decanting/thinning question

greetings on my first question on AF - hope it's not too stupid.
Thanks in advance for your answers and also thanks for all the BRILLIANT advice I have found here over the past couple of months after getting back into the hobby after nearly 20 years - hope I can start contributing some day soon :)

I live in Poland and it's really hard to get tamiya TS paints so I want to start economising on my poor supplies by decanting and then airbrushing the paint on.

I've done a lot of searching and think I'm OK on the decanting techniques etc. My qustion is about thinning of the TS range of synthetic lacquers for use in AB: What thinner to use to get it to "milk consistency"? Tamiya lacquer thinner? any lacquer thinner? Acrylic thinner (I guess not)? Blood sweat and tears? BTW it's the word "synthetic" in the name that gets me worried.

I guess that I might not need to thin, but I wanted to ask before hand what to use IF I do need to thin.

Thanks (dziekuje!)

I haven't tried it yet, but will soon, and from what I have been told, you do not need to thin decanted Tamiya lacquers.

I also would like to know the answer to this.

I've decanted and used TS three times. One time I got orange peel, but I think that was airbrush technique and not because the paint needed to be thinned further than it already is. The paint out of the can is already quite thin, and will go through the airbrush just fine. I used decanted TS on my 787B, and it layed down beautifully. For me, it comes out semigloss, glossy enough for decals but without the thick coat needed for a nice shine. I'd say don't worry about thinning it, though knowing what thinner would work would probably be handy.

Usually the paint is ready to shoot right out of the can. But it does evaporate quickly too and can get thicker than the optimum ratio just setting in your A/B cup. To thin it I use regular lacquer thinner, it works great and is economical too... - Mark

I just use automotive lacquer thinner, it's cheap! You could also use Gunze, Tamiya, Finishers or any other hobby lacquer thinner. They might be a bit better but also much more expensive.

P.S. I hope you are going to use the drinking straw method, not the punch-a-hole-in-the-side-of-the-can-and-hope-it-doesn't-explode method. It's also important to let the decanted paint gass out overnight.

I have used decanted Tamiya paint just this weekend. It was the first time I used my airbrush to paint a body and may I say: wow! it's so much better that the rattle can. You save lots of paint (I decanted only 20ml and I sprayed all 3 mist and 3 wetcoats on my miata and I still have some paint left), it's easier to get a proper wetcoat without worrying about running paint. It's really great. I will never use spray paint again :D

Agree fully Pedro. The only advantage I see in using spray cans is being able to use them ouside and thus not having to worry about picking up dust. Always a problem in my dirty garage.

Maybe I should do something clever and build a mobile spray station to use outside... :)

I do have some questions abou that, gassing it out and such:
- Do you have a time-table more accurate than 'overnight'? Do you leave the bottle completely open, leave the straw in, or even use an airbrush cap that's vented?

- How long do you have to work with it once it's decanted? Can it be stored and used for months, or do you have a few weeks or days?

If you do the math, once it's available again, using Tamiya spray paint for all the common colors (Red, white, black, etc) is cheaper than acrylic if you airbrush it.

- Do you have a time-table more accurate than 'overnight'? Do you leave the bottle completely open, leave the straw in, or even use an airbrush cap that's vented?
Depends, what I do is leave it without the lid on for around 12-24 hours, then try stirring it with a toothpick. If there are no further bubbles I place the lid on top (just placed, not screwed), often there is more gas to come out and it will pop the top off! Lid is only screwed on when I think (hope) all the gas is gone. Last time I decanted I placed the open jars in front of a heater for a few minutes and it sped up the degassing process. What you need to be careful of is placing the lid on too soon otherwise the pressure will build up and make an almighty mess when you remove the lid! As the paint is very thin leaving it open for day or two will not result in much evaporation, adding a bit of thinner will fix up the consistency you desire.
- How long do you have to work with it once it's decanted? Can it be stored and used for months, or do you have a few weeks or days?
Paint should last indefinitely, provided the seals are tight. I've got a few jars that were decanted a couple of years ago, paint is still fine. Can't hurt to add a bit more thinner to make sure.

OK, I will definitely keep that in mind.

I have read that the cheaper the lacquer thinner, the better, for whatever reason.

I live in Poland and it's really hard to get tamiya TS paints so I want to start economising on my poor supplies by decanting and then airbrushing the paint on.

Hi
I also live in Poland:], so u should check this site: http://www.ww-model.pl/ (mieli tam ostanio nowa dostawe Ts-ow)

Hi
I also live in Poland:], so u should check this site: http://www.ww-model.pl/ (mieli tam ostanio nowa dostawe Ts-ow)

Witam!!
I just bought a whole load from them :) Been waiting 3 months for it to arrive (dlatego chcę oszczędnie używac)
Are you in Warsaw? Drop me a line if you want to swap modelling stories :biggrin: I haven't found too many auto enthiusiast - mostly WWII modelers

do usłyszenie mam nadzieję