I have a half-dozen arrows I want to crest. Have some Testers model paint left over that I've used in the past. Think it's lacquer, but not sure. I do know I've used lacquer thinner in the past to thin it. Don't have any of that on hand now and am reluctant to buy a pint when I only need a thimbleful.

So here's the question. Will paint thinner work? How about nail polish remover? Anything else?

If it is lacquer then paint thinner will ruin it. If it is lacquer you should be able to tell by the smell of it.

Bob

Testor's sells their own brand of thinner as well. I'm pretty confident that what I used in the past was lacquer.

Orion, I just looked at the Testor's web site, most of their paints are enamel.

Thanks for the feedback. Guess my memory is fading. Used to use all Bohning products, and they're definitely lacquer. Thus, the lacquer thinner. Think I'll test the Testors stuff with a little paint thinner.

Checked the website. Now why didn't I think of that. Duh! :>)

Orion -

Testors makes enamel and acrylic paints. If it doesn't say "Acryl" on it, it's enamel. Spend a couple of bucks at a hobby shop and get the right stuff. (Acryl thins with water, but probably isn't durable enough for arrows.)

Viper out.

Their enamels paints can be thinned with mineral spirits.

Oh, mineral spirits is regular paint thinner, which FYI will also work on any oil based finish like urethane, varithane and polyurethane. There are some water based poly's so thinning them is done with water.

Anyone know of any substitute for lacquer thinner? Only need a tiny bit; don't want to get a whole can if I can help it. Will mineral spirits work?

Tree topper, what are you trying to thin?

Lacquer paint needs lacquer thinner or sometimes acetone.

Water based paints use water.

Oil based paints like enamel use mineral spirits.

What Kelly said. You shouldn’t mix paints with not recommended thinners. Ruins the whole thing. Good reason for the casual user to buy waterbased products.

Testors use to sell tiny bottles of thinner. It was on the shelf with their paints. Probably a buck or two.

I use acetone with Testors enamel

I'm pretty sure Testors thinner is mineral spirits. It has an oily feel to it.

Don,

Those look fantastic!

Thanks. I answered your PM. For anyone else wondering, I use Ace Hardware brand spray paint for the crown, Testors enamel for crest and Rustoleum 2X gloss over everything when totally dry.

I would bet Dan is correct. Probably the same stuff artists use with oil based paints. It’s somewhat oderless. Of course they charge more for that feature.

Like those arrows. Good job.

Hi Kelly. I want to thin Bohning cresting lacquer, just to use up a little bit that I have left. I have some acetone. Will this work?

I'm switching to water based paints and sealers for safety reasons. I now do my arrow building in the basement where I have a gas-fired furnace, water heater, and clothes dryer. Makes sense from a safety standpoint to not fill the area with volatile fumes, since I have an allergy to explosions. :-(

Thanks.

And also, if I blew the house up, it would just give my wife something else to complain about. (Just kidding!)

If you take a look on the Testor's site it will give you some pretty good information;

https://www.testors.com/product-catalog/testors- brands/testors/lacquer-paint/top-coats-and-thinners/

It’s been awhile but i have thinned Testors enamel with acetone.

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