How should I thin Floquil paint?

Mike, I have been airbrushing Floquil Paint for many years. Go to the hardware store and buy a can of Acetone. That's all you need. Don

Acetone or lacquer thinner.

I've been using Testors Model Master to thin Floquil for years. Works great, won't melt plastic.

Okay thank you all for the info! Will acetone or the testors affect the plastic on the passenger car?

Wyatts dad posted:

Okay thank you all for the info! Will acetone or the testors affect the plastic on the passenger car?

I would not take a chance using acetone (or lacquer thinner), unless I sealed the plastic first. Testors is just plain old paint thinner and won't affect the plastic. When using the old Floquil on plastic, I always used their brand of sealer to protect the plastic and also make things easier to strip in case I messed up the paint job. If you can find some Scalecoat Sealer, it works just as well.

I have never used acetone to thin Floquil.  I have always used either lacquer thinner or mineral spirits.  Cut it by 50% for most applications and have good ventilation!

I have been airbrushing for years and always reduce enamels with lacquer thinner.

 It has never been a problem on plastics as it dries fast.

 For acrylics I use distilled water.

If you want to spray Rustoleum paint it uses Acetone as a reducer

The trouble with acetone is it dries way too fast. Its much harder to get a smooth finish using acetone. Most lacquer thinners have some acetone in it but many other solvents with slower drying times. Mineral spirits work but its drying time is so slow you have to take precautions to minimize dust.

Pete

NelsonW posted:

I have been airbrushing for years and always reduce enamels with lacquer thinner.

 It has never been a problem on plastics as it dries fast.

 

I used lacquer thinner with enamel paint one time, it attacked the paint in the bottle, so never again!!! Lesson learned!!!

Lacquer based paint will attack plastic. I would say depending on what type of plastic it is determines how bad it gets attacked. I have had plastic melted by lacquer based paint. By using a sealer, it will not attack the plastic and it makes removal a cinch. Whereas, even if the plastic does not appear to harmed, the lacquer does eat into the surface enough to cause a mess if the paint needs to be removed completely...as in a big fat finger print or such.

Appears you have lots of suggestions and testimonies.

I didn't catch which formulation of Floquil you were working with....Acrylic, Enamel, or the long ago 'quasi-lacquer' version.  Oh well, apparently it's of no consequence per the recommendations.

Whatever you choose, however, I'd experiment on something else besides your cars before committing your mix to the final application.  Of course, the specific plastic of the car body moldings may be hard to duplicate with something disposable....like microwavable food containers (my favorite airbrush sacrificial/experimental items). 

Since Floquil, for all intents and purposes, is gone, I've followed the lead of many of our (LHS) customers and made the switch to Tru-Color paints.  My first 3 airbrush efforts with that product were total successes!.......  But at the prices regulation, litigation, and formulation have driven hobby paints, using the older products is too tempting, I recognize.

KD

whatever you use do a test shot first--always a good idea

Bob C.

"I didn't catch which formulation of Floquil you were working with....Acrylic, Enamel, or the long ago 'quasi-lacquer' version.  Oh well, apparently it's of no consequence per the recommendations."

My personal Floquil preference was the lacquer based paint, followed by the enamel. I won't touch Acrylic, but, that is not to say you shouldn't.

The Floquil I bought was from eBay and I don't believe it's the older type Floquil I've read about. So it's the newest type of Floquil enamel that has been discontinued.

okay if you were to explain this to a toddler, exactly how to mix and what to mix with, to paint a MTH passenger car with Floquil enamel, what would you say???  

also i "had planned" on priming the car with testors grey primer but I've read several things online about the primer not drying properly and ruining their project, so I thought I'd skip the priming process.. :|

the paint is Floquil enamel and I will be using a single action airbrush. I was planning on using the number 5 tip which is the widest spray pattern. If any of this sounds wrong, please let me know. 

 again thank you everyone for your input. 

Dad,
Use a light to medium gray paint to prime with. That way you can see where you are painting to begin with and your top coat will have an even base color (if you understand what I mean). Mixing paint isn't hard. It is basically learning your air brush and what will go through the nozzle without clogging up. Paints come in different consistencies, meaning some need to be thinned more than others. Think of it this way, you want the mixture to be thin enough to easily go through the nozzle AND you want enough paint (pigment) to cover your object. You don't want be spraying the object with mostly thinner. Does that make sense? Experiment with your thinning ratios to see what works best for you and your air brush.

