Acrylic Paint Home Brew Thinner and Airbrush Cleaner e002

These are my favorite Home Brew Acrylic Paint Thinner and Airbrush Cleaner Recipes!
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This is is a quick down and dirty covering my favorite acrylic home brew paint thinner and airbrush cleaner.
This is my personal go to and the recipe plus mixing instructions are included.
Here is the recipe as used:
Cleaner:
1. 100ml of Windex
2. 150ml Distilled Water
3. Approx 70ml of Alcohol ( just added to the top of the neck)
4. 10 drops od Glycerin
Thinner:
1. 175ml of Distilled Water
2. 75ml of Alcohol is what I called for but like with the cleaner I added up to the neck for approx 135ml
3. 10-15 drops of Glycerin
Below you'll find a few of the items used in this vid,
Squeeze Bottles : www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...
Windex: www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07...
Glycerin: www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...
My Equipment:
Canon EOS Rebel SL2 amzn.to/2Eh4ehB
Studio Lights amzn.to/2YxKZYT
Ultimate Lavalier Mic amzn.to/2JO4Sae
AmazonBasics 60-Inch Tripod amzn.to/2EcMzHW

[@l0udcheese]

7:40 if u want to skip right to the mixtures

[@Fredb]

thanks ;-)

[@NeonsStyleHD]

Thanks

[@chadjaeckel]

looking for this was making me Grumpy

[@righteyeblink8996]

thanks

[@Brandlin]

Dear Lord - 7 minutes of monotone contentless preamble ....

[@skierkickjoe]

Thanks for the advice! I mixed both today and absolutely love the cleaning solution. Inexpensive and very effective.

[@1Stevencat]

The background set-up looks magnificent!

[@ralphschubert6230]

I have used a the home brew on two occasions now with excellent results. Airbrushing with acrylics is fun again!

[@josephstanczak4340]

Great video - gonna give this a try. You can also use the water from a dehumidifier, just filter it to get any contaminants from the container out. But it is chemical free.

[@philod902]

New to airbrushing, This was very helpful, thank you.

[@thegaper1090]

Tried it and it works great with my Paasche Talon. I will never spend $12.00 on a bottle of cleaner or thinner again. Great video that actually helps save some cash. Can’t say that for most of the informercials on KZbin. Thanks my model building brother! 👍😊

[@franklinwoodturningcraftsh998]

Thanks for sharing, exactly what i was looking for. I tried these both out today and WOW ! Fantastic stuff !

[@strinity511]

I have been using your recipe for 3 years now. I will never buy thinner for acrylic, this recipe is amazing. The cleaner is just as amazing as well

[@goofyartist]

You’re a class act...Thanks for the info!!!

[@cappuchinofonzarelli537]

Thanks a million, keep up the excellence!!

[@cobosenriquez]

Excellent info, thank you, I learn quite a bit, please keep it up...

[@1FelixTheCat]

I watched 15 other "homebrew" videos. Ultimately came back, subscribed and tried the cleaner. Thank you ! Works excellent ! Greetings from Cape Cod , Massachusetts ! Felix.

[@GrumpyModeler]

Felix The cat And his bag of tricks I glad that it works for you. Remember, the Thinner is not recommended for all acrylic paints. I might need to do a side by side if all the brands.

[@robbrady3096]

Thank you my friend, just made up 900 mls for the cost of $15. My normal airbrush cleaner costs me $20 for 250mls. I then tested it cleaning up one of my cheap chinese airbrush's and it worked wonders. I don't know if the addition of glycerin makes a difference but the trigger and needle seem much smoother. Once again Thank YOU

[@masoudsotoudeh9243]

Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge and experience.

[@Myoldaccount-mu7of]

I made the cleaner tonight and it works great! Thanks. I'm going to try the thinner tomorrow after I replace my messed up compressor.

[@Efin89]

How did the thinner work for you?

[@cruzmzuniga8400]

This was great information. i will give it a try and hopefully save some money on the long run. Thank you

[@clane4485]

Those Pampered Chef measuring cups are the best. I use them for EVERYTHING. I've even marinated chicken in them.

[@GrumpyModeler]

Chris Lane I use the heck out of em.

