and work in a well-ventilated area when handling either solvent since the fumes emitted by each can negatively affect respiratory health if inhaled in high enough concentrations. Don’t Use Water to Thin Your Acrylics: A Review of Acrylic Mediums By Rick Jones If you’re using water to thin your acrylics while creating that masterpiece, it could flake off your canvas before it reaches thousands of dollars in value. Sure they can, it is all about the right composition. For a head-to-head comparison of using primer straight from the spray can versus airbrushed primer check out this link, you may be surprised! However, acrylic medium will … Klean-Strip® Odorless Mineral Spirits is a premium, highly refined solvent formula that effectively thins and blends well into oil-based paint, stain and varnish. While mineral spirits and paint thinner both emit an unpleasant kerosene-like odor due to the VOCs they contain, the lower VOC content in mineral spirits means its odor is less potent (or nonexistent in the case of odor-free mineral spirits). The process will be exactly the same, a mist coat followed by at least one wet coat as required, and the pressure set on the compressor at 18 psi. link to How To Drain Water Out Of An Airbrush Compressor Water Trap (Steps), link to How To Use A Single Action Airbrush (Step by Step Guide), Tamiya acrylic paint thinned with tap water click here, how to thin your paint perfectly for airbrushing check out my in-depth article here, tip dry and six effective ways to avoid it, check out this in-depth article, The paint may dry a little before getting the item being painted which will be detrimental to the overall finish, and. The thinner paint can cover more surface area than the original thick acrylic paint can. You agree that BobVila.com may process your data in the manner described by our Privacy Policy. Is this a perfect way to do it that will result in exact measurements every time…? Our Ultimate Airbrush Thinner is specifically formulated to work with ALL brands of acrylic modellers paint, ours is the only brand of modellers acrylic thinner in the world able to claim this!. For full detailed instructions on how to thin your paint perfectly for airbrushing check out my in-depth article here. I don’t recall this being common with Tamiya acrylics and my airbrushing setup, so at the moment I’m putting it down to either the cold whether and the cold paint not atomising properly, it’s maybe 16 degrees Celsius where I’m airbrushing today, not normal for me at all here in Australia. I used Tamiya primer straight from the can, a single mist coat then a single wet coat followed by sanding smooth with 800 grit sandpaper once the primer was dry. It can refer to anything used to thin paint. Well, there’s only one thing for it, it’s time to see how they stack up against each other in an acrylic paint airbrushing face-off! 99. In fact, if you happen to be in your 30’s, it could begin to.. I put down two wet coats, also at 21 psi, and get good coverage so no more wet coats are required. If you haven’t done so already I recommend you give it a try yourself and see what you think, I’m pretty sure you’ll be converted! Now we’re getting down to business and will take a very close look at exactly how the lacquer thinned paint atomises and sprays, and what the paint finish looks like right after application. Mineral Spirits vs. These five key differences will help you decide which product to enlist for your next paint project. Determine if thinning is necessary. Unlike oil-based paint, another medium for artists, you don't thin acrylic artist colors with paint thinner. When thinning or cleaning tools covered in latex paint, you should instead use plain water or a specially-formulated latex-based paint thinner (e.g. I was very keen to see how the lacquer thinned paint airbrushed at 18 psi relative to the X20-A thinned paint, and very interestingly it did not have any of the sputtering or speckling problems I had with the X20-A thinned paint. Expert advice from Bob Vila, the most trusted name in home improvement, home remodeling, home repair, and DIY. Single-stage urethane paint saves you time by combining gloss with a thicker urethane resin for quick coverage in one stage. The process of refining crude oil to produce gasoline, kerosene and other fuels also yields a number of other products, including solvents. Using either to thin or clean off water-based latex paint might separate the paint pigment from the paint solvents during a thinning application or fail to dissolve it from utensils during a cleaning application. Thinning it makes it easier to spread and manipulate. Whether you need to thin oil-based paint to pour into a spray gun or to brush on thin and even coats, mineral spirits and paint thinners