In the neat future I will need to get some new thinners for both my acrylic and enamel paints. Up until now I've tended to use branded thinners for both, mainly humbrol. However given my nearest stockist for these is now miles away I was wondering if any members could recommend any generic thinners for acrylic and enamel paints that is readily available in the UK ?

I know you can use White Spirits but what about others ?

Help appreciated 

Chris

Acrylics can be tricky because they have so many base solvents.

I know isopropyl alcohol (IPA) works great with Tamiya paints & I don't recall it reacting terribly with AK or Vallejo paints (but I tend to use distilled water with them more-so than IPA) but NOT WELL with Life Color.

I alternate between, & even mix, turps (white spirit) & Humbrol thinner for Humbrol paints, but I don't use them very often any more, except, occasionally, on figures.

Acrylics come in different chemistries. Isopropyl alcohol and especially Denatured alcohol (Methylated spirit in the UK) work great with Tamiya but will make a gooey mess with AK Interactive 3rd Gen. paints (which are otherwise great paints). Vallejo Airbrush thinner works great with all the acrylics I've used, both for airbrushing and brush painting.

I've always used lacquer thinner for enamels, especially the old school Testors. Acrylics I'm sticking with the same company thinners for each brand. Painting with all these different brands is still a nail biter for me.

I use bog standard supermarket screen wash as thinners for Xtracrylix.  Less than a fiver for 5 litres as opposed to £3 for sod all?  No brainier.

Quote from: The Wooksta! on June 23, 2023, 09:56:51 AMI use bog standard supermarket screen wash as thinners for Xtracrylix.  Less than a fiver for 5 litres as opposed to £3 for sod all?  No brainier.

Can someone translate this?

I only use water soluble acrylics and, oil based enamels. Branded "thinners" are a terrible waste of money. You pay a lot for next to nothing. Tap water is available in abundance and, a large  2 litre bottle of white spirit is very cheap and, lasts ages!  Who needs "branded " items?  

Quote from: kerick on June 23, 2023, 09:24:12 PM

Quote from: The Wooksta! on June 23, 2023, 09:56:51 AMI use bog standard supermarket screen wash as thinners for Xtracrylix.  Less than a fiver for 5 litres as opposed to £3 for sod all?  No brainier.

Can someone translate this?

Tamiya paint thinner is £6.99 for 250ml.
Vehicle windshield washer (this kind of stuff https://www.walmart.com/browse/auto-tires/windshield-washer-fluids/91083_1104294_3357617_1218939 ) is £3.50 for 5 litres. And it smells nice.

Quote from: Nick on June 24, 2023, 07:34:39 AM

Quote from: kerick on June 23, 2023, 09:24:12 PM

Quote from: The Wooksta! on June 23, 2023, 09:56:51 AMI use bog standard supermarket screen wash as thinners for Xtracrylix.  Less than a fiver for 5 litres as opposed to £3 for sod all?  No brainier.

Can someone translate this?

Tamiya paint thinner is £6.99 for 250ml.
Vehicle windshield washer (this kind of stuff https://www.walmart.com/browse/auto-tires/windshield-washer-fluids/91083_1104294_3357617_1218939 ) is £3.50 for 5 litres. And it smells nice.

Not just a matter of an aesthetic sense. Unpleasant smells can be a warning of  chemical threat..............................Some scientist here will be able to explain this better than me.....................I'm just a poor benighted historian/geographer,

Quote from: Nick on June 24, 2023, 07:34:39 AMTamiya paint thinner is £6.99 for 250ml.

Related - Tamiya Airbrush Cleaner (which is pretty cheap) is essentially Tamiya Extra Thin cement. I've been using it as such for a while and it works exactly the same.
Relevant video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZvQ2eit2ZNQ

Airbrush cleaner?
I use GP Thinners which dissolves anything (including thongs if you spill it and stand in the puddle).

I wonder if GP Thinners will work as styrene cement?

Quote from: zenrat on June 25, 2023, 04:40:04 AM(including thongs if you spill it and stand in the puddle).

Owwerrr!!!!            

Immediate mental image!     

Ah! You mean Flip-Flops! 

Quote from: The Wooksta! on June 23, 2023, 09:56:51 AMI use bog standard supermarket screen wash as thinners for Xtracrylix.  Less than a fiver for 5 litres as opposed to £3 for sod all?  No brainier.

As luck would have it I was in Sainsbury's this morning and there right in front of me for £4.50 was 5 litres of the stuff. So that's the acrylics sorted 

Quote from: zenrat on June 25, 2023, 04:40:04 AMAirbrush cleaner?
I use GP Thinners which dissolves anything (including thongs if you spill it and stand in the puddle).

I wonder if GP Thinners will work as styrene cement?

If it contains just about any combination of toluene, MEK, xylene, acetone etc. it will act as a styrene cement, which of course it actually isn't as it bonds by melting the mating surfaces rather than adhering to the surface. However whether or not it will bond well depends on the mix, which is why most styrene cenents are primarily toluene or MEK or a combination. MEK can be used by itself and was the most common in the heyday of the film company modelshops.

Quote from: jcf on June 26, 2023, 03:16:08 PMMEK can be used by itself and was the most common in the heyday of the film company modelshops.

We used it by the gallon in the 60s/70s for plastic modelling. Slaters here sold it in reasonably sized bottles as 'MekPak' and every plastic modeller worth their salt had at least one. I'm not sure if they still sell it, but I expect not as the overbearing EU will have surely found a 'reason' to ban it.