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What can use to save this old paint?

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I have a few of these old Tamiya PC jars. The paint has thickened considerably and I want to know what I can use to thin it and re-mix it. Not sure if they are water based. Any  is appreciated.

 

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You need Tamiya X20A thinner. It's not too pricey if you buy the 250ml plastic containers, my son uses it for his airbrushing. You can use water but the results may not be quite so predictable. Depends how much you want to spend I guess.

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Is pc waterbase then? I have never used any bit assumed it was solvent based like ps spray cans.

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It is solvent based, use the thinner.  If it has thickened considerably,  it might be too far gone.  Thin then do a test on a clear drying bottle or a scrap piece of lexan.

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I am sure I read years ago that a mix of isopropyl alcohol and water was the same as the Tamiya thinner. Maybe try a little bit in another jar

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I use cellulose thinners to thin down the xf and x range of tamiya paints because they are actually a lacquer based acrylic and I find it works far better than the tamiya thinners for airbrushing. The other advantage is that using cellulose to thin it means that the paint flashes off faster and is handleable far quicker. It might be worth trying to use a bit of that with the pc paint as well but again I'd test it on some scrap first. 

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The ps, or polycarbonate line is lacquer based, need to use lacquer thinner.  The x xf line for hard bodies is a solvent based acrylic.  I have used a little alcohol to thin, but if considerably too thick I used the Tamiya thinner for that line.  

The real question is if saving a few dollars or pounds is worth the possibility of ruining a paint job and have to spend the time, effort, and even more to correct a problem that could have been easily avoided by using the correct product.

I painted full size aircraft, the first thing we were taught is to never mix different brands and types of thinners.  Always use paint manufacturers suggested products to prevent application and curing issues.  I have personally seen paint peeling off in sheets because painter did not follow manufacturers instructions. 

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Use X20A for PC bottles ONLY IF YOU HAVE TO... definitely not water. 

PC feels like some kind of latex acrylic, it's made for handbrushing - it's pretty thick "one shot" paint. Do not dilute for airbrushing, that is not what it's designed for.

What levels have your bottles ullaged to?

Even from new they weren't filled to the top, factory filled them to barely to the label/shoulder afaik. These glass bottles seal well, mine have never evaporated. 

One thing to watch for is they can go bad, they curdle to stringy scum floating on top of whey. I suspect bacteria or yeast. Definitely don't add unsterilised solvents & take precautions to avoid cross contamination if you're hoping to keep those bottles longterm.

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