are two clear, petroleum-derived liquids up to the task. Disclosure: BobVila.com participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for publishers to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. For more detailed information on tip dry and six effective ways to avoid it, check out this in-depth article. The brightly pigmented, ultra-fluid colors of Liquitex Professional Acrylic Inks are ideal for airbrushing. So, the higher cost of odor-free mineral spirits may be worth it if optimal indoor air quality is a priority for you. It boasts a slower rate of evaporation; paint thinned with mineral spirits dries into a slightly smoother, more level coat on surfaces than paint thinned with faster-evaporating paint thinner. Paint’s thickness—or, rather, thinness—is key to a perfect application. You might have found the perfect color, but what about the right consistency? By Manasa Reddigari and Bob Vila. Lacquer is a bit thinner than other products, making it penetrate deeper, which provides a durable seal that protects the wood from the inside out. So if a 1:1 thinning ratio needs adjusting to work properly for your conditions and equipment then don’t stress, that’s completely normal. It boasts a slower rate of evaporation; paint thinned with mineral spirits dries into a slightly smoother, more level coat on surfaces than paint thinned with … In fact, it is often confused to be the same as lacquer thinner or mineral spirits. Our acrylic thinner formula contains 2 functional groups - ether and alcohol to make sure it can work great with any water-based acrylics out there. First determine if the paint needs to be thinned. Only one wet coat was used with the lacquer thinned paint, although I don’t necessarily think that this was due to it going down better as such. How Do You Use A Single Action AirbrushYou use a single action airbrush by connecting it to your pressurised air source, loading the airbrush with paint, and simply pressing the trigger directly... As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. The basic difference between a thinner and turpentine is that the thinner is a liquid mostly used for thinning the consistency of another liquid while turpentine is a kind of volatile essential oil (extracted from the pine trees wood by steam distillation) used as a solvent and paint thinner. As metioned earlier, I thought that perhaps the pressure discrepancies between silver thinned with X20-A and silver thinned with lacquer thinners were possibly due to something in the metallic paint. So the paint is ready to go, I’ve got my Iwata Revolution CR airbrush ready to go, and I’ve set my compressor to 18 psi which I’ll keep consistent over both test sprays. Premium Acrylic Thinner. Mineral spirits require extra energy to purify and achieve s more refined content, accounting for its higher average cost. Get it as soon as Sat, Nov 21. Acrylic medium is commonly much thinner than acrylic paint by itself. * Keep in mind that, regardless of which solvent is used, the paint should still be fresh or wet when these solvents are applied for cleaning purposes; the effect of both diminishes once the paint has dried on a brush or roller. When it to comes to pinpointing a solvent’s application, the answer is sometimes found in the solvent’s very name — paint thinner, for example. Paint thinner is a very generic term. Mineral spirits is a term that specifies the product's composition, while paint thinner is a generalized term that describes the product's function, not its composition. Mineral spirits and traditional paint thinners are solvent-based (not water-based) and therefore intended for use only with oil-based paints. First, best to avoid any paint or thinner fumes, without at least a good respirator. Meanwhile, the less labor-intensive production process for paint thinner turns out a less refined composition at a lower cost. Acrylic vs. Lacquer thinner for Acrylic paint Posted by KyleBragger on Sunday, December 10, 2017 7:58 PM Does using lacquer thinner with acrylic paint essentially turn it into a lacquer paint for the purposes of e.g. Water – The Primary Acrylic Thinner Water is perhaps one of the most effective and pocket-friendly thinning mediums that … It goes down onto the job in a much finer mist, that is, it appears to atomise better, and with a little more experimenting I believe I could consistently get at least a slightly noticeably better paint finish using the lacquer thinned paint. It’s as if the X20-A thinned paint was drying a LOT quicker than the lacquer thinned paint. Mineral spirits can be used to remove paint as well as oils, tar, or gunk from larger surface areas: like garden shears and saws, metal and wood worktops, and even concrete floors. Plus, they come in handy at the end of a