Using white spirit

[Bortig]

Have read on the forum people using white spirit, I've always believed this attacks plastic. So my question is can you use white spirit and if so in what applications is it safe to do so.

[Darby]

I use it to clean my airbrush. I've also thinned enamels with it and found when sprayed they don't take as long to dry. You can get environmentally friendly white spirit which I use to clean my hands with. You don't get that fuzzy feeling on your skin then.

[SleeperService]

I've never had a problem with it although I know that if you leave styrene soaking in it the plastic becomes very brittle. Naptha (lighter fluid) works better as an enamel thinner in my experience leaving a flatter finish than white spirit. I use it to clean paint brushes and to thin some enamels.

[pigsty]

Perhaps white spirit does attack polystyrene, but if it does, it will be in quantity and with prolonged immersion. Odourless white spirit is practically indistinguishable from enamel thinners and I've never had any trouble with either. Used as a paint medium, they evaporate long before there can be any ill-effects. Polystyrene is surprisingly resilient stuff, really. Even brake fluid won't eat into after a few days. I suspect the rumour about white spirit is one of those things that might have a kernel of truth but has grown in the telling.

[Jamie @ Sovereign Hobbies]

As above, it will attack styrene over a long period of time. That's why oil based paints stick better to plastics without primer.

You can spray cellulose thinner on to styrene in low quantities (i.e. thin your paint with it) and it's perfectly fine unless you then try to wipe the paint back off - the plastic will be very soft underneath whilst the cellulose dries.

White spirit is pretty safe for plastic use. Don't dip your canopies in it - but to be honest, most little painting errors even on canopies can be wiped off with white spirit so long as you don't scrub at it for ages.

[viscount806x]

White spirit is the cleaning up enamel choice for me. You can thin enamels with it but I use 'proper' turpentine for that because a few decades ago I remember reading that white spirit tended to deconstruct the paint mixture. There is white spirit and then white spirit, some of which is very cheap. Maybe the not so good stuff is best kept for just brush cleaning etc.

I've never had any problems with it attacking plastic.

[steelpillow]

I haven't noticed it attacking the plastic either.

The problem with it is that its quality is very variable and it can leave unwanted chemicals behind in the paint. These can react with it to markedly age it yellow or brown, so a nice white enamel airbrush job thinned with white spirit will eventually end up a nice dirty beige airbrush job.

White spirit is fine for cleaning brushes and kit, and even painty hands, but follow up on hair/fibre brushes and hands with ordinary soap to reduce hardening and prolong life.

For the paint mix itself, use a good-quality brand enamel paint thinners, it's a small price to pay.

[old thumper]

I have had white spirit attack plastic in the past. The trouble with white spirit is it doesn't normally say how strong it is on the bottle and some brands were stronger than others, give it a try on a bit of waste plastic.

[glatisant]

I use it all the time for thinning,cleaning,removing masking residue,cleaning my hands and allsorts of things.Been using it for years and never had it affect plastic,though I would be wary about using it on clear parts.It can leave them slightly foggy if you use it to remove any stray paint that might have made it's way onto a canopy.