Tamiya acrylic paint ?????

[retired & glad]

I have never used or painted with Tamiya acrylics and just wanted to know if it is thinned with water or lacquer thinner?? I am totally inside with my paint booth and vented out in the room.  I usually clean my airbrushes with water and alcohol but lacquer thinner would not be allowed if it smelled bad.  I've been reading on here that people clean the brushes with lacquer thinner but would alcohol be just as good or not.

Any advice would be appreciated on this. 

[Dave G.]

Alcohol will clean the airbrush and you can thin Tamiya with their acrylic thinner vs lacquer thinner. I make my own thinner actually and it works fine in Tamiya paints. Lacquer thinner in the gloss paints will dry to a bit harder surface, maybe a slight bit glossier. I personally wouldn't recommend thinning with plain water.

My thinner is 60% distilled water, 40% ipa 91, then Liquitex retarder according to the season I'm painting in ( generally in a 3oz blend I use between 6 and 10 drops in this thinner blend). Most acrylics spray quite nice with this mix and next to no tip dry and good flow out.. That includes Tamiya and Model Master acrylics and Apple Barrel and FolkArt  craft paints too.

That said, to spray Tamiya thinned with lacquer thinner really doesn't smell all that bad and doesn't linger assuming using a booth. It's nothing like spraying lacquer paints in that regard but you get similar results. It's really nice paint thinned either way though..

Edited June 4, 2019 by Dave G.

[retired & glad]

26 minutes ago, Dave G. said:

Alcohol will clean the airbrush and you can thin Tamiya with their acrylic thinner vs lacquer thinner. I make my own thinner actually and it works fine in Tamiya paints. Lacquer thinner in the gloss paints will dry to a bit harder surface, maybe a slight bit glossier. I personally wouldn't recommend thinning with plain water.

My thinner is 60% distilled water, 40% ipa 91, then Liquitex retarder according to the season I'm painting in ( generally in a 3oz blend I use between 6 and 10 drops in this thinner blend). Most acrylics spray quite nice with this mix and next to no tip dry and good flow out.. That includes Tamiya and Model Master acrylics and Apple Barrel and FolkArt  craft paints too.

That said, to spray Tamiya thinned with lacquer thinner really doesn't smell all that bad and doesn't linger assuming using a booth. It's nothing like spraying lacquer paints in that regard but you get similar results. It's really nice paint thinned either way though..

Thanks Dave for the info. I'll mix up some of the thinner and give it a try. Much appreciated on this.

[ACR-E Doug]

I always use Mr Color Leveling Thinner with my acrylic paints.  It is a mild lacquer thinner and I have had no problem using it with Tamiya paints.

[El Roberto]

I use plain old hardware store lacquer thinner.  Works great for me.

[espo]

You mention that your paint booth is vented into the room and not outside ? Besides being messy and paint residue build up in the room I can't help but worry abut you breathing all of these fumes. I would suggest you find someway to get the venting to reach the outside away from where you are painting.  

[Pete J.]

19 minutes ago, El Roberto said:

I use plain old hardware store lacquer thinner.  Works great for me.

If you are using Kleen Strip lacquer thinner, I think you would be surprised if you read the MSDS(available online).  Their lacquer thinner can be 100% acetone.  Waste of money to spend the extra bucks.  Acetone works as well and is cheaper. 

[Dave G.]

2 hours ago, ACR-E Doug said:

I always use Mr Color Leveling Thinner with my acrylic paints.  It is a mild lacquer thinner and I have had no problem using it with Tamiya paints.

I could see that working really well actually. We don't have it locally, I should maybe order some in. But hardware store thinner has worked well too so far.

[Dave G.]

3 hours ago, Pete J. said:

If you are using Kleen Strip lacquer thinner, I think you would be surprised if you read the MSDS(available online).  Their lacquer thinner can be 100% acetone.  Waste of money to spend the extra bucks.  Acetone works as well and is cheaper. 

