How To Make Your Own Acrylic Thinner & Airbrush Cleaner - An Easy How To

[@edwardstone9963]

So, I have a Hobby Lobby near me, I bought a 12oz bottle of Airbrush Thinner/Cleaner. Your formula works great for cleaning, now I can save the store bought stuff specifically for thinning. Thank you for taking the time to post your recipe to the masses.

[@barbatosrex9473]

You're welcome Edward

[@HandFromCoffin]

I love this guy. he's the KING of low buck modeling. I"ll be doing this next time I order cleaner or thinner.

[@GumbiiGrows]

these videos are amazing, thanks... i got a smaller bottle at walmart, like a squirt bottle... so i had to modify your cleaner recipe... 3oz distilled water 3oz of windex 2oz of iso alcohol used 10 drops of glycerine works like a charm... man, that's so crazy, and cheap... since i had everything except the bottle already... thank you...

[@markparsons4434]

I have to be completely honest, this recipe was great at doing exactly what I needed. Probably even better than the shop bought ones, I just wish I had found this earlier. Keep the videos coming, great content as always. Brilliant.

[@barbatosrex9473]

Thanks buddy 👍

[@DocbritoFMF]

​@@barbatosrex9473 I know this is an old video but does this thinner mix work with vellejo paints? I've found I can only use vellejo thinner with vellejo paints, and everything else turns vellejo to gun in my airbrush while on the other hand I've thinned Tamiya paints with nearly anything with out issue.

[@barbatosrex9473]

@@DocbritoFMF this is true. Vallejo is a pain when it comes to thinners. I've only used their own till recently. I've found 3 that work. AK Interactive, Universal Model Products and Impresa. If you need links to these let me know

[@DocbritoFMF]

@@barbatosrex9473 thank you for responding, that's kinda what I thought. I've heard that some people say Windex works with thinning and cleaning Vellejo paints Ive tried it with cleaning but not thinning, I have mixed reviews about vellejo on one hand I think there paints are convenient their colors great, but if your gonna airbrush it has to be their airbrush line of paints and can only be thinned with their thinner but either way I still get tip drying clogs. Their thinner smells to me similar to Windex and has the same soapy effect. I would say one of my biggest struggles with any paint is ratio mixing thinner to paint for the airbrush I use a lot of Tamiya products because they are the easiest for me to get with out ordering online and those jars produce a lot of waste when mixing .. some people say mix in the bowl others say mix separate before putting it in the gun either way is a lot of waste, the vellejo paints for what they are worth brush on nice if you wet pallet or thin with medium properly

[@hhaste]

@@DocbritoFMF Flow improver will solve the tip drying issues

[@blueovalracing1582]

I’ve watched this video numerous times. Finally I made your formula for airbrush cleaner for water, base paints. I’m gonna make the thinner next thanks for the video.

[@barbatosrex9473]

You're welcome buddy and thanks for watching 👍

[@PolycultureArt]

Just made my second batch and it feels like doing something with dad.. if he knew how to make a kick ass cleaner/ thinner! My only suggestion is to double the recipe especially for the cleaner. Fills my 900ml bottles right to the top this time :) After 3 months of using the recipe I’m super happy and know exactly how much is needed and in what order :) Also buy isopropyl in 5L batches, wayyyy cheaper!! Thanks AGAIN homie!

[@barbatosrex9473]

You're welcome buddy

[@cyberneticwarmachine]

Seen this glycerin recipe before. Proves that the paint veterans experiment with alternatives that worked. Instead of buying expensive brand cleaners. Super cool

[@urbannpa]

I went to the Dollar store and brought Eye Glass Cleaner....Works like a charm.

[@chadhelvey7827]

As someone that is just starting out at airbrushing this video was highly invaluable. Thank you Sir!

[@barbatosrex9473]

You're welcome buddy 👍

[@scottlewis4364]

I made a batch of the cleaner, and I must say it was great. It cut right through the paint and cleaned my airbrush in no time. It's definitely will cut down on my cleaning time. A++

[@kenandbarbie-b6c]

As of 9/13/24, a gallon of distilled water at Walmart is about $1.90, no longer 0.89 cent. Not prohibitive, but a good example on how sneaky inflation is over the past few years. Good presentation, we all need to save $$$.

