I have several bottles of floquil paints and would like to be able to use them. What type of thinner would you use in the place of Dio-sol. A “denatured alcohol / shellac thinner”, or an “enamel thinner” or “lacquer thinner” or one of the original ingredients “xylol” or something else? Also what ratio of paint to thinner would you recommend for painting as well as weathering? I have read 40% paint to 60% thinner and also 35% paint to 65% thinner ( this or what else) ? Thanks very much…
I use lacquer thinner for thinning Floquil (and Scalecoat, Dullcote, Glosscote, Accupaint, Humbrol, and Testors Model Masters paints) and it also makes an excellent cement for styrene.
For Floquil, depending what you’re painting, use anywhere between 25% and 50% thinner. If you’re using it for weathering, up to 90% or 95% thinner works well and is a good way to avoid over-weathering, as you’ll need to build up the effect.
Wayne
I believe either xylene or tolulene will work. Read the ingredients on the DioSol can and then ask an Ace Hardware guy.
I also read a thread some where that said a friend had Diosol analyzed and it was made up of
55% Xylene and 45% Tuolene. I can buy Xylene, but have not been able to find Tuolene. So I guess laquer thinner might be the thing to get.
What percentages do you use in your airbrush painting?
How about a auto parts store where they sell paint? Or better yet, a auto body shop?
It would depend on how old your bottles of Floquil paints are. Floquil was originally a lacquer based paint, but several years ago they went to more of an enamel base. If you have the newer paints, the formula for Dio-Sol can be found on the Testors website on the MSDS for Dio-Sol.
The bottles of Floquil I have are about 20 years old. I have several and hate to let them go to waste.
Lacquer thinner works just fine for the original Floquil (I have a couple at least that old, and as long as it will still mix by shaking, it should be perfectly useable). However, most of my Floquil paints get used-up rather quickly and are replaced with the newer formula. While lacquer thinner may not be the correct thinner, it seems to work equally well and gives results similar to that of the original. I have, out of necessity, learned to use PollyScale paints with comparable results, and find it helpful to be competent with various types of paint and their application.
Wayne