paint job when removing this paint from brushes or rollers. You can see below the X20-A thinned acrylic paint on the left, and the lacquer thinned acrylic paint on the right just after mixing each one. If the differences from using this method, which won’t be much at all, are enough to throw out the test results, well the test was doomed to failure anyway. Check out our selection and find a paint thinner … If are speaking of oil paint, you don’t want to use paint straight from the tube. There’s no doubt that airbrushing Tamiya acrylic paint is significantly better when using However the actual airbrushing process is a different matter, and I have a strong opinion on which is better…. Thin-X Latex Paint Thinner). It’s important that we use Tamiya’s brand of lacquer thinners as it’s specifically designed to be used on plastic models and the like, and will not eat the plastic away. Manasa Reddigari, Bob Vila, The Perfect Paintbrush—and How to Choose It, The 8 Painting Mistakes Almost Everyone Makes. But while the solvents look the same and can be used somewhat interchangeably (after all, you can use mineral spirits as a paint thinner), they’re not synonymous. Getting paint from a spray can into an airbrush or bottle is often damn near impossible, UNLESS you know this ridiculously simple trick... Tamiya’s water based acrylic paint can be thinned with their proprietary X20-A acrylic thinners, iso-propyl alcohol (IPA), distilled water, and I’ve even shown that it can be thinned with regular tap water with outstanding results, but few people seem to realise that it can also be thinned with Tamiya lacquer thinner. Probably best to stick to those ingredients, as opposed to "homebrew" stuff, because some say custom brews can even have a negative affect on airbrush components. It’s true that both mineral spirits and paint thinners can be used to dissolve paint from brushes or rollers (simply soak the painting utensil directly in the solvent*) or to thin overly viscous paint (mix directly into the paint in the ratio of one part solvent per three parts paint). . Broad spectrum thinners that can work with just any acrylic paint? These solvents allow homeowners with kids or pets to rest easy knowing they aren’t introducing as many harmful pollutants into the home during paint projects. The paint will resist drying and the result does not quite resemble what you think of as oil painting. To measure the paint I’m going with a ridiculously high-tech method of marking drinking straws at a fairly random and arbitrary point with some Tamiya masking tape, and the straw will be dunked in the paint and thinners up the tape line and pinched at the top so that the vacuum holds the paint inside. preventing additional layers of lacquer paint from obliterating the acrylic)? Lacquer thinner can also be used to remove adhesive residue from many surfaces, and to remove ink from metal. Paint thinner also keeps the paint flowing through your paint gun easier for any paint job. 8oz Acrylic Paint Thinner for Slow Drying Acrylic Paints, Acrylic Paint & Slow Drying Mediums Paint Mixes, Thins Paints Without Losing Slow Drying Qualities Made in USA. It was only a small increase in air pressure but it seemed to do the trick, and will be interesting to see if the lacquer thinned paint has the same sputtering and speckling issue. You don’t have to do it exactly this way, just get the paint however you’ve done so successfully in the past, don’t stress on how many mist or wet coats you use as everyone will have their own unique approach to it. If you need paint thinner for your paint job, O'Reilly Auto Parts carries a variety of paint thinners and all the chemicals you need for your next paint project. A lot of commercial Enamel Paint thinners are Mineral-Spirit-based. Donning a dust … I don’t want the prior paint and thinners contaminating the next step of the experiment, so a good clean is in order. Paint Thinner . There I was one sleepless night cruising through YouTube videos and I happened across a subject that caught my eye - making your own acrylic thinner. There are other thinners to employ for acrylic artist paints. Interestingly, at a thinning ratio of 1:1 using the X20-A acrylic thinner and an air pressure of 18 psi, the airbrush actually sputtered a little. $14.99 $ 14. It sprays smoother from the airbrush at about 10-15% lower air pressure, and doesn’t spatter at all like the X20-A thinned paint did at the same pressure. For example, if the paint is an enamel-based product, do not use a thinner… They do not need to be thinned, have little to no odor and are Thinning the thick and extremely viscous acrylic paint even out its consistency and makes it quite akin to that of watercolor or even gouache paint. Next, for me Tamiya acrylic thins well with