Tamiya Paint Question.

[Airframes]

Just a quick question regarding Tamiya acrylic paints, and thinning.
I very rarely use any acrylic paint, but I have a bottle of Tamiya green which is a fairly close match for the RV band on the tail of the Bf109G-6 in my current GB build, but as it's so long since I used Tamiya paint, I can't remember what I used to thin it with !!!
Question is, can it be safely thinned with isopropyl alcohol, or tap water, or does it really need a dedicated thinner ?
I've used plain tap water with Vallejo and Revell acrylics, but I think I probably used the alcohol with the Tamiya paints.

 

[parsifal]

Terry there will be guys 10 times better than me at this, I can only pass on what ive found. Ive used humbrol enamel thinners (which I think are alcohol based). Water will work, but not terrifically I have found.

Your best bet is to buy a small bottle of Tamiya thinner if you can. For what it is and the quantities provided its a bit of a rip off I think. I find it a LOT cheaper to buy acrylic thinner from an automotive paint shop. ive had no problems with auto acrylic thinner.

Just be careful though. I had a friend who cleaned up using Tamiya thinners and it ate the neoprene O-ring seals out of his airbrush. I personally have not had that problem but ive heard others talk about it.

 

[Wurger]

As memo serves the Tamiya thinner for acrylic water paints contains 95% of the isopropyl alcohol. So it should work.


Micheal, the Humbrol enamels are the oil based colours. So the thinner can't be the water or alcohol. Either it should be the thinner for oil-colours or the turpentine for instance.

 

[turbo]

Tamiya's X20A acrylic thinner is isopropyl alcohol with a bit of butanol thrown in. IPA should work fine.

 

[fubar57]

Agree with Kirby. I normally use the X20A (Tamiya recommendation of 2:1 paint/thinner) but I have used the IPA. Currently looking into a home brew version which should drastically cut the cost of the X20A if only I can remember to bring my phone with me to PG

 

[Crimea_River]

Do you guys use close to pure IPA or a diluted one? I can buy it at 75% or 95%.

Terry, one caution. If you haven't already noticed, the Tamiya caps often don't represent the paint colour very well. If you are referring to XF-5, the cap is a nice bright green but the contents look very different.

 

[vikingBerserker]

I use Windex window cleaner, much cheaper.

 

[mikewint]

Terry, I use acrylics almost exclusively both Model Master and Tamiya. I decided a while ago to just spend a few extra dollars and buy the dedicated thinners especially once I started to airbrush. So I use Tamiya's thinner. As to the isopropyl I always get the 91% as I have plenty of water right here at home.
You mentioned water as a thinner. I don't know what comes out of your faucet but mine here is VERY hard and I would never use it to thin anything. I'd suggest that you stick to distilled water if you want to thin

 

[Crimea_River]

I use Windex window cleaner, much cheaper.

Whoa really? That's what I use to clean my airbrush after using the thinned paint. Not sure I like the idea of mixing a soapy ammonia fluid with my paint. It foams like crazy when I clean my brush.

 

[Airframes]

Thanks very much for the response chaps, very much appreciated.
However, I think I would now need an extremely strong thinners - I've just opened the bottle, and the remaining paint is rock hard !!!
So, onto Plan B+ ...... I found a tin of Humbrol paint I forgot I had which, with a touchette of black added, should do the job.

Andy, the paint was XF-26 Deep Green, and after looking at it, I reckon it was probably not quite the right shade anyway.
Mike, I have no problem with the local water, it's a neutral ph, and works well with other acrylics etc The local beer is a different story, as I don't work well after a few !

Thanks again all, and apologies for what turned out to be a dead end !

 

[Crimea_River]

Good discussion anyway. I've learned not to mix beer into Tamiya paints.

 

[turbo]

I've learned not to mix beer into Tamiya paints

It would probably work though - alcohol and water. So who wants to do the experiment?

 

[parsifal]

Coca Cola can loosen rusted wheel studs, why not work as paint thinner as well?

 

[mikewint]

Not sure I like the idea of mixing a soapy ammonia fluid with my paint.

PLAIN ordinary Windex is available without ammonia. Ammonia (ammonium hydroxide in water) is a strong base it is in Windex because windows are often covered in greasy finger and other prints. Ammonium hydroxide reacts chemically with grease (saponify) to convert it into soap (tis how GG Grandma made Lye soap)(NO not with Windex)(water poured over wood ashes) then the soap dissolves easily (it's how Draino (sodium hydroxide(Lye)) clears kitchen drains).
Blue Windshield Washer fluid works as it is essentially plain Windex

 

[turbo]

Coca Cola can loosen rusted wheel studs, why not work as paint thinner as well?

Coke is basically a strong acid (phosphoric acid, pH ~2.5) with a heap of sugar thrown in to balance the taste and some cola flavouring, so works well as an acid cleaner (eg cleaning lime scale, etc). Dunno what a low pH would do to paint plus the sugar wouldn't be ideal. Maybe throw some Coke Zero into the experiment!

 

[Airframes]

What's all this about putting water in beer then ?
I mean, I know American beer is like making love in a canoe, but ..................

 

[parsifal]

PH levels for cerain commonly consumed beverages

http://www.gcaustralasia.com/Upload/product/pdf/96/Acidity-pH-chart.pdf

coke is right up there with stomach acid, and just behind battery acid. Lordy lordy what have I been doing?.

 

[parsifal]

PLAIN ordinary Windex is available without ammonia. Ammonia (ammonium hydroxide in water) is a strong base it is in Windex because windows are often covered in greasy finger and other prints. Ammonium hydroxide reacts chemically with grease (saponify) to convert it into soap (tis how GG Grandma made Lye soap)(NO not with Windex)(water poured over wood ashes) then the soap dissolves easily (it's how Draino (sodium hydroxide(Lye)) clears kitchen drains).
Blue Windshield Washer fluid works as it is essentially plain Windex

how corrosive is it do you think?

 

[mikewint]

Coca Cola can loosen rusted wheel studs,

Provided you use a 3/4" air hammer at 200psi. The Coke myth has been around for a long time and it has been semi-debunked many times. I say semi because ONE of the ingredients in soft drinks (SOFT because NO alcohol as in HARD liquor) is PHOSPHORIC ACID. It gives the drink a TANGY taste and makes Coke more acidic than vinegar (that's why they add ALL that sugar) though vinegar Acetic acid is like phosphoric a WEAK acid. Now concentrated Phosphoric acid is a fine rust remover (actually converts iron OXIDE to iron PHOSPHATE which actually provides a protective coating).
So since Coke contains a WEAK solution of Phosphoric acid it can remove SOME LIGHT surface rust but it is NOT going to attack heavily rusted nut and bolts

 

[mikewint]

Corrosive from corrodere to eat away is more commonly applied to acids like Hydrochloric and Sulfuric. STRONG bases like Sodium Hydroxide (Lye) and Potassium Hydroxide are more commonly referred to as CAUSTIC.
But to answer directly, NOT AT ALL, as the solution of Ammonia Gas in water forms a very low concentration of Ammonia Hydroxide which breaks down back into the gas Ammonia and water