What's the best thing to thin Tamiya acrylic's with when brush painting? I'm finding it's going on a little too thick and leaving nasty brush marks. Not a major issue as I'm painting the interior of a tank (which will be mucked up and a crew jammed in to hide it), but just for future reference.
An earlier discussion I was a part of recommended cellulose thinners when airbrushing, will this work with brushing or will it attack the plastic?

Thanks

Stephen

I use Tamiya acrylic retarder when brush painting. It comes in a similar bottle to their extra thin cement, but with a blue cap. It stops the paint drying so quickly. I typically only brush paint small or detail parts and find a couple of drops of this mixed with Tamiya acrylic paint, to be quite effective.

I always use isopropanol to thin my tamiya paints for airbrushing. You could try that for brush painting just not use as much

Thanks Mike. I've heard of this retarder but never seen it on sale. The only shop near me which stocks Tamiya had no idea what I was talking about when I once asked. Possibly another one of those things that Tamiya's UK distributor doesn't stock. Might have to look online.

Allen, sounds like a silly question but where can I buy Iso alcohol?
A combination of the retarder and Iso might be what need.

I had never heard of Tamiya retarder untill I came across it in a Toronto hobby shop. I buy isoproponal from the chemist. It's also called rubbing alcohol.

I never thought about trying a chemists. I'll have ask next time I'm near one. Just hope its cheaper than Tamiya's.
I'm going to have to shop around for the retarder but I have not found a single supplier in the UK selling it.

Make sure you get 91% Iso Alcohol, not the 70% version. Also make sure its not tinted. They sell clear or green here, although what use green rubbing alcohol has is anyone's guess. It's the only thing I use for airbrushing Tamiya. Add a bit of Future to cut down "chalkiness" and the stuff works great.

That said, personally I'd not recommend Iso for brushing. It evaporates too fast. I just use X-20 Tamiya Thinner myself for brushwork (1:1 paint/thinner), and only on tiny bits I cant't airbrush. If you have to use multiple coats, be sure to allow the first to set and harden or you will just tear it off with the second.

Personally, for hand brushing, I prefer to use Model Master enamels. Acrylics dry to quickly. If the 1st layer isn't completely dry, when you go over it, it just lifts up most of the previous layer.

As for thinning it, I also use Tamiya X20-A as it contains other additives that prevents the paint from drying to quickly.

Drug/Chemist Stores sell Isopropyl Alcohol in three strengths: 91,70,& 50 percent's. The higher the number the more concentrated the solution is. The higher the percentage is, the faster it evaporates and the paints starts to dry. ISO is cut with distilled water as a usual given. When I used it, I used 70%.

Joel

From where I'm at I don't have supply of alcohol or retarder. For Tamiya acrylics, I thin it with water and a couple of drops of windex. You might have to experiment with the thinning ratio, and will need at least a couple of coats.

I have tried using Tamiya acrylics for hand brushing, but I do not like them. I do use Tamiyas in my airbrush.

Instead I use Games Workshop acrylics for hand brushing.

GW makes the Warhammer wargaming pieces. I don't play the game, but I know first hand that their acrylic paints are superb.

Do yourself a favour, buy a bottle and check it out.

The games workshop stuff is unstoppable for brush painting. Other than having to don a disguise and carry a large newspaper in front of one's face when entering and leaving the games workshop... It's ideal.

Thanks for all the advice. I'm having to use Tamiya out of convenience at the moment. Building a Dragon 1/35 Hummell round my girlfriends parents house at weekends. She watches Britains got no talent and I build that. I almost always reach for Humbrol enamel, but that means turps and thinners and I dont want to be more of a nuisance. I'll be spraying the thing when it's done, but fighting compartment needs painting during the build. Do games workshop do a paint close to Tamiya XF-60 panzer yellow?

I use to use chemists but they only stock (if at all) lower than 99% iso. The last time I got some I picked up a 1ltr bottle of 99.4% iso off a chemical firm called Biostain on eBay it only cost me about £6 but that was a year or two ago. I'll be looking again soon as I've only got quater of the bottle left.

I just had a quick look on ebay and found loads of sellers selling Iso. Might have to get a bottle along with the Tamiya retarder. It's the evaporation of the alcohol that I find the biggest problem I have with Tamiya. If it slows it down I might yet be converted


Cheers for all the help.