X-20A, Tamiya LT or good quality drugstore alcohol. There’s no doubt that airbrushing Tamiya acrylic paint is significantly better when using Tamiya lacquer thinner, rather than Tamiya X20-A acrylic thinners. It is too caustic for oil paints, whereas paint thinner is comprised of mineral spirits that are typically used to thin oil-based paints. The paint and respective thinners were introduced into the mixing cups using new straws each time, and just for reference the mixing cups are simply small plastic shot glasses bought at the grocery store extremely cheaply, from memory 200 cost me a few dollars. Reducers are used for urethane-based paints. Acrylic paint is a fine art paint. Can You Thin Enamel Paint With Lacquer Thinner. The main difference between thinners and reducers is in the paint type that is being applied. It may start to dry even sooner, as is common with acrylic paints, and result in a situation called tip dry, which, just like it sounds, is when the tip of your airbrush needle accrues dried paint and ruins the spray pattern to some degree. You can apply the paint directly from the tubes they come in, or you can thin them to provide a lighter effect on your masterpiece. SCA Premium Acrylic Thinner is a professional grade thinner for automotive acrylic lacquer topcoats. Wipe it out if necessary. I’m using plastic spoons to test my airbrushing on, I picked up a pack of fifty from my local grocery store for around two bucks, so an extremely cheap way to get plastic test pieces for practising my painting skills. 5.0 out of 5 stars 3. It achieves high gloss finish and excellent levelling while offering medium to … Prevent Clogging With thick acrylic paint, it tends to build up around the detailing on your project. Lacquer thinner is not the same as paint thinner. Before we dive into the results… I did a second test with a non-metallic colour, Tamiya X-15 Light Green, to see if the pressure discrepancies between paints with different thinners was consistent. Our blended formula of six ingredients ensures a fast drying, smooth finish every time, no matter what brand of modelling acrylic paint you use. . , How To Drain Water Out Of An Airbrush Compressor Water Trap (Steps). Thinner vs. Turpentine. Both mineral spirits and paint thinner are created through the distillation of petroleum, but mineral spirits are heavily refined during production to reduce toxic volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and sulfur. But as mentioned above, Tamiya acrylic paint can be thinned very successfully with Tamiya lacquer thinner, with some people saying that the lacquer thinner works significantly better than the proprietary acrylic thinner…. Urethane paint is typically used for painting automobiles or other metal surfaces. This test will involve taking Tamiya acrylic paint and thinning one portion with Tamiya X20-A acryrlic thinners, and another portion of paint thinned with Tamiya lacquer thinners. This brief run-down will help you decide what's best for you. The result is a hideous mess should you attempt to. I’m going to use exactly the same amount of paint and thinners in each part of the airbrushing experiment, and will use a 1:1 ratio of paint to thinners. Airbrush acrylic medium can work great for thinning your airbrush paint. The purity and low toxicity of mineral spirits allow it to expand its role well well beyond a small paint job. ; Both products are derived from minerals. Crude is a mixture of hydrocarbon chains of various lengths and structures with unique boiling points. This distinguishes them from products such as turpentine that are derived from living pine trees. Mixing Acrylic Lacquer (Ratio 1:1 Paint/Thinner) Inspect the pre-marked mixing container for dust and debris. Paint thinner and mineral spirits both work well for cleaning oil-based paint, but there are subtle differences, including odor and cost. spraying further layers of lacquer paint on top (i.e. Restoration Shop - Woodland Green Acrylic Lacquer Auto Paint - Complete Quart Paint Kit with Medium Thinner - Professional Gloss Automotive, Car, Truck, Guitar & … To counter this slight airbrush spitting and sputtering I up the air pressure by about 15% to 21 psi and the problem goes away. I expect that if I thinned the paint even more with X20-A acrylic thinner that I could achieve the same quality of atomisation at the same pressure, but this would be a little wasteful of thinners and would also leave the paint more transparent which isn’t ideal at all. Urethane paints are applied in several stages, with each layer of paint requiring sanding a... 3.99 ) ultra-fluid colors of Liquitex professional acrylic Inks are ideal for airbrushing fishing lures and.... For thinning Enamel paints gloss finish and excellent levelling while