himespau 

I have a new frame that needs a little touching up (it's going to be a rider, not a show bike - replacement fork among other issues). Especially a couple scuffs near the bottom bracket where rust might be an issue. Picked up a couple little bottles of Testors model enamel (recommended by several folks here) that should match the various colors. I forgot to grab any thinner when at the store, though. I do, however, have access to a large volume of acetone through work. Can I just use that?

oddjob2

I think acetone is typically used for lacquer, not enamel.

ColonelJLloyd 

I'm not sure, but the proper thinner (mineral spirits) is handy for other things to so I always have some handy.

himespau 

Ah, lacquer and enamel. I always get those two mixed up. Used to work at a used airplane dealership detailing the planes and I used one that smelled (and felt) a lot like acetone, but, now that you mention it, I'm pretty sure it was acrylic lacquer thinner not enamel thinner. Yeah I need some odorless mineral spirits for some other painting I'm doing, so I'll just pick up a big jug of that the next time I'm at home depot or lowes or whatever (new to me house means I'm at one or the other quite a lot).

ColonelJLloyd 

True that. Trust me, you'll use it up quicker than you think!

repechage

In Southern California, odorless mineral spirits (sold in place of "paint thinner") is almost useless for anything.

Kleenstrip sells an "industrial coatings thinner" that is close to what paint thinner used to be before low VOC's

Lacquer thinner (and the stuff you by at a big box store is different from what you can purchase at an auto paint store) is much different stuff so is acetone, the two just mentioned can often reek havoc on transfers and sometimes paint.

Best to test anything on a non obvuous patch, fork steerer is best, under the bottom bracket with a Q-tip swab to be aware of what you are going to do.
By the way, lug lining is often more vulnerable.

SirMike1983 

The Testors paint thinner (small glass bottles) and Kleenstrip paint thinner (tin bottles) work well with the Testor's paint. They will eventually pull up original paint if you rub enough, but that takes a bit of effort. Try to keep them off of box stripes, lug stripes, and decals.

Acetone is different and is generally more aggressive with original paint. Acetone comes into its own when stripping off thick layers of over-spray or housepaint.

himespau 

Was mainly thinking for cleaning brushes (at least I'm hoping I still have a steady enough hand not to need the thinner for much else).

rhm

In my thinking, terms like 'xylol' or 'acetone' or 'naptha' refer to specific solvents, while 'lacquer thinner' or 'enamel thinner' or 'lighter fluid' refer to uses. Sometimes it's easy to connect the two; naptha = lighter fluid, for example. Other times, it's not. And then there are brands, such as 'goof off.' So, what's in 'enamel thinner'? I don't know. That's what the internet is for.

zandoval 

Test - Test - Test - I always think of Acetone as a paint stripper first...

himespau 

Didn't acetone used to be what nail polish remover was made out of until they figured out it caused cancer or whatever?

Lenton58 

NO! Acetone is a solvent.

I've used more enamel than most people have had breakfasts. Never heard of it being used as a thinner. What is called 'mineral spirits' is used for enamels. Lacquer thinner will not thin authentic enamels. It will curdle the enamel and make it unusable. I have thinned enamels with a bit of kerosene (before I knew better), but I would not recommend it. And if you did, you'd be wise to mix in a tad of Japan dryer. Head back to the store and pick up the thinner that is designed for it. My two bits worth.

Paint chemistry has changed a pile since I had to make my living with it as a contracting painter. Lots of nasty stuff has been eliminated by legislation and other sorts of controls. But, I still think my advice stands.

Good luck and show us the results.

ColonelJLloyd 

Still is (diluted, I'm sure). I needed some months ago and my wife had a bottle of bluish liquid that did the trick.

unworthy1

Lacquer thinner is a mixture of several solvents, acetone is one of the main solvents used in it, but there's more. It's not as toxic as many other solvents, but the fumes are very volatile and since it gets used in non-industrial settings (nail salons, beauty parlors) where the workers have just a dust mask if anything at all, some authorities have encouraged non-acetone substitutes for nail lacquer.
I used to look for a genuine enamel thinner that contained "enamel oil" to promote leveling and gloss...but that's long gone in California,
Paint Thinner (AKA Mineral Spirits, White Spirit, Stoddard's Solvent) will all do fine for cleaning brushes....if it hardens they sell (or used to sell) a brush cleaning solvent just for that purpose.

himespau 

^eh, I'm cheap and don't buy hi zoot brushes. If mine harden, I drop a couple bucks and buy another.

