Paint Thinners

[Timbo343]

I thought i'd try and experiment with a few paint thinners to see qhat the results are like.

 

Isopropanyl Alcohol - this is great stuff and really shifts both tamiya and revell acrylic paints. Bought from ebay.

 

Boots (in uk) surgical spirit - again great stuff and is the same as Isopropanyl Alcohol. Brother is a pharmastic who said both Surgical spirit and Isopropanyl alcohol are the same stuff. Boots have the surgical spirit for arpund £4.50 for 500ml and smells like TCP.

 

ASDAs Acetone Free Nail varnish remover (the blue stuff) - a great thinner for tamiya paints but makes revell acrylic paints go gloopy. Around £2.00 from ASDA.

 

ASDAs Nail Varnish remover (the purple stuff) - a great thinner for revell acrylic paints. Not tried with tamiya paints though. Around £2.00 from ASDA.

 

I've tried adding car screenwash to the above for an aor brush cleaner and i'd say ot does help clean the airbrush out and a drop.of washing up liquid. So the mixture i used was..

Half screenwash, 1/4 asda purple nail varnish remover and a 1/4 water with a drop of washing up soap (fairy or magmum). 

 

Thinning Molotow liquid chrome - either isopropanyl or surgical spirit or Asda Purple Nail varnish remover.

 

I've tried BOOTS acetone nail varnish remover but didnt give the same results as ASDA's, i think the mix is slightly different.

 

 

[Matt_]

I think surgical spirit is denatured ethanol, which is not the same as isopropanol. Although depending on formulation, denatured alcohol may include IPA (as well as things like acetone, MEK, or other ketones).

 

Acetone free nail polish remover is usually a mixture of IPA, ethyl acetate, denatured ethanol, and some other solvents and perfumes.

 

If you want to use acetone in your homebrew airbrush cleaner, you're better off buying some 100% stuff rather than generic nail polish remover that contains oils, perfumes, and other random chemicals to supposedly improve your cuticles.