But it doesn't smell or clean parts like ( the same as) 100% acetone does. Just sayin.

Edited June 4, 2019 by Dave G.
correction

[peteski]

Tamiya paints in round glass jars are what I would call "hybrid" paints.  Going by the smell, they seem to use alcohol as solvent. So they are not as "mild" as water-based paints, but also not as "hot" as the ones which use petroleum-based solvents.

Edited June 5, 2019 by peteski

[Can-Con]

I've been using Tamiya acrylics for almost 30 years. I just use good old rubbing alcohol for cleanup and thinning.

[bluenote]

I use Tamiya exclusively and I keep it simple and just use their own products.  I use their acrylic thinner for thinning for the airbrush.  I thin by using droppers with a ratio of 2 parts paint and 1 part thinner.  Shoot at 20 psi and this works perfectly every single time.  

I clean the airbrush by using their airbrush cleaner.  

[Pete J.]

23 hours ago, Dave G. said:

But it doesn't smell or clean parts like ( the same as) 100% acetone does. Just sayin.

I should have been more specific.  All lacquers thinners are not the same in their formulation and can vary greatly by where you buy them.  Different states have different legal issues with VOC's and thus differant formulations for "lacquer thinner".  Here in SoCal you can't buy automotive grade lacquer thinner any more without special licenses.  But you can get furniture lacquer thinners for wood and the watered down stuff from the hardware store.  You can also buy Tamiya "lacquer thinner" at the hobby store.  Last year when I went to IPMS Nats in Phoenix, I stopped by an auto paint store and picked up two gallons of the real deal PPG automotive lacquer thinner and smuggled it over the border.   The shop was rather busy with other California modeler doing the same thing. 

  I discovered the 100% acetone thing when researching thinner for some old cans of DuPont Lucite Lacquer that I have stashed away.  I then became very wary of all types of thinners and look at it carefully before I buy.  I now have three gallons of auto lacquer thinner, reserved for thinning only. I also have a gallon of acetone for cleaning up and a gallon of mineral spirits for solvent based enamels not to mention a couple of quarts of 91% alcohol for acrylics.  Having the correct thinner is critical to getting a great paint job.   Just because a thinner doesn't cause the paint to curdle, it doesn't mean it will work to get a smooth finish. 

 

[Michael jones]

Call me crazy, but I don't really see any point of using Tamiya Acrylics for airbrushing. They need lacquer thinner or alcohol thinner to spray nicely, so may as well just use lacquer paint. Certainly not a true acrylic and very bad for your health just like lacquers.

[Pete J.]

22 minutes ago, Michael jones said:

Call me crazy, but I don't really see any point of using Tamiya Acrylics for airbrushing. They need lacquer thinner or alcohol thinner to spray nicely, so may as well just use lacquer paint. Certainly not a true acrylic and very bad for your health just like lacquers.

Well, I would agree with you except the Tamiya lacquers are not all that available in many places and they don't have the range of colors.  The Next choice is decanting it from rattle cans so you can spray it through an air brush.  Not something a lot of people are willing to do.  So if someone whats to spray Tamiya colors, and want the easy way to do it, acrylics are the only option.

As soon as Tamiya gets a full range of bottled lacquers and they are available in the US, I will be the first customer in line.  Until then, I am stuck punching holes in rattle cans.

[Dave Ambrose]

10 hours ago, Pete J. said:

I should have been more specific.  All lacquers thinners are not the same in their formulation and can vary greatly by where you buy them.  Different states have different legal issues with VOC's and thus differant formulations for "lacquer thinner".  Here in SoCal you can't buy automotive grade lacquer thinner any more without special licenses.  But you can get furniture lacquer thinners for wood and the watered down stuff from the hardware store.  You can also buy Tamiya "lacquer thinner" at the hobby store.  Last year when I went to IPMS Nats in Phoenix, I stopped by an auto paint store and picked up two gallons of the real deal PPG automotive lacquer thinner and smuggled it over the border.   The shop was rather busy with other California modeler doing the same thing. 