With the enamel type of Floquil paint, you can use ordinary paint thinner, very inexpensive from the hardware store compared to buying a little bottle at the hobby shop. Plus you can fill up your empty little bottle with the stuff.

Next, the weather or better said the humidity does effect the paint! Especially if you clear coat. The drier the day the better.

If you are painting an MTH car and haven't stripped it then the paint is the primer. No worries about lifting that paint. Thin the Floquil no more than 1:1. It will easily flow through a #3 tip. A bit thinner it may even flow through a 1 tip.

make sure you wash it in dish soap and water to make sure there are no fingerprints that can give you fisheyes. BTW new Floquil comes in a round bottle. The original Floquil came in a square bottle and directions said thin with Dio Sol. Unlikey you have the old Floquil but if you do don't use paint thinner. Lacquer thinner will work. Less likely you will find Dio Sol.

Pete

Thank you big Jim and Pete!! I think I'll just use the thinner. I can't wait to do this on Sunday! You guys have been so great with giving me some solid advise. 

Mike

Wyatts dad posted:

..... some solid advise. 

Test everything out before pointing the airbrush at your car/engine.  Spray some cardboard or whatever to confirm everything is set right 1st.

mwb posted:

I have never used acetone to thin Floquil.  I have always used either lacquer thinner or mineral spirits.  Cut it by 50% for most applications and have good ventilation!

I still have a decent supply of the real Floquil, stored upside down to maintain the seal.

What is tougher to get is thinner.  Solvents MEK/Acetone/lacquer thinner/mineral spirits are still easily available at big box stores, for the moment.

What is a bit tougher to find in stock is Toluene. That I got in a gallon quantity from a local hardware store (special ordered) though for a buck or so more more the local Sherwin-Williams paint store had it in the back also.  Pricey stuff.

VOCs days are numbered for consumer use but a long as we have a stock of solvent based paints it's worth having a few gallons of common thinners such as MEK/acetone/Toluene on hand (in a safe place).

So I have another quick question.. The MTH passenger car is lettered and I was wondering if I need to somehow get the letters off or will painting over them work? They are a little raised.. If I need to remove the lettering, what's the easiest and fastest way to do it??

i'm really excited to do this and I hope it is something I'll be proud of and not turn out disastrous..

Yes, you need to remove them. They WILL show through!

I am assuming that you have taken the body off of the chassis, yes? At this point in your learning curve, I would recommend that you get some fine grit sandpaper (600 or higher) and suitable for wet sanding, then with it wet and keeping it wet, lightly sand the lettering off. Wet sanding helps to keep the sandpaper clean (not clog up the grit) and makes for smoother finish.

There are other methods using solvents (alcohol being one) that may or may not easily remove the lettering without damaging the underlying paint. I'll let others take you there.

My personal preference is to completely strip the entire car as I do like the extra costs of paint layers building up around and covering up the details. That's another reason that I will never recommend rattle can paints from the hardware store.

Good luck!

Rule292 posted:

What is a bit tougher to find in stock is Toluene. That I got in a gallon quantity from a local hardware store (special ordered) though for a buck or so more more the local Sherwin-Williams paint store had it in the back also.  Pricey stuff.

Why would you want toluene though?  The original Diosol did not have toluene in it - this was xylenes based with a bit of ethyl benzene (for flavor?)

VOCs days are numbered for consumer use but a long as we have a stock of solvent based paints it's worth having a few gallons of common thinners such as MEK/acetone/Toluene on hand (in a safe place).

Gallons???  Most people don't possess that "safe place", particularly for MEK and acetone. 

I have use Dupont 3602s thinner with both Scalecoat and Floquil paint for years with very good results

mwb posted:

Rule292 posted:

What is a bit tougher to find in stock is Toluene. That I got in a gallon quantity from a local hardware store (special ordered) though for a buck or so more more the local Sherwin-Williams paint store had it in the back also.  Pricey stuff.

Why would you want toluene though?  The original Diosol did not have toluene in it - this was xylenes based with a bit of ethyl benzene (for flavor?)

