What to thin enamels with?

[captncartoon]

Today I completely botched a job for a friend. I usually do illustration work onto boards with regular Liquitex paints and have no problem with this. It "my" medium. Today I tried to airbrush a 5ft tall display for a friend who gave me Krylon enamel spray paint to work with. My knowledge of thinning this is about ans long as my pinkie finger and the job looks HORRIBLE! What do you experts use to thin enamel paints? I have heard either mineral spirits or lacquer thinner.
HEEEEEEEEEEEELP!!!!

[JimmyG]

Krylon enamel spray paint as in spraycans?

need more specifics on the exact paint Phil.....

....

[Skids]

never seen Krylon in anything other than rattle-cans....

first thing you do is take whoever gave you that to use out back and chase them around with the spraycans...when you're done with that, take his wallet, then come back here and we'll help you with what you need to get!

[captncartoon]

never seen Krylon in anything other than rattle-cans....

first thing you do is take whoever gave you that to use out back and chase them around with the spraycans...when you're done with that, take his wallet, then come back here and we'll help you with what you need to get!

HAHAHA! That's pretty much what I did! After doing my absolute best to finish his job without COMPLETELY botching it I told him I would give him a shopping list of paints to buy if I am to do the other 18 displays! I ended up thinning the paint (yes, from rattle cans) with Lacquer thinner. My God, it was a disaster but I feel like I passed some sort of initiation. "Use these pre-historic methods to airbrush 2 displays", by the way, there are 18 more to come!

[JimmyG]

Yeah, thinning with laquer thinner was likely your best contributor to disaster....
Assuming that you tried spraying paint from a spray paint can into a small cup, xylene would have been a best choice for thinner....If you read the ingredients and warning labels on spray enamel cans, you will likely see xylene, toulene, acetone, MIK, Isobutyl Acetate, benzene derivatives, etcerea; some research on the chemicals will give you better knowlege of the agents and the dangers involved.....

Speaking of dangers, I surely hope you didn't consider puncturing the spray cans to drain the paint......Such is a very dangerous, risky and messy choice and never to be recommended....

[bigwater]

Easiest way to paint a display with Krylon is to set a hot plate in front of the display, place a pot of water on the hot plate, put the can of Krylon in the pot of water, turn the hot plate on, and evacuate the building.

[JimmyG]

hey !!! more info on abstract art !!!

:-)~

[sharonsstudio]

Wow you really had your work cut out for you....
I hear they do have special tips to put on your rattle cans..
to get thin to thick line but never seen them..

[JimmyG]

nothing erks me more than have a rattle can nozzle clog and belch in midstream....

i got my push pin tricks, but i sure wonder how all the taggers deal with rattle can tip dry.....?

;-(~

[Skids]

kinda sorta up on the graffiti thang Jimmy, they keep several buttons and just change em...I actually have a collection of them myself, got one that'll dump a whole can in about 15 seconds!!