Testors enamel: Canned or Fresh

deepcore · Post by **deepcore** » Mon Mar 02, 2009 11:16 pm

I tried decanted Testors spray can paint for the first time (usually use acrylics) and was suprised at how well it worked. Just have to work on a vent system so that I don't fog the house up.

Had some questions regarding sticking to decanting Testors spray cans vs. using the bottled stuff:

1. What's how much thinner would you use on one .75 oz. bottle of Testors to make it work as well as decanted spray paint?

2. Will you wind up with more (or less) volume of paint as a whole 3 oz. spray can?

3. Mineral spirits or paint thinner (for thinning the bottled stuff)? I'm assuming using the cheap hardware store gallon size stuff is okay.

Thanks

Romulan Spy · Post by **Romulan Spy** » Tue Mar 03, 2009 8:45 pm

I've never tried decanting Testors spray cans, since their bottle paints are easily available where I live; so I can't give you a direct comparison to the spray cans. However, both Testors and Model Master enamels airbrush beautifully with plain jane hardware store mineral spirits. I like fairly thin mixes, so one part paint to two parts thinner is not uncommon. This makes a small bottle go a fairly long way. Also, Testors gloss enamels work great with lacquer thinner. A very thin mix will go down glass smooth and rock hard.

Testors spray cans ain't cheap, so the bottles seem a more economical choice for me. Just my two cents.

deepcore · Post by **deepcore** » Wed Mar 04, 2009 1:31 am

Thanks!

So .75 (ounce?) bottle to 1.5 ounces of mineral spirits or lacquer thinner for the glosses...

Comes out to 2.25.

That's about what I got when I decanted my first spray can recently...though there might still me a little in the can (haven't tried to see if it's completely empty yet, just filled an empty 2 oz. jar near to the top and stopped).

After you combine the paint bottle and thinner..does shaking the "new" bottle produce a satisfactory solution? Do you use a battery powered paint mixer or a paint shaker?

Romulan Spy · Post by **Romulan Spy** » Wed Mar 04, 2009 9:33 pm

I don't mix the whole bottle; I just mix a little at a time, just enough to spray the model at hand. I've found the paint goes bad over time if too much thinner is added. I keep a couple of extra empty paint bottles for mixing and thinning colors, then discard whatever is left when I'm finished with the project. I've been doing this for a while, so I have very little waste.