Lacquer Thinner go bad?

[cherokeered]

I use a can of Lacquer Thinner that i picked up from my local home improvement store for cleaning brushes etc. and i have for years. However, today i noticed that it will not clean my brushes at all. Its like it just went bad and stopped working. Granted it is 101 degrees outside today but i have never seen this happen before. Does Lacquer Thinner go bad?

[JunkPile]

Does it smell like lacquer thinner?

[cherokeered]

Yes...it just won't dissolve the paint from the brush anymore...its weird

[my80malibu]

usually when it goes bad it smells bad too. how was it stored?

[cherokeered]

Its been outside

[Mike Kucaba]

I think everything has a shelf life except Twinkies and Spam.

[Ace-Garageguy]

In more than 45 years of using the stuff, industrially and in hobby applications, I've never seen lacquer thinner "go bad". If the can is sealed, there's really no place for the rather simple components to go. HOWEVER, if the can is open, even slightly, some of the more volatile components can evaporate out, changing its performance.

Acetone is a component of lacquer thinner, and acetone will readily absorb water. I suppose it's possible that a slightly-open can of lacquer thinner could have absorbed enough water from atmospheric humidity to have weakened it enough to be causing your problem.

Are you absolutely certain you're trying to cut the same kind of paint or material you've always used it on? Lacquer thinner is not a universal solvent, and it won't work on some things. Just a thought.