[@rinsanityart6345]

Starting to get more serious into airbrushing. I've referenced this video several times, thank you for your contribution. I'm super grateful to you for this information!

[@VincentDigiandomenico]

I'm from NJ and I moved to Ohio 30 years ago and I have been watching your reviews and found that everything has had a positive result. Vinnie digiandomenico

[@MadZaxx]

I just made a second (250mL bottle) of this per your recipe. The first one worked so well!!!! Thank you again!

[@barbatosrex9473]

That's awesome, this stuff works great

[@Repairyman]

I was going to go with the Simple Green, but as its £15.99(about $20) for under 1 litre in the UK I decided on Mr Muscle Glass cleaner. Looking forward to trying it later. Cheers🍻

[@christian2809]

How did your cleaner work out? Also dont have simple green here.

[@7arsenal11]

G'day mate, I'm so pleased I hooked into your videos. Such great recipes for cleaner and thinner. Here in Melbourne, Australia these products are expensive compared to the US so it it well worth it to find a recipe that uses minimal quantities rather than purchasing the natural thinner and cleaner. Great videos and I enjoyed your style of presentation. Also, I liked the tips you provided in the video of how to clean your airbrushes. Wonderful. Once again, thank you so much for sharing your expertise. Cheers Keiran

[@vaperonly76]

Works really good. Saved me a lot of money. I was able to make 4 cleaners off of the 16fl oz 91% alcohol and 22fl oz simple green.

[@barbatosrex9473]

That's great. I used mine an hour ago. Works every time 👍 thanks for watching

[@RRGreiner]

In the navy we used simple green A LOT. That is some great stuff!

[@jhoodfysh]

Thank you Rex. I will getting the supplies in the next week.

[@barbatosrex9473]

That's great my friend. Keep me updated how it goes

[@stevenattaway]

Thanks for this. I sprayed for the first time last night and made the mistake of using thinner made for Oil based paint. It clumped all the pain up and clogged up my spray gun. I then had to disassemble the entire gun to clean it. I have now learned I must use thinner intended for acrylic paint. I think I'll try your recipe to save some money.

[@jamiesworkshop3198]

Just got my bottles today!! I wrote the mix on the bottle with a sharpie. Thanks so much for your excellent videos!! You bring so much valuable information and clarity. I bought that paint mixer you recommended and it was the single best improvement to building models in the last 30 years. You're the best!!!! Thank you so much!!!

[@jackrowlands8863]

i like the way you mix your thinners

[@barbatosrex9473]

Thanks 👍

[@ragingmando5956]

Binging these videos is so therapeutic.

[@ronmccabe1376]

Great help to get started with air brushing. Thanks

[@barbatosrex9473]

You're welcome buddy

[@MileyonDisney]

This will come in very handy. I bought a bottle of thinner and went through it in no time. Thanks!

[@atlredninja1]

I finally got around to doing this after an unsuccessful attempt 7 months ago....boxed everything up and went back to brushes.....Well, yesterday I tried this thinner and cleaner with Acrylic craft paint and HOOOOOLY! All the money I have wasted on rattle cans the last few years.....This is the ticket. Thank you for this and all you do!!!! 1 step that I would suggest that I picked up from another video, was to strain the paint with a fine mesh after thinning and before spraying. Each time I did, I got little bits of pigment out that would have surely caused problems, and all the paint sprayed lovely!

[@barbatosrex9473]

Awesome buddy, a whole new world has opened for you now 👍glad everything worked out.

[@stephencrosby123]

Mate you are a legend. Thank you

[@barbatosrex9473]

Thanks mate and thanks for watching 👍

[@jenborrelli6371]

HALLELUJAH!!! Took me so long to finally find someone to tell me the ingredients they use for both clearly and quickly! More importantly it took forever to find out if you can mix the flow-aid with the paint retarder! THANK YOU 🙏 I can’t tell you enough how much this helped! Thanks for explaining everything so easily! So many people complicate things! Ugh! Haha 😂

[@ChocolateCylon]

I’ll be mixing asap! Also looking forward to the Pro Acrylic paints video

[@barbatosrex9473]

Did that Pro Acryl video a while back, great paint

[@MadZaxx]

I really like your videos! Honest, easy to follow and fun. Thank you my friend!!!