I hadn't realized there was other stuff in lacquer thinner besides acetone because that's all I smelled when I used to play with it (being young and stupid and at a job where they handed me MEK and a rag and told me to use them to scrub the floor with no safety warnings, I thought it was fun to use the lacquer thinner to melt packing peanuts), but I guess if it's the most volatile compound it makes sense that that's what I'd smell the most.

callig

Sign Painters use Turps, turpentine is all I've ever used to clean up

Lenton58 

In old fashioned alkyd or oil paints, turpentine and a bit of linseed oil could added for various purposes — such as sealing off a partially used can of paint. Paint chemistry has changed a lot quite and the old paints have been replaced. I am out of touch, so I don't know how much of remains in use. But my ex-partner is still painting and reports that he never uses any of the older style paints now. All the paint he uses are waterborne and are free of xylene and other goodies, which even 20 years ago could be found in some acrylic latex paints.

As for the OP's question, I still say that the thinners that are part of the "paint system" will provide the best performance of the paint. One should not forget that over- thinning paint can weaken it. High gloss, "hobby", authentic enamels are designed to be self leveling. If the cap or lid remains off during applications, they will "flash off" some of the aromatics that are used to bring the paint up to being thin enough for easy use. You can add the "system" thinners to bring the paint back to it's original state.

As for clean up — yes turps, mineral spirits, the "system" recommended thinners — whatever — except for lacquer thinners and acetone. Here in Japan, some hobby paints are actually laquers, so (OP) be sure what you actually have. When I was painting I often used kerosene for clean-up. The paint solved out of brushes would precipitate out and fall into the bottom the container used to clean the brushes. Then the kerosene would be clean enough to be recycled for more cleaning.

BTW: A dunking in kerosene with a bit of linseed oil in it would often recondition a nice, natural bristle brush.

rootboy 

Where's you get your Testor's? If it were me, I'd go back and buy a wee bottle of the appropriate thinner. Unless you need a quart of mineral spirits. In which case, the hardware store is your next stop.

Glennfordx4

I just spent 5 days stripping, sanding and repainting my flat bed truck frame & painted it with enamel primer & semi gloss black paint mixed, thinned & sprayed using, mineral spirits, acetone & paint thinner. The primer called for mineral spirits, the paint called for acetone & when I ran out of that I used a little thinner to finish the underside of the frame. I did a lot of reading on line before I tackled the job & found that all three were acceptable to use.

Glenn

MODIFIED01

Using oil based enamel, I followed the instructions to the T the first 2 times, then I started mixing solvents to reduce the amount of drying time. Going by the instructions took over 48 hours after spraying to dry.

Now I mix 1/4 medium enamel reducer, 1/4 "pure" acetone, 1/2 oil based enamel, and and a little over an ounce of catalyst and a little fisheye remover and spray at 40-45 psi depending on the gun used.

it dries quickly and now its second nature. I don't have to measure it anymore, i can literally go by eye on the mixture.

I had to come up with a different mixture because of aluminum body panels on super late MODELS and open wheel modifieds.

You can't use acetone alone, it will eat the rubber seals inside the spray gun.. the amount of catalyst effects the durability of the paint. Too much makes it brittle to little makes it dull. Most people dont use catalyst, and end up with orange peel because the paint doesnt want to stick to the surface. Catalyst helps prevent that. And you have to paint in thin coats, a minimum of 3 so you can wet sand , then ad a couple coats of clear if you wan it to really shine.

repechage

That is a bit of a witches brew regarding oil enamel paint.
without brand references for most here is not useful.
oil enamels are off the shelf in California.
we cannot even get the useful 3M adhesive remover, now CARB, Prop 65 reformulated- very close to just acetone now.
this is an old thread from 2013, problem is that some products have been reformulated to the point that it is just a fast moving target.

I could not even buy denatured alcohol.

I understand the reasoning but it really mucks things up.

markwesti

I have a denatured alc. stove (Ca.) a fuel additive called Heet (yellow bottle) , that you can get in Ca. works well .

repechage

not that useful when one needs it as a solvent and typical use is a gallon every three months.
there is something in that Heet liquid, not specified but alters it's utility. I tried it early on when faced with the issue " we cannot order it any more..."

getting tough to get things done.

I expect the next material to banish will be acetone.

Bad Lag

Right now, all they sell is acetone. They label it as "Paint Thinner", "Lacquer Thinner",... any number of different names but the contents of all the cans is acetone.

I have used BBQ lighter fluid as a replacement for old fashioned "Mineral Spirits" in a few applications. I have used automotive gasoline in other applications, and used "Coleman Fuel" in still others.

scarlson 

I have successfully painted metal shelving with Rustoleum enamel thinned way out with acetone. I probably was close to 2:1 paint:acetone, maybe even more acetone. I applied it with a roller. I think I did two or three coats. It dried quickly and was not sticky or tacky after 48 hours, and has been durable on my metal shelves in my pantry ever since (about 7 years). That is all I know about using acetone as a thinner. This is pretty close to how the car guys do the "$100 paint job". Foam roller, thin the rustoleum way out so it's almost like water, use a bunch of real thin coats.