Acrylic Paint

[amato1969]

Gene, yes, I have sprayed Tamiya thinned with Vallejo thinner thru my trusty Paasche Model H.  For me, the Vallejo thinner works more consistently than water+airbrush medium as a thinner.

Some folks swear by Tamiya + lacquer thinner, but I'm a strictly acrylic guy...

  Frank

[Genetk44]

Gene, yes, I have sprayed Tamiya thinned with Vallejo thinner thru my trusty Paasche Model H.  For me, the Vallejo thinner works more consistently than water+airbrush medium as a thinner.

Some folks swear by Tamiya + lacquer thinner, but I'm a strictly acrylic guy...

  Frank

Thank you Frank...I was under the impression that Tamiya only really worked with Tamiya thinner.

Cheers
Gene

[peteski]

Gene, yes, I have sprayed Tamiya thinned with Vallejo thinner thru my trusty Paasche Model H.  For me, the Vallejo thinner works more consistently than water+airbrush medium as a thinner.

Some folks swear by Tamiya + lacquer thinner, but I'm a strictly acrylic guy...

  Frank

Going by their smell, Tamiya "water-based" acrylics use isopropyl alcohol (not water) as their solvent. Maybe they do have some water in them too, but it seems to be mostly alcohol.  The Tamiya thinner for those paints also seems to be isopropyl alcohol and I'm sure that it is the most compatible paint for those paints.

Since they are alcohol-based, a generic lacquer thinner will also work with them. But lacquer thinner will most likely curdle acrylic paints which are truly water-based.

BTW, Tamiya also sells bottles of lacquer thinner, similar to generic lacquer thinners from a hardware store.  Supposedly that thinner is for cleaning the airbrush or paint brushes.

[tom mann]

I can't recommend the Vallejo Thinner enough.  It's cheap and safe, and it claims that it help adhesion.

[Genetk44]

I can't recommend the Vallejo Thinner enough.  It's cheap and safe, and it claims that it help adhesion.

Well since you're a published author Tom it must be true 
Seriously though , all great info. I went out and bought branded Tamiya thinner before knowing all this......and I already had 2 bottles of Vallejo thinner in stock for my ModelAir...which I love .

[peteski]

While I'm sure that manufacturers live the profit from selling their branded thinner for their branded paints, I still think that using a thinner specifically made for a specific brand of paint is the safest way to go.  This is especially true with the "water-based" acrylic paints.  There are just so many different (and often incompatible) formulas out there.

This is nowhere as critical with any of the old-fashion smelly organic-solvent-based paints.  Those paints were much more forgiving as far as using a wide range or thinners.

But if  says that Vallejo thinner is the cat's meow, then who am I to dispute that?  So, go ahead and live dangerously!    After all, the worst thing that can happen is that you'll have to dump a cupful of paint in the trash, while the best thing could be that you could've just discovered a miracle universal thinner. 

EDIT: spelling and grammar (that is what I get by posting while half-asleep) 

[tom mann]

Another reason why I like it is mainly due to the fact that I don't have to worry about any toxicity or flammability. But in my unscientific tests, the adhesive quality of highly thinned paint applied with an airbrush seemed a bit better.

[Genetk44]

Up until a few weeks ago I was using Windex to thin my Vallejo paints...worked great. Then I got a new Sotar airbrush and the Windex wasn't doing the job so I bought and started using the Vallejo thinner...its certainly more effective than the Windex.