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Thread: Is paint thinner and mineral spirits the same thing?

  1. #21
    Boolit Man
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    Paint thinner is generally a mixture of different types of chemicals usually including some mineral spirits. Paint thinner is the "use it for everything" bottle, but if you have something specific you want to take off you get a specific chemical for that, or if you want to take something specific off and not damage the surrounding areas you should find out what it is and find what works on it and not on what is around it.

    If you just read the bottle on a bottle of "paint thinner" most of them include acetone and all the other stuff thats on the shelf above it at your local home depot.

  2. #22
    Boolit Master

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    I worked for Home Depot for the last 3 years in the paint department. The stuff labeled Standard Paint Thinner is Mineral Spirits and is intended to thin Oil/alkyd base paint as sold for regular home use. The stuff labeled Lacquer Thinner is a blend of solvents intended for "thinning lacquer" which requires stronger solvents. If the label says anything but Mineral Spirits it is not standard paint thinner, don't use it for LLA. The new white liquid product in the plastic jug, sold as paint thinner is, in my opinion, some type of water emulsion used to get around the air pollution regulations and also will not work well for LLA (or much of anything else).
    God Bless, Whisler

  3. #23
    Boolit Grand Master

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    If it is of any help, I just opened the site without any problems and cut this out:

    "Varsol is a low-odor petroleum solvent used for removing oil and grease,
    thinning oil-based paints, urethanes and varnishes, cleaning paint
    brushes, cleaning tar and asphalt off carpets and other flooring, or
    removing paste wax from wood floors."

    I use it just like I use mineral spirits oil based paint thinner.

    Longbow

  4. #24
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    Quote Originally Posted by Ctkelly View Post
    Depends on what the store is selling as "paint thinner". Mineral spirits is a petro based product typically used for thinning oil based paints. Naphtha, Mineral Spirits, Acetone, Xylene, Turpentine, Toulene and MEK are all "paint thinners".
    I have almost never seen a product labeled "Paint thinner" that was not petroleum-based mineral spirits. Acetone is Acetone or fingernail polish remover. Xylene is Xylene. Turpentine (pine-pitch spirits) is occasionally labeled paint thinner, but usually in fine print under the title "Turpentine". Naptha is naptha or lighter fluid. Toluene is toluene. MEK is almost always labeled exactly that or spelled out. Another paint thinner, or actually Shellac thinner, is denatured alcohol, again, labeled as such, as is Acrylic Enamel Reducer.

    So when I say "paint thinner" I mean the variety which is 100% mineral spirits, sold as a reducer/cleaner for oil-based paints and stains. I think it is more or less (with less regarding the odorless kind as has been mentioned) a case of common versus technical terms for the same substance.

    In any event, LLA/JPW can be cut with any of the above, but I recommend paint thinner as the least toxic and easiest to get.

    Gear

  5. #25
    Boolit Master
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    Whisler, that is the most concise, clear answer to that particular question I have read yet, and I was asking the same thing on another site. Thank you.

  6. #26
    Boolit Master

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    Sniper: Glad I could help! As I said, just trying to contribute a little for all I have learned here. I'm still a relative new-comer to casting but I think it and this site is great.
    God Bless, Whisler

  7. #27
    Boolit Lady Karen's Avatar
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    Will mineral spirits and lacquer thinner kill plastic? (glock)
    Spirits clean guns well?
    Is denatured alcohol a paint thinner?
    Can you clean guns with it. It's less toxic

  8. #28
    Boolit Master
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    I've not known mineral spirits to harm polymers like the glock frame. I use it mixed with baby oil for a bore cleaner and powder solvent.

    Denatured alcohol is ethyl alcohol altered to make it poison to drink,therefore bypassing liquer laws for the privilege of using alcohol industrially. I doubt that it will be a good gun cleaner.

    Lacquer thinner is a harsh type of solvent and I would not want it getting onto my poly frames at all. I don't know if its alcohol or not but, I think its probably a petroleum distillate.
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  9. #29
    Boolit Master

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    Lacquer thinner is generally a blend of ketones like Acetone or MEK, with alcohols and aromatic petroleum distillates like toluene or xylene. Not something to use on plastics or fine wood finishes.
    God Bless, Whisler

  10. #30
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    Mineral Spirits

    A chemist may have a different view but, I worked in a oil refinery years ago. What we made was jet fuel, which is, white kerosene, a very hot version at that. When I say hot, I mean high in specific gravity. Mineral spirits has the same smell, and likely comes from the same trays in the distillation tower. I would venture to say that Mineral Spirits is a lower grade of white kerosene. Until you've had to live with that smell for a few years, you might not agree but, in practical terms, that's what that stuff is.

    Ron
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  11. #31
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    Back in 1971 I was running a local paint crew in Thibodeaux, La. working on a Goverment Housing Project. As with all of the Goverment jobs there are plenty of rules. We had to hire at least 65% of the work force from the local area. The sheet rock walls received a latex finish paint which is a water-based paint that thins with water. All the wood trim was finished with a oil based paint that was the same color as the wall paint but used mineral spirits to thin. You would not believe how many gallons of paint that we lost because of this set -up. The local painters did not understand the difference and if it was the same color it was alright to mix. I tried to let them smell the oil paints so that they would learn but that failed. We had to finally lock up all the paint and do all the mixing of paint ourselves. They would use the mineral spirits to try and clean the brushes from the latex paint and vise versa. If it had not been so expensive it would have been very funny. I'm sure that this still happens today with novice painters. After reading the other story about the mixing of the paints I had to post this. It does stray from the main post.
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  12. #32
    In Remembrance
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    Confused?

    I use and will continue to use products like lighter fluid or naptha for cleaning guns and small machinery.
    I am sure that barbeque lighter fuid is mainly the same thing.
    I use charcoal lighter fluid for a general solvent in my shop.
    I use it for thinning LLA.
    It comes in two quart plastic jugs and can be had for as little as a couple or three bucks on sale. That size is convienent.
    I also use methyl ethyl ketone, lacquer thinner and acetone and some other really nasty flammible stuff for the difficult things such as epoxy before it sets up.
    Be careful that you don't start a fire or asphyxiate yourself. Some of this stuff can vaporize and actually blow up. Barbeque lighter fluid is fairly safe but still flamable.
    DUH. Then you can get the aerosol brake cleaners and carburator cleaners that can be deadly. Use all cleaners with with a lot of ventilation. Gasoline is made to vaporize and blow up. Use maximum caution.

    Life is good

  13. #33
    Boolit Master

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    Many years ago the plant where I worked used a lot of solvents for paint operations. Toluene, xylene and MEK were the primary ones. One of the vendor's reps offered what he called charcoal lighter fluid as a freeby to a buyer. Apparently they marketed the stuff which consisted of odd amounts of various solvents of which they had an excess. I assumed at the time that if the faster solvents such as MEK were included that it was not enough to cause a problem. Since then I guess I've always thought of charcoal lighter fluid as "junk" solvent. Probably does not change anything as posted previously and since 25+ years have passed, this may not be the case anymore. The government may have stepped in.
    John
    W.TN

  14. #34
    Boolit Master

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    Lighter fluid, naphtha, mineral spirits, charcoal lighter fluid and kerosene are all aliphatic hydrocarbons, meaning they are all in the same chemical family, I have listed them in the order of increasing relative volatilty or evaporation rate, which also indicates a higher flash point as you go up the list. All will work to thin LLA, some are just faster evaporating and therefore more dangerous from a flammability standpoint. Without lots of ventilation, I would choose mineral spirits, charcoal lighter or kerosene from a safety standpoint.
    God Bless, Whisler

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