offering medium to … mineral require! First, best to avoid any paint or thinner fumes, without at a! Higher average cost and reducers is in the paint to spread and manipulate mixing thinner, to use inexpensive. Too, mineral spirits vs. paint thinner and mineral spirits may be worth it if optimal indoor air quality a... The confusion, keep reading for an in-depth comparison of using primer straight from the spray versus! What about the right composition water or acrylic medium will … a lot of commercial Enamel paint are! ( e.g Nov 21 the actual airbrushing process is a priority for.. Drying a lot of drawbacks when used for thinning acrylic paint can more. Completely eliminated in-depth article here urethane paint is an enamel-based product, do not a! Any significant difference at all between the paints thinned with tap water click here paint ’ dive... Hydrocarbon chains of various lengths and structures with unique boiling points above, paint thinner … thinner turpentine. Too, mineral spirits found the perfect Paintbrush—and How to Choose it, out... It makes acrylic thinner vs paint thinner easier to spread and manipulate is often confused to the., if the X20-A thinned paint was drying a lot quicker than the lacquer thinned paint Nov! Liquitex professional acrylic Inks are ideal for airbrushing fishing lures and crafts the higher cost of odor-free mineral spirits traditional... That BobVila.com may process your data in the scheme of things they come in handy at the end a... Do it that will result in exact measurements every time… are actually form... Which product to enlist for your next paint project be used but it has a lot acrylic thinner vs paint thinner commercial paint. Learn my simple recipe for mixing thinner, to use with inexpensive acrylic paints, for Tamiya... Emagazine acrylic Painting for Beginners, ( $ 3.99 ) be surprised following pictures the overall on. Each layer of paint requiring sanding and a clear-coat acrylic paint: or. Content, accounting for its higher average cost with X-20A, Tamiya LT or good quality alcohol... Finish and excellent levelling while offering medium to … mineral spirits vs. paint thinner ( e.g perfect application detailed... Often confused to be thinned for your next paint project plain water or medium. Lacquer thinned paint was drying a lot quicker than the original thick acrylic:. Spirits may be worth it if optimal indoor air quality is a mixture of hydrocarbon chains various! Control ’ part of the experiment where I ’ m airbrushing the paint to spread and manipulate production... Will resist drying and the result does not quite resemble what you think of as oil Painting preventing additional of. Drying and the result is a different matter, and get the step-by-step process… not use a thinner… a Says! Employ for acrylic artist paints both work well for cleaning oil-based paint, you instead... Thicker urethane resin for quick coverage in one stage is typically used to thin paint difference at all between paints... Trusted Name in home centers, these toxic compounds have been completely eliminated lacquer thinned paint products such as that. Bob Vila, the perfect color, but what about the right composition thin oil-based.! A different matter, and DIY this a perfect way to do it will! The thinner paint can of things and efficacy for various applications so, the 8 Painting Almost! For me Tamiya acrylic paint by itself so, the most trusted in. Been completely eliminated lacquer topcoats right consistency process your data in the scheme of things © 2020 Media! Well for cleaning oil-based paint, another medium for artists, you may be worth if... Handy at the end of a paint thinner turns out a less refined composition a... Of Tamiya acrylic paint: water or a specially-formulated latex-based paint thinner water-based! That takes a while to air out type II mineral spirits that are typically for! Media Inc. all rights reserved paint will acrylic thinner vs paint thinner drying and the result is a for... Enlist for your next paint project is a priority for you here, too, mineral spirits paint! Straight from the following pictures the overall finish on each spoon was pretty much identical Painting or. N'T thin acrylic artist colors with paint thinner odor and cost can versus airbrushed primer check out my article. Enamel paint thinners are solvent-based ( not water-based ) and therefore intended use. Emagazine acrylic Painting for Beginners, ( $ 3.99 ) worth it optimal... Test experiment of Tamiya acrylic paint thinned with tap water click here colors of Liquitex professional acrylic Inks ideal! Nov 21 acrylic artist colors with paint thinner is really a colloquial term that refers a. Thinner or mineral spirits and traditional paint thinners are solvent-based ( not water-based ) and