  I discovered the 100% acetone thing when researching thinner for some old cans of DuPont Lucite Lacquer that I have stashed away.  I then became very wary of all types of thinners and look at it carefully before I buy.  I now have three gallons of auto lacquer thinner, reserved for thinning only. I also have a gallon of acetone for cleaning up and a gallon of mineral spirits for solvent based enamels not to mention a couple of quarts of 91% alcohol for acrylics.  Having the correct thinner is critical to getting a great paint job.   Just because a thinner doesn't cause the paint to curdle, it doesn't mean it will work to get a smooth finish. 

 

It depends on where you're buying your lacquer thinner. Traditional lacquer thinner is a mixture of toluene, xylene, and maybe a few other things.  However, in California, it's mostly acetone due to clean air regulations. I don't know of any other state that requires this. Cali modelers are advised to buy some good stuff on their next trip to Nevada or Aridzona.  

[Dave G.]

18 hours ago, Pete J. said:

I should have been more specific.  All lacquers thinners are not the same in their formulation and can vary greatly by where you buy them.  Different states have different legal issues with VOC's and thus differant formulations for "lacquer thinner".  Here in SoCal you can't buy automotive grade lacquer thinner any more without special licenses.  But you can get furniture lacquer thinners for wood and the watered down stuff from the hardware store.  You can also buy Tamiya "lacquer thinner" at the hobby store.  Last year when I went to IPMS Nats in Phoenix, I stopped by an auto paint store and picked up two gallons of the real deal PPG automotive lacquer thinner and smuggled it over the border.   The shop was rather busy with other California modeler doing the same thing. 

  I discovered the 100% acetone thing when researching thinner for some old cans of DuPont Lucite Lacquer that I have stashed away.  I then became very wary of all types of thinners and look at it carefully before I buy.  I now have three gallons of auto lacquer thinner, reserved for thinning only. I also have a gallon of acetone for cleaning up and a gallon of mineral spirits for solvent based enamels not to mention a couple of quarts of 91% alcohol for acrylics.  Having the correct thinner is critical to getting a great paint job.   Just because a thinner doesn't cause the paint to curdle, it doesn't mean it will work to get a smooth finish. 

 

 We used to go through 3661 medium dry thinner by the 5 gal can delivered by the automotive paint supply warehouse to commercial accounts only, over 35 years of painting 1/1automotive and commercial fleets, I can't begin to say how many cans. Here in southern Ma I keep mineral spirits and Kleen Strip lacquer thinner and a can of Xylene to add in when I want to slow it down a little bit and those products satisfy my needs.. Here the Kleen Strip Paint Thinner has gone green so to speak, it's garbage but for now at least the lacquer thinner is ok. And the Xylene is ok ( plus the can I have will last me the rest of my days). And the mineral spirits is ok, again thus far. I'm starting to hear rumblings about synthetic lacquer thinner.

Here, thus far, Napa stores still sell automotive lacquer thinner, just at inflated prices ( Martin Senior brand).

[Pete J.]

3 hours ago, Dave G. said:

 We used to go through 3661 medium dry thinner by the 5 gal can delivered by the automotive paint supply warehouse to commercial accounts only, over 35 years of painting 1/1automotive and commercial fleets, I can't begin to say how many cans. Here in southern Ma I keep mineral spirits and Kleen Strip lacquer thinner and a can of Xylene to add in when I want to slow it down a little bit and those products satisfy my needs.. Here the Kleen Strip Paint Thinner has gone green so to speak, it's garbage but for now at least the lacquer thinner is ok. And the Xylene is ok ( plus the can I have will last me the rest of my days). And the mineral spirits is ok, again thus far. I'm starting to hear rumblings about synthetic lacquer thinner.

Here, thus far, Napa stores still sell automotive lacquer thinner, just at inflated prices ( Martin Senior brand).

