Have been using lacquer thinner to bond plastic for a while now. Tried a test with it & the 3 most popular solvent cements & found that the thinner held best. just bought a gallon of Klean Strip brand from Home Depot & it will hardly melt the styrene. Seems HD changed the brand they carry. It doesn’t smell like the old stuff, kind of an oily smell. Wondering if anyone else has experienced similar results with different brands. Seems like the EPA is protecting us again.
yes, you got the organic wont kill-ya as fast type, there was a post on it not to long ago, find a true value or hardware and get the Quart size ,I think that’s about as big a container you’ll find of a genuine carcinogen …JW
They might be trying to save you, maybe not.
Looking at all the Kleen strip product at HD,http://www.homedepot.com/b/Klean-Strip/N-5yc1vZug were you using lacquer thinner or MEK substitute? [%-)] Maybe they are mixing it with kerosene. That would explain the oily smell.
Generally, for lacquer thinner, I get mine at NAPA. Automotive grade in gallon cans. Seems to be more potent than the stuff from HD or Lowes.
My most recent purchase of lacquer thinner was a quart of Crown Lacquer Thinner NEXT (Next generation green) made with renewable resources, no hazardous air pollutants. It says on the label it matches the strength of traditional lacquer thinner. I don’t use it to thin lacquer, just to clean metal loco and rail car bodies and prep them for painting.
Like has already been mentioned,best bet for true Lacquer thinner, is Automotive Paint suppliers, not a Big Box store. One name DuPont.
Cheers, [D]
Frank
doctorwayne is a big believer in, and user of, MEK.
Maybe he will weigh in with some thoughts.
Rich
True lacquer thinner,will have a Red Hazmat sticker,on the container, that’s the law.Wayne uses,lacquer thinner.
Cheers, [D]
Frank
Yep, lacquer thinner for me, although I’m sure that the real stuff will be made safer and, as a result, useless as a bonding agent for styrene. I get mine at Canadian Tire (not much help for my American friends), but any automotive shop should have the original stuff. I should probably pick up a few gallons while it’s still available. It’s also useful for thinning old Floquil (not the latest version, though), original Scalecoat, along with several others, and ideal for stripping paint from most all-metal objects.
Wayne
Lowes (at least in the Western PA area) has dumped the Klean-Strip Brand of MEK substitute and replaced it with the CROWN brand of REAL MEK as I checked the contents label which so stated contains 100% Methyl Ethyl Ketone!
As for REAL Lacquer Thinner - my can shows Contents of
Acetone - Ethyl Acetate - Methanol - Petroleum Distillates and TOLUENE !
Toluene is the stuff that make the Lacquer Thinner work
It has been said that Xylene is a substitute for Toluene but I have not been able to verify this
So if you are looking for real Thinner then you need those ingredients listed above
Anything less and the Thinner just isn’t going to work!
Your choice!
Most Autobody Jobber Shops have begun to restrict the sale of the REAL Lacquer Thinners to non-Commercial Businesses (individuals) so even purchasing the GOOD Stuff is going to be a problem in the future!
Unless you are good friends with someone in the Auto Business - but then this may be problematic as everyone will worry about getting into trouble if something goes wrong to the person the Autobody shop Sold/Gave the real Lacquer thinner to due to Liability issues!
BOB H - Clarion, PA
Bob,
I’m sure some shops, would question a stranger, but most shops usually know,who they are dealing with.
All my purchase’s of lacquer thinner,were 5gallon can’s, the smallest I have ever seen in a automotive paint supply,is one gallon. I’ve painted many semi’s and car’s,in my other life. [:)]
Cheers, [D]
Frank
Ok, gotta ask…
In the course of a year, how much plastic “adhesive” does one use?
Buying a quart of lacquer thinner to save money brings with it some unwholesome benefits - no matter what kind you buy.
In addition to the obvious health situations, there is the often messy transfer of the liquid to a usable container, and then of course you end up storing a quart of some pretty volatile stuff.
Folks, even if it saves you $15 over the course of a year, it just isn’t worth it.
I use Lacquer Thinner in all types of cleaning situations.
One just has to be a bit smarter that the chemical one is using - as in OPEN AIR - not in a closed up room or at the least a fan running the dissipate the fumes.
It is amazing how the world has gotten in resent years in worrying about stuff we have been using since the beginning of time.
Although with the way families spend time together (or the lack of) any more it is no wonder why the warnings are on the stuff we use and the kids get into the problems they do.
Apparently there is NO COMMON SENSE any more and we have to rely on (EXPECT) the Government to make sure we don’t hurt ourselves.
And besides that the Nervous twitches are not that noticeable that much anymore! 
BOB H - Clarion, PA
Bob,
Now I will totally agree with you on that, 100%. That sure is lacking,now a days and I won’t even get into the other’s that seem to be lacking, these days. [Y]
Cheers, [D]
Frank