[@namvet6971]

In video you said 10 drops of flow improver and 10 ml of retarder. In the directions below video(which I printed out and followed), you have 10ml of flow improver and 1ml of retarder. Which is correct?

[@barbatosrex9473]

It's a miss print. The video is correct

[@paulmcwilliams1709]

Thanks for the recipes for the cleaner and the thinner. Making these yourself has to be cheaper than buying at your local hobby stores. These days you have to do everything you can to save money wherever it's possible! 👍👍

[@ChozoSR388]

I just got my first airbrush yesterday, and I will not be buying cleaner or thinner. I will be making my own.

[@vincehatina6987]

I k ow this is an older video but we’ll see… can you use denatured alcohol in place of the isopropyl alcohol, all your videos are top shelf thank you

[@barbatosrex9473]

Absolutely

[@vincehatina6987]

@@barbatosrex9473 you da man! I’ve got 10 gallons so that should last me a bit 😂

[@freshoutafolsom20]

Can you replace the IPA with Lacquer thinner for Mr Color paints? I'm using just Mr Color thinner to clean my airbrush and it's getting a bit expensive to keep the airbrush clean

[@John-gg4pm]

Thank you for sharing this with the world, it solved a ton of problems I was having.

[@andrewtucker3107]

Thanks for these valuable tips. As an artist, I am always looking for ways to economize. I have a tackle box full of artist's acrylic paint tubes from my hobby of producing aviation paintings. This info will save me the cost of buying a set of liquid acrylics and the space needed to store them. I'm 57 and getting back into building plastic kits again to use as subject matter in my aviation paintings and to have another avenue to practice craftsmanship and keep my mind focussed on something other than work and world events. That is to say, maintaining my sanity. 😄 Thank you again for the tips.

[@L-owl]

There's a vital ingredient in a couple of the acrylic airbrush cleaners and thinner such as Vallejo airbrush thinner: butyl cellosolve. You can make a DIY version of Vallejo airbrush thinner with 20% volume butyl cellosolve + distilled water. It even smells the same. The butyl cellosolve is also the same thing as Solvaset. It greatly decreases surface tension (better wetting/flowing), allows for much higher dilution because it actually dissolves the acrylic paint, and increases adhesion significantly as it is like decal solution.

[@barbatosrex9473]

Great info, where can I purchase it?

[@L-owl]

@@barbatosrex9473 I got a liter off of eBay from a company called Sierra Chemical. Was a bit pricey at I think $25, but makes a lot of diluted solution.

[@adamh8876]

Just commenting from the future to say that Butyl Cellosolve is just a brand name and the chemical you want to look for is Butyl Glycol Ether (BGE).

[@ThomasMoore.1]

A great video. Very helpful Money saved can be put toward more models/Airbrush

[@jetsetjoey]

This is just what I was seeking... Thank you!!

[@billhayes7383]

Thank you for this great video on making both solutions. Love your videos

[@insane18700]

Another very well made video. Will be giving the cleaner a try for sure instead of buying what I have been buying. This method should keep me going for some time. Thanks

[@TexasTractorBoy]

Love your videos. Real money savers!

[@biagiomarchese9065]

Can you use the cleaner for deep cleaning airbrush

[@barbatosrex9473]

Yes absolutely

[@stephenpitell6087]

I especially appreciate the links supplied.

[@gregorylawson8346]

Another super video. Amazing how little tips help with the big picture. Rock on!

[@charleseshenbaugh4651]

I just ues carberator cleaner sprayed through the gun. It's quick and easy. Works for every kind of paints.

[@jonharrison8780]

I found out from Simple Green that the "ready to use" product that is mentioned in the video is a 10:1 dilution of the concentrate. No store in my area (Portland, Or.) sells the diluted version and someone posted that it is the most diluted , which would imply 30:1.

[@allanlowe9346]

Thanks for sharing some more of your tips. Could you also do one in your recipe for a home made lacquer thinner and cleaner

[@jaretmoskal5558]

Lacquer thinner from Home Depot will thin and clean lacquer. I spray a lot of lacquer for woodworking

[@s_s-g4d]

I have some acrylic paints that are destroyed by IPA (become non-uniform and need filtering after thinning). Ethanol works well with those.

[@allanandersen2924]

Thanks for a very informative and great video. I use both the recipe for the airbrush cleaner and the thinner for acrylic paint and it works perfectly. 👍👍 From DK 🇩🇰

[@franksinatra8329]

Hi, the glycerine can be used too like a flow improver and save money!!

