Alternative To Vallejo Paint Thinner

[BCR751]

Is there an alternative to using Vallejo paint thinner for their Model Air paint?  I would like to use a cheaper alternative but the formula isn't shown on the Vallejo bottle to I'm not sure what to look for.

Doug

[Philip H]

You could start with the Safety Data Sheet - https://acrylicosvallejo.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/SDS-Airbrush-Flow-Improver-2018-1.pdf

[chessie system fan]

I don't know about locomotives and rolling stock, but I've seen seen it thinned for scenery with just plain IPA and it works great.

[BCR751]

Interesting because I've heard that IPA basically gums up Vallejo paint.  I'll stick with the Vallejo thinner for now until I can find a cheaper alternative, if one exists.

Doug

[StarCruiser]

You can try ... thinning the thinner ... with distilled water.

It works great for hand brushing and some swear by that for airbrushing too.

[chessie system fan]

Interesting because I've heard that IPA basically gums up Vallejo paint.  I'll stick with the Vallejo thinner for now until I can find a cheaper alternative, if one exists.

Doug

Correction! I double checked, and the guy I was thinking of was talking abut Tamiya.  So that's what I get for going from memory.   

[basementcalling]

What is IPA. My Google search was all breweries.

[Mdrzycimski]

What is IPA. My Google search was all breweries.

Isopropyl Alcohol

[peteski]

What is IPA. My Google search was all breweries.

NOpw, it is not a beer, but it is alcoholic. 

Isopropyl Alcohol, ain various concentrations. Other names are IPA or Isopropanol.  This is what the packaging of the one I buy looks like.

[muktown128]

The SDS wasn't very informative.  The only hazardous ingredient listed was 2-butoxy ethanol, otherwise known as EB or butyl cellosolve, at a level between 2.5-10% by weight.  This means the other items in the product would be considered non-hazardous (water?). 

EB is a slower evaporating solvent that is a very good coalescing solvent for latex paints and is widely used in water-based industrial coatings. 

[Spades]

Googling for 15 seconds I would do more Googling before I tried it.

According to this Britmodeller thread:

https://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/235060407-av-vallejo-home-made-thinner/

The secret ingredient, well at least part of it is : Butyl Glycol

from the thread. 

"Home-made AV Vallejo Thinner -> %33 Butyl Glycol / %66 Distilled or Tap Water (optionally few drops of Glycerine or Ethylene Glycol, not tested yet)
 

Home-made AV Vallejo Cleaner -> %30 IPA / % 60 Water / %5 Acetone / %5 Butyl Glycol / 10-20 Drops of Glycerine (IPA/Acetone & Butyl ratios can be altered, this one seems more Tamiya/Gunze focused and based on various sources in the Internet, increasing the Butyl and decreasing the IPA/Acetone ratio(s) would make it more AV friendly, but this current formula works quite fine for Vallejo's as well. Need some free time to test all of these one by one)"

[JeffB]

NOpw, it is not a beer, but it is alcoholic. 

Isopropyl Alcohol, ain various concentrations. Other names are IPA or Isopropanol.  This is what the packaging of the one I buy looks like.

Do you order that online Pete?  Or is there a big box store that carries it?

JB

[JeffB]

Is there an alternative to using Vallejo paint thinner for their Model Air paint?  I would like to use a cheaper alternative but the formula isn't shown on the Vallejo bottle to I'm not sure what to look for.

Doug

I've had good luck with windshield washer fluid...  It's a mix of methanol, propylene glycol and water, which makes it a great thinner for most acrylics.  The only downside of it is methanol is fairly toxic. I (and my boys who use it for their models) only spray it outside or in the paint booth and of late, we wear respirators in both instances.

IPA will definitely turn Vallejo into a gummy mess.  It'll do the same to acrylic craft paints. 

The homemade thinners you see that have IPA in them, usually have a large volume of water, which I think helps keep from the paint gumming up.

Tamiya acrylics can be thinned with IPA with no ill effects.  It's actually better than water, unless you plan on using the thinned paint as a wash or filter over a surface already painted with an acrylic (IPA or any alcohol will eat away/remove most dried acrylics).  In that case, just use water or better yet "wet water" (water with a few drops of dish soap, or a commercial wetting agent such as you can find in art supply stores).

Jeff

[peteski]

Do you order that online Pete?  Or is there a big box store that carries it?

JB

No, my local Ace Hardware store has it in stock (in the paint thinners isle), but even if they did not stock it, there is a good chance I could ask them to special order it for me (they special ordered other things for me in the past).

I think that nowadays the larger chains (like Home Depot or Lowe's) also carry 99% IPA.

[JeffB]

No, my local Ace Hardware store has it in stock (in the paint thinners isle), but even if they did not stock it, there is a good chance I could ask them to special order it for me (they special ordered other thugs for me in the past).

I think that nowadays the larger chains (like Home Depot or Lowe's) also carry 99% IPA.

Thanks Peteski...

Jeff