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  • Merc posted an update in the group Group logo of Q/A & Help GroupQ/A & Help Group 7 years, 10 months ago

    Hello everyone, I have a quick question that I’m hoping can be answered. I’ve just purchased some tamiya enamel paints and was wondering what a good cheap thinner would be. The tamiya branded enamel thinner is sorta expensive for the size of the containers so can I use anything else for my airbrush?

    • tamiya enamel paints are generally not used for airbrushing theyre usually used for panel line wash u can use him but enamels take FOREVER to dry (some brands may take even up to 2 weeks to dry) if u really wanna do it with enamels use lighter fluid or something of that content it should work

      • Thanks for the reply! I live in a zero humidity high heat area so drying time shouldn’t be that bad. I’ve used Testors enamel before but i don’t really like the colors. I’ve heard I might be able to use alchohol or mineral spirits too but I’m not positive

        • Hello Merc.
          You shouldn’t use alcohol for enamels. This works great for the Tamiya acrylics though.
          Lighter fluid or mineral spirits will work fine for thinning enamels.
          The more thin the paint is, the quicker it actually dries. So for enamels to dry rather quick, use multiple thin coats.
          Even though you live in a zero humidity high heat area doesn’t mean the enamel will cure in a few hours. Please take note, there is a big difference between dried and cured. Dry means no dust will stick to the paint, cured means the paint is safe to touch. You’ll leave no fingerprints on the paint.
          Enamels will take a day to a week before fully cured. When not sure of the curing time, take an old runner and spray some coats enamel on it. You can test on that without ruining your paint job.
          Good luck and happy building

        • My worst case of enamel paint curing took around 40 days (at least after those days it wasnt tacky anymore). And it was all because i was to lazy to go to store and get red acrylic paint, and noticed i had the right red in enamel….

    • this makes a lot of sense when i used testors enamel it took forever to not be *sticky* when handling