[@Thelinski]

How much glycerine would you use? The same amount as Flow Improver?

[@franksinatra8329]

@@Thelinski Yes!! 10 drops of glycerine is enough.

[@jamminwolfie]

Very happy with the ingredients you shared, thanks so much! I did find a mistake in your thinner ingredient listed, you listed "1ml retarder", but in the video, you said "10ml retarder". 3 years and no one caught that lol. Right now I'm just using 70% Isopropyl alcohol and it works fine (I'm almost out though), and I've heard other recommendations like Windex. Mixing both in with water will indeed save money. The distilled water, my home is on well water which is all-natural, with no chemicals added, not tap water, does it matter whether I add distilled or well water? I have airbrush lubricant being shipped at the moment, so I'm not gonna worry about Glycerin for now. Thanks so much for sharing this with us. I didn't know about the flow improver till I saw this video, but I'm glad cause my tip keeps drying out and it's annoying, so I got that in my cart as well.

[@mariottbunbury1985]

This is a great video and has saved me plenty of dosh, you are the best my man

[@trumpet3829]

Thank you once again for another invaluble and most informative video. I will be keen to try these if I can get my hands on the raw products. Either way, I'm sure that you have given a solution (no pun intended) to a lot of people's problems and saved them a ton of money too. When we spend money on paint, we just want to buy colour, but each manufacturer seems to try and convince us that we need to buy THEIR thinners and other chemical agents in order to get the results we desire. So we all end up with shelves and boxes full of different products fro thinning and cleaning, etc, which probably aren't that different at all!

[@nonamo5700]

Bit of a heads up with funnels, since I noticed Rex lifting theirs; you need a slight gap between the funnel and the mouth of the bottle or it'll form a vacuum and stop liquid going into the bottle (or backing up making a mess!) This is mostly an issue with silicone funnels; they're great for easy clean up but lack the ribs that plastic funnels have. I use a paper clip bent into a hook, and hang that on the rim to give me the necessary gap and prevent a vacuum.

[@bgdrewshowers7411]

have you tried windshield washer fluid before in any of your airbrush cleaners

[@barbatosrex9473]

Yes and I also use it to thin craft store acrylics

[@bobof673]

Great video thank you. Would it be necessary to cap the cleaner for long term storage to reduce the alcohol evaporation?. Thank you.

[@johnwinters]

Great video! I look forward to trying these recipes out. I was curious, you mentioned but didnt cover, what do you use for recipes for lacquer and enamels cleaner and thinners? Thank you in advance for any help!

[@barbatosrex9473]

For those it's just cheaper to buy basic lacquer thinner from the hardware store. It's what I use to clean and thin both lacquer and enamels

[@marcmiller5263]

Thank you for your recipe

[@jiflergaming4146]

hi from the UK🤙 in the video you use 10 drops of improver but in the written instructions you say use 10ml or doesnt it matter ? Thanks very much.

[@barbatosrex9473]

It's 10 drops

[@jiflergaming4146]

oops I've used 10ml 😂

[@clivemahony9827]

Great video only starting with airbrush and looking for a good recipe this is a simple video thanks 👍

[@LouiseJannetta]

Fab video; many thanks. Does the thinner affect the longevity of the paint job? Is it hardwearing and durable say for outdoor products.

[@barbatosrex9473]

This won't have any adverse effects on the paint. It might even help with the durability

[@stevenmenke618]

Great Video I always love Watching

[@ErgonomicChair]

Thisis an amazingly thorough guide but ahh... I think I'll probably use aibrush thinner from Vallejo as it SHOULD always be formulated exactly the same and I know what to expect. These cleaners are cool though, IO have a ton of simple green for stripping acryllic paint.

[@danielferreira8647]

Hi! Thank you for sharing these low cost but efective tools! One question that I didn't find in the comments below: Are these products also valid for water based (non Vallejo) acrylics?

[@MatteoCremaBL]

This is great! thank you! So, if I understand correctly, this thinner works both with Tamiya Alcohol based acrylics and water based paints like Ammo/Vallejo?

[@danielferreira8647]

Hi! I have the same doubt. Did you get any reply to your question? Does anyone know if they work for both water and solvent base acrylics?

