Jump to content

What is in Tamiya / Mr Color Lacquer thinners?


Recommended Posts

Guys, ny supply of tamiya lacquer thinners is nearly exhausted, and the one and only place that used to sell it here no longer stocks it. As I use it for a number of things including stripping paint (brilliant for it, it even strips of clear parts without fogging) I desperately want to get some more. Unfortunately I have yet to find an online stockist who is willing to send it by mail due to the imflammable nature.

So, assuming that it must be made from reasonably common chemicals, if I knew what they were I could try and source locally. If they are available as a thinner for other more industrial paints, I could search the stores here.

So, anyone got any idea?

Link to post
Share on other sites

I don't have a very technical answer but did want go share my experiences.

I find Mr. Color self-leveling thinner to be almost worth it's weight in gold. Thus I use it sparingly ONLY to thin paint for airbrushing. I use cheap hardware store lacquer thinner for cleaning.

Link to post
Share on other sites

There is also Methylated Spirits or methyl alcholhol. Some people swear by it but I haven't tried it personally. Do a search on these forums for past threads and recommendations.

As always, use precaution with chemicals. Gloves, eye-protection, ventilation, and have a spill response plan. Need to keep the misses happy as she doesn't want the house smelling like chemicals (that aren't hers LOL) :)

Link to post
Share on other sites

I suppose for me the logical question would be 'which one of those ingredients is the one that I could use to clean and strip the models'

Les

Buy some Tamiya Lacquer thinner in the bottle with the yellow cap. It will take any paint right off your model without damaging the plastic. I wipe all my models down with it before I spray.I also use it to remove Mr. surfacer etc when dry. It is not the X-20A thinner.

HTH

Link to post
Share on other sites

Why do you want to use toxic and expensive ingredient to strip the models when Simple Green can do just as well of a job?

I'm in Abu Dhabi, and we cannot get 1/100th of the products available in the western world. However, there are industrial zones here that have paint and associated stuff.

I would prefer the Simple Green / Purple power alternatives, but I have no option; I can get brake fluid, but I'm not sure what effect that has on the polystyrene

Les

Link to post
Share on other sites

Buy some Tamiya Lacquer thinner in the bottle with the yellow cap. It will take any paint right off your model without damaging the plastic. I wipe all my models down with it before I spray.I also use it to remove Mr. surfacer etc when dry. It is not the X-20A thinner.

HTH

I would love to, but the only place that used to sell it (100 miles away in Dubai) no longer does so

Les

Link to post
Share on other sites

I'm in Abu Dhabi, and we cannot get 1/100th of the products available in the western world. However, there are industrial zones here that have paint and associated stuff.

I would prefer the Simple Green / Purple power alternatives, but I have no option; I can get brake fluid, but I'm not sure what effect that has on the polystyrene

Les

Not a week after posting this, I found an outlet selling the (concentrated) Simple Green in two litre bottles while I was out searching for alternatives! Needless to say I bought a bottle, and am halfway through stripping the model that caused the need for the post in the first place. The best thing is that now I can keep my Tamiya Lacquer thinner (what little is left) for thinning duties.

The Simple Green is not as fast as the lacquer thinner, so I'll have to work out how to keep the model wet with it; as the cockpit is done and good, I can't immerse the whole model, so I'm trying coating the model and putting it in a bag to soak. Any tips are welcome though!

Les

Link to post
Share on other sites
  • 3 weeks later...

Of the solvents listed, Isopropyl alcohol (2-propanol) is the most common and least hazardous.

Here in Brazil the problem is the price, a single X-20 bottle costs about 12USD,and it is not always available at stores. So almost 90% of modellers use Isopropyl alcohol (2-propanol), it´s less hazardous and do the job well. Recomended.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...