VOCs days are numbered for consumer use but a long as we have a stock of solvent based paints it's worth having a few gallons of common thinners such as MEK/acetone/Toluene on hand (in a safe place).

Gallons???  Most people don't possess that "safe place", particularly for MEK and acetone. 

Toluene isn't for Floquil... but it's a good solvent to have for other hobby uses.

As for storing gallons of solvent, most of us have flammables around the house,  namely in the garage (think cars and gasoline).  Storing any flammable solvent, whether gasoline for the lawn mower or household solvents such paint or lacquer thinner/acetone  require the same care. 

Back on track,  getting the MSDS for paints is often the key to getting the right solvent at the right price.  Especially so given the spendy cost for most hobby thinners and solvents.

Rule292 posted:

mwb posted:

Rule292 posted:

What is a bit tougher to find in stock is Toluene. That I got in a gallon quantity from a local hardware store (special ordered) though for a buck or so more more the local Sherwin-Williams paint store had it in the back also.  Pricey stuff.

Why would you want toluene though?  The original Diosol did not have toluene in it - this was xylenes based with a bit of ethyl benzene (for flavor?)

VOCs days are numbered for consumer use but a long as we have a stock of solvent based paints it's worth having a few gallons of common thinners such as MEK/acetone/Toluene on hand (in a safe place).

Gallons???  Most people don't possess that "safe place", particularly for MEK and acetone. 

Toluene isn't for Floquil... but it's a good solvent to have for other hobby uses.

As for storing gallons of solvent, most of us have flammables around the house,  namely in the garage (think cars and gasoline).  Storing any flammable solvent, whether gasoline for the lawn mower or household solvents such paint or lacquer thinner/acetone  require the same care. 

Back on track,  getting the MSDS for paints is often the key to getting the right solvent at the right price.  Especially so given the spendy cost for most hobby thinners and solvents.

Ok....so what do you use toluene for??? 

Being a chemist, I sort of have what might be a better than average grasp of flammables and minimize that exposure and storage at home; few have appropriate storage for gallons of solvents.  And, I have a 40V battery powered mower now and that same system operates the weed wacker and leaf blower. 

Tracking down the MSD for specific paints generally proves "interesting".......  Just tracking down what's in Diosol a few years back was entertaining and still not 100% clear on actual components. 

mwb posted:

Rule292 posted:

mwb posted:

Rule292 posted:

What is a bit tougher to find in stock is Toluene. That I got in a gallon quantity from a local hardware store (special ordered) though for a buck or so more more the local Sherwin-Williams paint store had it in the back also.  Pricey stuff.

Why would you want toluene though?  The original Diosol did not have toluene in it - this was xylenes based with a bit of ethyl benzene (for flavor?)

VOCs days are numbered for consumer use but a long as we have a stock of solvent based paints it's worth having a few gallons of common thinners such as MEK/acetone/Toluene on hand (in a safe place).

Gallons???  Most people don't possess that "safe place", particularly for MEK and acetone. 

Toluene isn't for Floquil... but it's a good solvent to have for other hobby uses.

As for storing gallons of solvent, most of us have flammables around the house,  namely in the garage (think cars and gasoline).  Storing any flammable solvent, whether gasoline for the lawn mower or household solvents such paint or lacquer thinner/acetone  require the same care. 

Back on track,  getting the MSDS for paints is often the key to getting the right solvent at the right price.  Especially so given the spendy cost for most hobby thinners and solvents.

 

Being a chemist, I sort of have what might be a better than average grasp of flammables and minimize that exposure and storage at home; few have appropriate storage for gallons of solvents.  And, I have a 40V battery powered mower now and that same system operates the weed wacker and leaf blower. 

 

Proud to have/use a circa 2000 Commercial Lawn-boy 2-smoke lawnmower in my repertoire of lawn equipment.   Best piece of lawn equipment I own.

Oh and I trust your knowledge of chemistry, Martin.  just that most folks that have a few gallons of gas or paint thinner or other flammable solvents at home don't have degrees in chemistry nor are they conversant in some NFPA code on storing hazmat in bulk.

We have a good supply of original Floquil, it's not on the web site. Call us to order 5.99 a bottle. 516-378-9594