Substitute for lacquer thinner?

[Ovidius Incertus]

Can mineral spirits or enamel thinner be used as a substitute for lacquer thinner?

[Major_Gilbear]

I guess it depends on the specific paint (normally they tell you on the back of the can), but I found this on Wikipedia which may help you.

 

If in doubt, maybe put a drop of the paint on a palette and add a drop of mineral spirits to test? I presume you have the paint already, and similarly that you'd have mineral spirits around the house from home decoration, so a drop of each means a test won't really cost you anything.

 

Random guess; is it to resurrect a gloopy tin of dip?

[Arkhanist]

Depends upon what you're using lacquer thinner for - and what the version you're using is made of. They're all variants of a mix of organic solvents, usually from refining petroleum.

 

Lacquer thinner tends to be the strongest and most toxic solvent mix; lacquer has changed a lot over the last few decades which doesn't help.

Enamel thinners are somewhat in the middle.

Mineral (white) spirit is generally the most refined, and thus the least environmentally toxic (and smelly!)

 

The stronger the solvent mix, the more likely you'll end up with stuff that can dissolve acrylic paints and/or plastic models. MEK and toluene make effective plastic weld, acetone will soften hard plastics quickly etc.

[Ovidius Incertus]

I suppose I should have specified in the original post: I want to thin Tamiya White putty and clean brushes afterwards.

[Brother-Chaplain Kage]

I suppose I should have specified in the original post: I want to thin Tamiya White putty and clean brushes afterwards.

 

I use lacquer thinner for this very thing. 

[Arkhanist]

A quick googling indicates enamel thinner at least doesn't work - given how strong lacquer thinner usually is, that's not terribly surprising. I've come across recommendations for adding a little acetone (nail polish remover) to make it a bit more liquid, and a q-tip* dipped in it to smooth it out. Acetone can soften or even deform styrene plastic, aka GW plastics so don't soak the model too much and avoid industrial strength concentrations. Test it on some sprue first too.

 

Another recommendation I've seen is to mix it with a little liquid poly cement, aka plastic weld.

 

Cocktail sticks can be useful to apply putty then throw away.

 

* normal q-tips are quite loose and can leave bits of cotton behind generally; eyeshadow foam applicators are a cheap alternative, and tamiya do tightly packed cotton swabs.

[Major_Gilbear]

Also be aware that adding thinners to the Tamiya White Putty reduces the working time as volatility of the thinner chemicals cause it to dry faster. If you add too much of the thinner, you also risk damaging/crazing the plastic model too, which may make more work for you in the end.