Hello all,
I’ve read numerous times of people using blue glass cleaner as a paint thinner for airbrushing acrylics. I usually use rubbing alcohol with fine results, but have used glass cleaner to clean air brush parts. Is there any advantage to using glass cleaner as the thinning medium? Are the parts easier to clean? Does it affect paint application or adhesion? Thanks!
I’ve only seen it recommended as a cheap but effective air brush cleaner after spraying acrylics. I used it to clean my airbrushes but never as thinner.
Seems to me that the cleaner (depending on who’s) may be a little too soapy. Also, some of them have ammonia in them.
In general, since they work for cleaning up, I don’t think they would not make a good thinner. (And I airbrush with acrylics too.)
It’s not quite like using lacquer thinner for thinning and cleaning with lacquer based paints.
I believe it’s windshield cleaner they’re refering to. Those gallon jugs used in the winter months, I believe it’s mostly water and alcohol with some detergent.
I have some Windex brand in a glass jar I use to clean the paintbrushes I use with Polly Scale, works great. I don’t know about using it to thin the paint. Cleaning, yes. Of course it doesn’t do anything with Testors enamels, so I have jar of enamel thinner to clean those brushes.
Baby food jars make great containers for small quantities of thinners and so forth. You cna find such jars on the internet - but look at the price! You can go tot eh store and buy the jar WITH baby food in it for less than these peopel want for empty glass jars. Just dump it out and wash the jar. Or get a flavor that’s actually good and eat it, then wash out the jar. Or if you have a baby, you’ll have a ready supply of jars. Some still comes in glass jars, plastic is no good as depending on the solvent it will eat right through it. Window cleaner in plastic is fine.
–Randy
I think the point of the glass cleaner (the clear as opposed to anything tinted blue) is to reduce surface tension in water-based paint. I’ve tried it but can’t say it made a huge difference. Test on something you don’t care about and see if it works for you.
I prefer Alcohol for thinner and Windex for cleaning the airbrush.
Alcohol works as a paint thinner for acrylics, but I would not recommend glass cleaner for a thinner. Since it softens even hardened acrylic paint, it would likely cause blemishes on anything previously painted with acrylic paints.
I’ve never actually tried it, but I wouldn’t for this reason.
Some people swear by the commercial airbrush mediums. They contain retarders that slow the drying of the paint, thin and control gloss/flatness. I’ve read convincing arguments about NOT using them being false economy seeing as the same chemists that designed a particular brand of paint also designed the thinner/mediums and they know more than we do.
Windshield washer fluid (blue IS also used if clear can’t be obtained) is a very commonly used thinner on the model car and plane forums. Some swear by it and others prefer alcohol.
Paints will supposedly dry slower using the airbrush mediums compared with alcohol.
Anyway, the OP isn’t crazy. Windshield washer fluid is used by tons of modelers who are either trying to economize, feel the commercial paint company’s medium is “snake oil and overpriced” or jut prefer it.
I’ll be starting to learn my airbrush this coming winter. I intend starting out with the chemist’s/pain company’s product then compare it with less expensive alcohol. I’m a slow worker and particular, so an extended drying time might be something I’d prefer.
Nice thing about Alcohol is that it is less likely to run since it drys quickly. If you want a glossy finish I’d use something else though.
Windex (with ammonia) is an airbrush cleaner.
Use alcohol for thinning arcylics.
Ammonia is what you use to clean the acrylic. In fact when you spray Future you’re supposed to use Windex (with ammonia) for the express purpose of cleaning the airbrush. it’s not recommended to thin acrylic paint with it. You will end up with a gooey, sludgey mess if you use windex.
other acrylic thinners that work:
tamiya acrylic thinner
acetone
lacquer thinner
70% isopropl alcohol & 30% distilled water mix
windshield washer fluid (it has alcohol mixed in already)
I think we need to draw the distinction between automobile windshield washer fluid, which is alcohol, water, and surfactants and would probably work just fine as a thinner, and Windex and its equivalents, which contain ammonia.
I assumed (yeah, I know…) the OP was referring to Windex.
Yes, it did occur to me through this thread that blue windex and blue windshield washer fluid are two different things. I use windex to clean, alcohol to thin and have read about windshield fluid as a thinner, thus I was confused when I wrote the original post, assuming the two blue fluids were the same. This clears it all up now. Thanks everyone!
i’d be really careful about using an airbrush with any alcohol! first, the stuff is potentially flammable and can be compared to setting up an air to fuel mixture in an ignition chamber. Second, it is toxic, and unless you are using it in a booth with an extremely good exhaust/ventilation system, I would find another solvent medium. I almost did myself in one evening using alcohol as a solvent in an inadequately vented area. Third; with any spraying, use a good filter device to cover the ol’ schnozzola. You can cause serious olfactory damage to your nasal area with any solvent (besides getting yourself totally stoned).
EF-3 Yellowjacket
“Isopropyl alcohol is readily available. Like acetone, it dissolves a wide range of non-polar compounds. It also evaporates quickly and is relatively non-toxic, compared to alternative solvents.”
If you fear using alcohol to thin acrylics, then you should never use any Floquil/Scalecoat type solvent paints, whose solvents are more potentially harmful than isopropyl alcohol, and you’ll find few model railroaders who will agree to give up ALL of their solvent paints. I’ve used rubbing alcohol to clean many things in my profession and as wheel/track cleaner in model railroading…in addition to using it for painting. I’ve never experienced any symptoms or side effects of any kind.
As for my painting environment, I have a professional spray booth filtered and vented to the outside via a 12 inch long strait duct, so no concerns there. [:D]
Acrylics are water soluable by design. That’s what I use for thinner, water. I don’t see the need or the advantage to use any thing else. I’ve seen lots of threads about using windshield washer fluid, alcohol etc and I’ve tried them as well. My painting results really didn’t vary much if any.
More importantly, in my opinion, its the air brush that counts and of course the painter. An airbrush that does the aboslute best job of atomizing the paint particulates/solvents should yield the best results.
AND getting the paint thin enough to flow nicely through the airbrush and atomize properly. I’ve heard of people having trouble with various brands of acrylics, but I’ve never had trouble with either Pollyscale or Modelmaster.
And BTW, Rich, you’d have to have an awful lot of vapor in a very small, very poorly ventilated space to have a problem. You’d have trouble getting the vapors coming off the 70% stuff that most of us use to catch fire, let alone the minuscule amounts of very dilute stuff that most of use for thinning paints.
The only thing I would use glass cleaner for is cleaning my windshield.
-Paul
I should pour off the liquid fromt he jar of window cleaner I used to clean out my acrylic paintbrushes. The ooze on the bottom liikes like a swamp creature might crawl up out of it at any time. You definitely do NOT want to use this stuff to thin paint. Clean windows, clean brushes, yes. I don’t even use it very often to clean windows - I have a thick foaming spray-on kind I use for windows, especially on the car when it’s hot - it doesn’t evaoprate as fast and leaves far fewer streaks - even less streaks then the famous name-brand stuff. Oh and don’t ever use it on an LCD monitor, laptop, or LCD TV screen.
–Randy
Bringing up a old thread.
I have always used windex to clean my airbrush after shooting acrlic paint. I have read that the amonia can cause damage to the chrome on a airbrush.
Is this true?
Usually I just shoot windex through it until it sprays clear. I then use a small brush to clean the parts with windex then give a really good rinse in warm water to all the parts. I have had mine for 15 years and never had a problme with chrome coming off.