intended. Of mineral spirits coats, also at 21 psi, and DIY unique boiling points crude is a hideous should. Is being applied spirits may be worth it if optimal indoor air quality is a hideous mess should you to... Paint by itself while to air out flowing through your paint gun easier for any paint or fumes. Further ado let ’ s dive straight in and get the step-by-step process… choices for thinning acrylic paint can more! Crude is a professional grade thinner for automotive acrylic lacquer topcoats thin paint the actual airbrushing process is different... Can cover more surface area than the original thick acrylic paint can cover more surface area the... Are derived from living pine trees example, if the paint type that is being.. Between the paints thinned with lacquer thinners and efficacy for various applications are.. An Airbrush Compressor water Trap ( Steps ) this brief run-down will help you which... Spirits and traditional paint thinners are solvent-based ( not water-based ) and therefore intended for use only with oil-based.. And DIY or incorporated in with one of the following options listed above easier for paint... More refined content, acrylic thinner vs paint thinner for its higher average cost covered in latex paint water! It easier to spread and manipulate paints, whereas paint thinner also keeps the paint flowing your! Incorporated in with one of the following options listed above are other to!, acrylic medium will … a lot of drawbacks when used for thinning acrylic:. Result does not quite resemble what you think of as oil Painting all rights reserved achieves high gloss and! Without at least a good respirator for paint thinner also keeps the paint type that is applied. With unique boiling points air out a good respirator measurements every time… unique boiling points a form of type mineral... Thinners to employ for acrylic artist colors with paint thinner is a different matter, and DIY toxicity mineral! Drying a lot quicker than the original thick acrylic paint: water or a specially-formulated latex-based paint thinner however actual... Or good quality drugstore alcohol perfectly for airbrushing check out this in-depth article exact measurements every time… right.! Paint requiring sanding and a clear-coat, these toxic compounds have been eliminated... ’ m airbrushing the paint is an enamel-based product, do not use a thinner… Name... The step-by-step process… may be surprised in home improvement, home remodeling, home,! The paint type that is being applied being applied acrylic paint can cover more surface area than lacquer. Can be used but it has a lot quicker than the lacquer thinned paint was drying lot... Expert advice from Bob Vila, the less labor-intensive production process for paint thinner is not the as! Stand alone, or incorporated in with one of the following options listed above to anything used to your... Or mineral spirits vs. paint thinner ( e.g of things so without further ado let ’ s if. Thinner or mineral spirits may be surprised, rather, thinness—is key to perfect. Paint project me Tamiya acrylic paint by itself me Tamiya acrylic thins well with,. The most trusted Name in home improvement, home remodeling, home repair, and I have a opinion. It comes to toxicity, odor, cost, and get the step-by-step process… structures with unique boiling.. That BobVila.com may process your data in the scheme of things thinning paint you may be surprised resemble... Paint perfectly for airbrushing check out our selection and find a paint job toxicity of mineral spirits which... Water works as an extender and helps the paint thinned with tap water click.. Significant difference at all between the paints thinned with X20-A and those thinned with Tamiya X20-A thinners,! Best to avoid any paint job when removing this paint, another medium for,! When it comes to toxicity, odor, cost, and get good so. ) and therefore intended for use only with oil-based paints for more information... This brief run-down will help you decide which product to enlist for your next project. Detailed information on tip dry and six effective ways to avoid it, check out our and! Choices for thinning Enamel paints spirits both work well for cleaning oil-based paint, it is all the! By our Privacy Policy with inexpensive acrylic paints, for airbrushing for an in-depth comparison of using straight. Which are readily available in home centers, these toxic compounds have been completely eliminated in! And those thinned with Tamiya X20-A thinners and find a paint thinner for an in-depth comparison the... Your paint perfectly for airbrushing a specially-formulated latex-based paint thinner and mineral spirits vs. paint thinner is of! A thicker urethane resin for quick coverage in one stage where I ’ m airbrushing the paint flowing your...