Stock up while you can!  I had a 5 gallon bucket of 3661 that I bought in the 90's  Over the years I have kept putting what I have left in smaller and smaller containers.  I have one pint left and I really use it judiciously!  Wish I had back all the stuff I blew through the gun just to clean it! Heck yes,  I am a lacquer thinner horder.   I figure what I have left will have to last me the rest of my life.  Oh and Xylene is also no longer available here. Apparently here in California, stores that sell aircraft paint still have it and lacquer thinner at about $100 a gallon. 

Edited June 6, 2019 by Pete J.

[Dave G.]

16 minutes ago, Pete J. said:

Stock up while you can!  I had a 5 gallon bucket of 3661 that I bought in the 90's  Over the years I have kept putting what I have left in smaller and smaller containers.  I have one pint left and I really use it judiciously!  Wish I had back all the stuff I blew through the gun just to clean it! Heck yes,  I am a lacquer thinner horder.   I figure what I have left will have to last me the rest of my life.  Oh and Xylene is also no longer available here. Apparently here in California, stores that sell aircraft paint still have it and lacquer thinner at about $100 a gallon. 

Hah ! But 3661 was the best gun cleaner going, it even rinsed the gun after an Imron paint job lol !

I started doling out my thinners by pipettes, no more just splashing the stuff all over the place. I used to fill the color cup with thinner, swish spray, dump it out, refill, repeat. Now its a little stream from the pipette. Gotta move into the new century, I'm from the century of wasting things..

[DiscoRover007]

You can use water and rubbing alcohol in a pinch. But you might end up with flatter finishes and rougher texture. I would probably get  a hold of some Tamiya thinner.

 

[Pete J.]

1 hour ago, Dave G. said:

Hah ! But 3661 was the best gun cleaner going, it even rinsed the gun after an Imron paint job lol !

I started doling out my thinners by pipettes, no more just splashing the stuff all over the place. I used to fill the color cup with thinner, swish spray, dump it out, refill, repeat. Now its a little stream from the pipette. Gotta move into the new century, I'm from the century of wasting things..

That me!  One thing I learned though.  Clean the pipettes before using! Cheap plastic pipettes are great but they can contain contaminants from the manufacturing process. I keep a small jar of acetone handy for the job.    A couple of squirts of acetone will clean them right up and acetone evaporates so fast that you can use them immediately. 

[bluenote]

On 2019-06-05 at 10:16 PM, Michael jones said:

Call me crazy, but I don't really see any point of using Tamiya Acrylics for airbrushing. They need lacquer thinner or alcohol thinner to spray nicely, so may as well just use lacquer paint. Certainly not a true acrylic and very bad for your health just like lacquers.

I have the Tamiya lacquer paints in the bottle and the smell they give off is noticeably more than using their acrylic paints.  The acrylic paint is thinned with their acrylic thinner and washup can be done with water (except for the final cleaning of the airbrush, which I use the airbrush cleaner for).  

I personally find the acrylic paint much better for airbrushing, in regards to the smell and being able to use water for a good part of the cleanup.  I always avoid lacquer if I can due to the harshness of it.  (I do use Scalefinishes though for car bodies).

[Can-Con]

On 6/6/2019 at 1:46 PM, DiscoRover007 said:

You can use water and rubbing alcohol in a pinch. But you might end up with flatter finishes and rougher texture. I would probably get  a hold of some Tamiya thinner.

 

You might , , , but then again,,,,

 

In the interest of full disclosure, this did have a quick once over with Tamiya polishing compound, as I do with all my models. 

[retired & glad]

12 hours ago, Can-Con said:

You might , , , but then again,,,,

 

In the interest of full disclosure, this did have a quick once over with Tamiya polishing compound, as I do with all my models. 

Steve, that's a sharp truck you have there. Was the stripes and hood top airbrushed or was it decals?

[Can-Con]

7 hours ago, retired & glad said:

Steve, that's a sharp truck you have there. Was the stripes and hood top airbrushed or was it decals?

Thanks Richard. They're decals.