Substitute for Model Master Lacquer Thinner

[John1]

I've depleted the last of my stash of this stuff, nothing to be had online anymore.  Wondering if Tamiya Lacquer Thinner would work ok with Dullcoate?

 

Thoughts?

[LSP_Mike]

What about laquer thinner from home dopey or lowes?

[John1]

I could do that but I've got a good supply of the Tamiya stuff on hand.   Just not sure if all thinners are created equal or not?

[quang]

If you already have the Tamiya lacquer thinner on hand, what would prevent you to try the stuff on your Dullcoate and tell us? 

[John1]

19 minutes ago, quang said:

If you already have the Tamiya lacquer thinner on hand, what would prevent you to try the stuff on your Dullcoate and tell us? 

Just looking to see if anyone has already tried this so I don't have to invest the time myself.  

[D Bellis]

While I have no idea what Model Master sells under the premise of "lacquer thinner", I do know that what Tamiya sells with "Lacquer Thinner" on the label is nothing more than isopropyl alcohol. It will not thin actual lacquers or enamels. 

 

Real lacquer thinner that comes from a hardware store is a petroleum-based "cellulose thinner" that is something else entirely. It works perfectly to thin real lacquers, enamels and even most alcohol-based and water-based acrylics. 

 

HTH,

D

[markiii]

Tamiya lacquer thinner main ingredient:

Methyl isobutyl ketone

[Juggernut]

7 minutes ago, Jennings Heilig said:

I've only ever used lacquer thinner in a gallon tin from the hardware store and have never had an issue with it.

This… and I’ve had no problems with it ever.  I use it mainly to thin enamels and lacquers but have not yet tried it on acrylic lacquers like Mr. Color.  I have a supply of Mr. Color thinner I bought years ago for this purpose not knowing at that time I could’ve just used lacquer thinner.  
 

One gallon can of the stuff at Home Depot cost about $17 two years ago and I’ve yet to use even half of it.  I keep the used lacquer thinner in an old Smuckers Jelly bottle (one of the few companies that still use glass jars and metal caps) and use it to clean paint brushes, airbrush parts, etc.  Keep the lid on or you’ll have nothing left…it evaporates fairly quickly.

 

Edited September 12, 2021 by Juggernut

[LSP_K2]

Yep, I've thinned Testors gloss coat and dull coat with hardware store lacquer thinner for years and years, never an issue. I tend to use about a 50/50 mix, as the dull coat, in particular, has a lot of particulate. A 50/50 blend also seemed to work well for the gloss coat, but I don't ever use gloss coat any more, instead opting to use plain Testors clear lacquer, which I'm unfortunately running out of.

[LSP_Ron]

Same same,  hardware store lacquer thinner works with Tamiya paints (all types) and Model Master enamel.  It's just a bit stinky 

[Woody V]

Any lacquer thinner with thin lacquer and enamel paint, but not all real lacquer thinners are equal. Hardware store thinner is "hot" and will etch styrene, forming a molecular bond, lacquer thinners like Mr. Color will not. Not that the etching properties of HS is a bad thing, I use it for my base coat but not to thin my paints. For that I only use Mr Color Leveling Thinner because it has properties that help flow out the paint. HS lacquer thinner does not give you the same finish.

 

I used to use the hardware store stuff to thin my Mr. Color paints but now it's only used to clean up and base coat.

 

But that's just me.

Edited September 12, 2021 by Archer Fine Transfers