[@sidneystephens5363]

​@danielferreira8647 ,@MatteoCremaBL in his airbrush mixing video he say his homemade thinner will not work on Vellejo paints. Anything with Isopropyl alcohol will mess up the paints

[@paulh9264]

Love your videos too, great stuff!

[@kevinlowe4845]

Your videos are awesome, I just bought my first airbrush,on your recommendation,the bought the harbor fright compressor with the airbrush including the airbrush I also bought the Amazon airbrush kit,can’t wait to start using it, again thanks for the video’s,great channel keep the videos coming

[@JSTRonline2]

I accidentally bought simple green concentrated so keep that in mind if you go out to buy it. He’s using “ready to use”.

[@KunaiKrazy]

Here I am saying I did the same thing. Going back to Kroger tomorrow and hopping on over to Wal-Mart. Bleh.

[@footlingjohnson8014]

The concentrated simple green works even better. 👍

[@jameshopkins2800]

​@@footlingjohnson8014same measurement 1/2 cup?

[@danielfritchley6649]

I used concentrated Simple Green also but I just doubled up everything and made 32 oz. With the concentrated Simple Green then when I put it into smaller spray bottle I just only fill half the mix and top with distilled water. Also I flush out the airbrush by stuffing the front of the brush and cup into straight distilled water and black into that cup it rinses and cleans residue I don't want as I go to the next color. Found doing that kept clogs and possible contamination out of the paint.

[@jaysongerrald3958]

​@@KunaiKrazy FYI: concentrate you can dilute as directed, and concentrate strips paint quick, 2 cars I failed and simple green stripped the paint in 2days

[@KOUGA108]

Does the airbrush cleaner work when using Vallejo paint ?

[@barbatosrex9473]

I did a separate video on cleaning Vallejo. Anything with alcohol is not good for Vallejo. In my video I show very hot water is the best to clean Vallejo. I brew hot water in my coffee maker

[@Nutyp3092]

The cleaner works EXTREMELY well. I am amazed. Was able to finally get the ingredients together and wow. So little work to clean now. Of course my final clean for the session will still be a thorough clean, but man, stuff works.

[@josephbidal9874]

thanks

[@jasminesethi1988]

Thank you for making this video. Can this be used to clean airbrush gun while using silicone based makeup?

[@barbatosrex9473]

Yes, as long as the product is an acrylic water base it will work. What do you normally use?

[@jasminesethi1988]

@@barbatosrex9473 ohhh .. I use silicone based makeup for face and body. Would there be a separate formula for cleaning the gun of silicone based makeup?

[@barbatosrex9473]

@@jasminesethi1988 not really, after flushing it with an acrylic cleaner I would shoot some acetone through the airbrush. I do that with all my paints

[@rider660r]

Instead of using Windex can one use an automotive window washer fluid? Wondering because you can get that for about $2 for a gallon.

[@barbatosrex9473]

Yes that works too 👍

[@MisticalPineapple]

for cheap acrylics is it better to use this thinner mix or windshield washer fluid as you suggested in using the cheap acrylics video?

[@barbatosrex9473]

Yes for sure 👍

[@claudenewbolt2659]

I LIKE YOUR RECIPE FOR CLEANING AIR BRUSH, AND FOR THINNING ACRYLIC PAINTS.

[@iancarlin4694]

Good money saving video thanks. Quick tip - after tipping each measured ingredient into the bottle, mark the level with permanent marker or tape (permanent marker will come off if the solution gets onto the marks.). Next time no need for measuring again. 🙂

[@jewellguitars]

That's so simple it's brilliant! Thanks, Man!

[@biglouie69]

Excellent as always! You deserve many times the number of subscribers!

[@deputy3690]

How do you clean an airbrush after using Mr. Hobby 1500 mixed with Mr. Color 400?

[@barbatosrex9473]

Lacquer thinner and acetone

[@cag9284]

Does it affect the colour of white?

[@barbatosrex9473]

It doesn't

[@cag9284]

Cheers

[@THROTTLEPOWER]

Great vid, thanks for sharing! Simple Green is great stuff...... 👍😉

[@barbatosrex9473]

Oh yes, that "Stuff" is awesome

[@THROTTLEPOWER]

@@barbatosrex9473 👍👍

[@donanip]

Hey there rex, does this recipe works with lacquer/solvent based paint such as mr.color?

