White Spirit As Thinners?

[Richard08]

While wondering around the internet rabbit hole I came across a long discourse on the use of assorted paints for models in general. The discourse didn't even mention model railways or anything, just the paints and spraying . The author recommends white spirit for enamels paints (no mention of enamel thinners at all!).

In the interests of pursuing ever more miserly ways of doing stuff I've cleaned a brush (tick), painted some white spirit on bare plasticard (tick so far) and overpainted with white spirit some Railmatch paint under a wagon (also tick so far) to see what happens. Is white spirit a 'known' goodie or baddie (before I re-spay the aforementioned wagon)?

[Dad-1]

Historic, Err this is the U.K in 2022 so perhaps Hysteric,

I've always used White Spirit as my thinners, going back many years when I used to use an airbrush
on my scale aircraft models. Used with many different makes of enamel, Humbrol, Precision Paints,
Hannants Extra Colour, Revell. Now with railway engineering being a slightly less refined heavy use
environment I just brush paint, but again including any RailMatch I may use, I just continue with a
bottle (or two) of white spirit.

Geoff T.

[Richard08]

Historic, Err this is the U.K in 2022 so perhaps Hysteric,

I've always used White Spirit as my thinners, going back many years when I used to use an airbrush
on my scale aircraft models. Used with many different makes of enamel, Humbrol, Precision Paints,
Hannants Extra Colour, Revell. Now with railway engineering being a slightly less refined heavy use
environment I just brush paint, but again including any RailMatch I may use, I just continue with a
bottle (or two) of white spirit.

Geoff T.

Thank you. That'll do me

[Bigmet]

...In the interests of pursuing ever more miserly ways of doing stuff I've cleaned a brush (tick), painted some white spirit on bare plasticard (tick so far) and overpainted with white spirit some Railmatch paint under a wagon (also tick so far) to see what happens. Is white spirit a 'known' goodie or baddie (before I re-spay the aforementioned wagon)?

Just one more test, if using it to dilute matt or satin enamel, the formulation 'White spirit' is not closely controlled, and can add some glossiness. Worth checking before use.

[Dad-1]

Never been a problem to me as Transfers/Decals should go down onto a gloss surface to exclude
any chance of air pockets being trapped within the paint surface giving a silvering effect from
decal carrier film. Then the final sealing varnish to give the required matte/satin/gloss finish.

These 3 white brutes having home printed squadron marking decals.



Geoff T.

[Richard08]

...In the interests of pursuing ever more miserly ways of doing stuff I've cleaned a brush (tick), painted some white spirit on bare plasticard (tick so far) and overpainted with white spirit some Railmatch paint under a wagon (also tick so far) to see what happens. Is white spirit a 'known' goodie or baddie (before I re-spay the aforementioned wagon)?

Just one more test, if using it to dilute matt or satin enamel, the formulation 'White spirit' is not closely controlled, and can add some glossiness. Worth checking before use.

Noted. I've applied a coat of Railmatch Early Freight Grey (over GWR grey). All is as expected, usual finish. Nothing has melted, exploded or caught fire so far. Gave the air brush a right good bath too, the luxury of not having to eke out liquid gold thinners.

[Richard08]

Unintended bonus miser points : When I'd given the airbrush it's bath I had a fair quantity of dirty white spirit. I'm guessing chucking it down the bog would be frowned on, so I tipped into my air-brush-thing-you-spray-into-when-cleaning pot. Today all the paint, to all intents and purposes, had settled out of the white spirit. Back in the bottle I'm easily pleased.

[stuartp]

Always used white spirit or turps substitute for brush painting (there is apparently a difference but I've no idea what it is).

For airbrushing try cellulose thinners. It's more volatile so flashes off quicker, and it cleans the airbrush beautifully.

[Richard08]

Always used white spirit or turps substitute for brush painting (there is apparently a difference but I've no idea what it is).

Thanks. I've often wondered that too!

For airbrushing try cellulose thinners. It's more volatile so flashes off quicker, and it cleans the airbrush beautifully.

I used cellulose thinners for a while, but it caused problems with some of my Railmatch paints, just a few colours and not the rest. I'd assumed they are all the same. They went sort of gritty. Maybe just me, but, yeah, once bitten and all that. Anyhow, the wagon has survived intact (Workbench thread) in the exciting world of white spirit and all is well with the world.

[Bufferstop]

I like the description of the thing you keep spraying into when cleaning your airbrush. I inherited an airbrush and most of the stuff that goes with it, but said item was missing. Going through the Christmas decorations I found a sweetie jar that stood on one flat side with another at a slope with the lid. A couple of holes in the lid and I have my own thing for spraying into when cleaning the airbrush. Yes the paint settles out and you can decant off the white spirit, but do it before the white spirit evaporates of or you have a worse mess to clean up. I decant it into a bottle reserved for brush cleaning. It's a suitably labelled Dettol bottle, left over from loco body stripping operations.