A better way to thin oil paints?

[Chris333]

I recently bought $35 worth (a whopping 5 tubes    ) of oil paints for weathering. This is my first time trying oils. I used odorless mineral spirits for thinner. The results were good, but I kept having the mineral spirits dig into the paint the longer I left it on the surface to "work" it.

It there something better to use as thinner?

I dislike the way alcohol washes form rings around details. This is the reason I'm looking to try oil washes.

[Hyperion]

It seems to purely depend on the paint, how resilient it will be to thinners.  It's definitely not always that you can throw oils over acrylics without fail, especially once you start soaking them in thinners for various effects.  White Spirits in general tend to be the least agressive towards whatever you are putting underneath.  But, after some unfortunate accidents that screwed up paint jobs, I've just moved towards putting down an acrylic sealant between the paint and my oil-based weathering solutions.  Future floor polish is popular, but I've settled on clear solutions from Vallejo.  They have a nice 'Premium' line of clearcoats that I believe is RC-car oriented (I just got it because the bottle is a larger size) that goes on perfect every time I spray it and I find it to hold up against anything I throw at it.

What I use:  http://www.amazon.com/Vallejo-Color-Varnish-Premium-Colors/dp/B00A2UV6IS/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1427896272&sr=8-2-fkmr0&keywords=Vallejo+Premium+Clear

[tom mann]

Water soluble oils and use water (or WW fluid or alcohol).

[wazzou]

Water soluble oils and use water (or WW fluid or alcohol).

Yeah, this.  I prefer Winsor & Newton as I'm sure probably does as well.

[Chris333]

Mo money mo problems. So the water based oiled don't pool up like an alcohol wash does?

[tom mann]

Don't feel bad I've spent a fortune on oils over the last year. Some of the colors are $35 a tube depending on the pigments used.

I'm not sure exactly the problem you're seeing and want to avoid.  Post a photo!

[Chris333]

With alcohol when I first brush it on it will look great. Then as it dries it sort of shrinks up around all the details and ends up with a ring around everything. To hide this I always blot tissues as it's drying. It is like a big fight till the alcohol evaporates.

When I used the oils they seemed to stay where I put them while drying.

[wazzou]

Are you applying them to a Dullcoted surface with some tooth or not?

[tom mann]

I think I know what you mean. The water solubles do that too, probably due to their quicker drying time compared to "regular" oils. What you're seeing is little rings of pigments that are deposited as the water evaporates. I don't have an answer on how to avoid this-I just use it to my advantage.

As for your original question, try Gamsol (by Gamblin).  It's not a strong thinner at all.  Also, I've been meaning to try linseed oil.  I use it for portrait painting, but haven't got around to trying it on models yet.

[Bendtracker1]

Chris, I've had this happen as well.  Don't let the thinned paint set on the car as long.  Get it on and get the worst of it off, you can always add a bit more if needed.

Work in smaller sections, do one side of the roof, then the other.  Then do one end and then the other.   Do each side of the door separately.  You won't wind up with a dry line between sections as the paint will reactivate and blend easily.

I normally use the cheap thinner and it can be pretty strong, but not letting it set for a long time is the key.
I lathered up a roof, both ends and a side of 40' boxcar and by the time I got done removing the oil wash, I was removing
the Dull Coat as well.

[Chris333]

I just ran down to buy some Gamsol, was $17 a pint at Hobby Lobby    I'll try to find it cheaper.

Also saw a $40 tube of oils   

Even water colors are $$$ for tiny little tubes. Micheals had everything locked up. You might see me on the street corner slangin' paints 



Most of the time I do start with Dullcote. My first try with the oils was on my feed mill that I painted with regular small bottle Testors. And I was using hardware store mineral spirits. Like I said the control was much better than alcohol and going back to an area with the brush didn't make a darker area like alcohol. It just seemed to be digging into the paint a little. I'll find a heroin addict selling some Gamsol.

[tom mann]

You certainly don't need a pint of it.  Remember that it is a solvent and eventually will remove dull cote.  But it's not strong and has no odor.

Back in the day (17th century), Lapis Lazuli was used to make Ultramarine (blue).  At times, it cost more than gold - which is why you rarely see blue used in older "Rembrandt Era" paintings.  My point: hobbies were always expensive

[Kisatchie]

...My point: hobbies were always expensive

Hmm... now you tell me...

[Chris333]

I understand the price of pigment, but why would an oil paint or water color cost more than the same color in say acrylic?  Must be made differently.

[tom mann]

I understand the price of pigment, but why would an oil paint or water color cost more than the same color in say acrylic?  Must be made differently.

Depends on the quality of pigment used.