[@barbatosrex9473]

It doesn't

[@donanip]

@@barbatosrex9473 thanks!

[@TopBlokeChang]

Thanks man great vid. I love your practical vids they’ve inspired me to test out new things, research how & why these products work. Why some are expensive vs cheap AND use my common sense. I’ve learned so much more from experimenting with different setup & materials. I would love to see someone come up with a DIY primer for airbrushing onto plastic.

[@SuperPunchpunch]

Truly helpful video, thanks 🎉

[@frankperhats6104]

Nice video I must of missed it do you use same ratio of thinner for each paint type? What ratio do you use?

[@Gnomenutz]

I love your recipe, For cleaner I have been using L.A.'s Totally Awesome at 100% for a few years now. This is available at the Dollar Tree. I don't go in the store without buying at least 4 bottles.

[@allenevans8182]

Hi Eric, is the T.A instead of the Simple Green or by itself with no other additions? Thx

[@Gnomenutz]

Allan, I use TA in a condiment bottle and squeeze a little into the cup and run it through. No watering it down. But I pour out the paint first. I wouldn't use TA for thinning paint but it is great for cleaning.

[@paulh9264]

Hi, could you use demineralised or RODI water instead?

[@Evandure]

Thanks for sharing your recipe! One thing i noticed: For the thinner the amount for Flow Improver and Retarder are switched between video and describtion. Which info is the correct one? Video or describtion?

[@barbatosrex9473]

The video, it's a printing mistake

[@gezgin4864]

Why do we use windex? distilled water and isopropyl alcohol not enough? Or how should the glass cleaner be? thanks.

[@statoilbensin2190]

I just tried buying cheap paint thinner for cleaning airbrush and it works great.

[@joshfoss7407]

Be very careful. Paint thinner is extremely toxic and flammable.

[@MrManlify]

can you use the cleaner for vallejo?

[@barbatosrex9473]

I would use this method for Vallejo kzbin.info/www/bejne/mKPcgql8rpWqjqssi=2UZqjaojVGRXdbNm

[@MrManlify]

@barbatosrex9473 Thank you! I saw from reddit (and here) you only use Vallejo thinner, and not your own for Vallejo Primer. How bad are the results from distilled water vs Vallejo thinner? like catastrophic to airbrush or just some splotchy application?

[@barbatosrex9473]

@@MrManlify distilled water is OK. It's just that when using their own thinner they contain binders that keeps the paint from breaking down to put it simply. I did find a universal thinner from Amazon and Universal Model Products that works great

[@MrManlify]

@@barbatosrex9473 Thanks for sharing. TBH, I just got the Avanti Airbrush, and have been overloading myself with a lot of airbrush videos. So I appreciate the comments.

[@Fridelain]

You can use some (doubled up) cling wrap or a piece of plastic bag over the bottle opening before you screew in the cap to keep it sealed for shaking the mix and for storage to avoid evaporative loss. Or just get a second, regular cap that fits. or a rubber tip for the nozzle, just drill or cut a small slot on a piece of rubber.

[@oneproudbrowncoat]

I'll have to use the isopropyl, since the needle on my cheap single-stage siphon brush is unplated brass. Ammonia or vinegar would just etch it (eventually).

[@davidc3150]

By any chance would this be useful to thin paint to use it on the normal brush? Or would it be too aggresive? Have you done one for brushes?

[@barbatosrex9473]

Works with a regular brush too

[@saltykrug]

Thank you good sir! I was wondering if home made options worked well or were some closely guarded secret. This will save me some money since I clean my manual brushes with it as well.

[@meridethmorton9523]

nice video i was wondering what you use the glycerin for?

[@barbatosrex9473]

It's a lubricant that helps out with keeping the paint from sticking to the needle

[@Awesomechan3]

Hello, can ethanol alcohol be a substitute for isopropyl alcohol in the thinner? IPA isn't as cheap and widely available as ethanol in my country.

[@barbatosrex9473]

Yes just use a little bit less

[@philipattard9018]

Like your channel great info on products.Does the home made airbrush cleaner wash out the Vallejo grey surface primer and the thinner is it OK to thin the Vallejo grey primer?Thanks

[@tm-worldwide]

Excellent!!! Thank you for this - saving me a fortune!