[@fickionfork]

Your recipe is the best i will try it on soon . every ingredient it so easy to find in my home town .thank a lot sir

[@Danny_Harris-Arts]

good stuff! I started using the thinner mix and was impressed at how well it worked vs store bought, i wont be buying commercially made any more. doesnt matter much but i put the glycerin in first then it pretty much is mixed by the time I add the water and alcohol

[@JSAnstock]

Great information, thank you. I found a free source of distilled water, if you have access to a condenser type clothes dryer. The water produced by these is distilled. I put it through a filter (a lint free cloth in a funnel seems to be sufficient) and save it in cleanded out pop (soda) bottles. Lots of uses for it, including this now. Hope this helps someone 🤞

[@johnathanbooth1865]

Thank you for the video! It was super informative! I'm going to the grocery store right now!!

[@georgehwynn374]

To the Grumpy Modeler; i had just make up your cleaner,& thinner formula > The cleaner works good on old dry up acrylic paint ,& the thinner i will try later. Following your formula recipe it was quick, & easy to do.. Thank you .

[@reforgedcriterion1471]

Love these squeeze bottles, glad I found this vid.

[@mdrony114]

Sir,pls sent me enamel peint making video

[@wilfredjones3008]

Well i got to say that was interesting my first time watching your youtube channel you speak slowly and clearly ,now I can make some thinner and cleaner for a fraction of the price thanks

[@thisfool260]

So while this video is older I'd like to put this out there. The problem of the chrome being stripped off from the inside of the paint cup is not only a problem with "cheaper" airbrushes. If you do a search you will see it's common in most airbrushes including my favorite iwata. While this will happen naturally over time ammonia will really speed it up and it makes it a pain trying to clean the cup for a color change. The quickest way to strip the inside of the cup is leaving cleaner in it. Do not under any circumstances leave cleaner in your brush for extended periods. Overnight is all it takes. The manual on my brush says no longer than 10 minutes.

[@xanderguldie]

I airbrush all the time and I never understood why people would want to leave cleaner in their airbrush anyways. Just get the paint out ASAP, clean it, spray some alcohol through it and you're done in two minutes.

[@gazsto]

@@xanderguldie What would you recommend for thinners? seen so many, 2-1 (water/IPA) ratios with 10mlFlow improver and 1ml retarders added to 200ml mixes. In the above mix he's used Glycerin, which many recommend, would it work with the above formula do you know? Just new to airbrushing and trying to gather the best solutions and mixes, found a window cleaner solution without Ammonia, so not so harmful.

[@xanderguldie]

@user-rz7pw5rk5t For cleaning, I use a couple of different things. Usually, I start with warm water, then my homebrew cleaner, which consists of windex, isopropyl, and a couple of drops of glycerine. Depending on how much paint I used, I'll flush my airbrush with a little bit of acetone. For thinners, I dont like to use retarders unless I need the paint to dry slowly for some reason. I mix rubbing alcohol with water 1:1, and that's it. But it depends on what kind of acrylics you're using. So I recommend you experiment with the ratios.

[@gazsto]

@@xanderguldie Thanks and very much appreciated!

[@Harleyboi04]

Totally new to airbrushing so this is my first video on cleaners and thinners. I like how simple the ingredients are and certainly makes good sense. The proof will be in the application I guess, so here goes nothing. Thanks for you mixture ingredients.

[@GrumpyModeler]

Acrylics only!

[@w.rustylane5650]

Revisiting this video as my recipe has changed. I now use Simple Green instead of non ammonia Windex. I also use a little flow enhancer in the thinner. Cheers from eastern TN

[@rafaelc.gonzales9060]

I copied this recipe and the recipe I'm very shocking that it works and we trying to find a cheapest way to do it this way is the best way to do it was great hands down everybody should thank you once again for your help

[@alejandroagnese550]

Excellent video! thanks from Argentina!

[@kargandarr]

I saw a video last night where someone else was making their recipe for thinner. They had 2 mixes with one of them similar to yours with the exception of ammonia while the other used windshield cleaner in the other one. They didn't measure the glycerin in any way and just poured a small amount into their mix. The rest of it was 1:2 glass cleaner to water for their glass cleaner mix and 1:1 when using windshield cleaner with both getting alcohol and glycerine.

[@lusty444]

A great informative video. When I I first got into this hobby I wanted to do modeling now I have to become a Chemist!

[@joeb564]

Definitely an educational process.

[@jrdchemist]

Definitely trying this when the brand-name stuff has been used up. Thank you for sharing!

[@michaelsingletary5550]

Lysol All Purpose Cleaner works as a great airbrush cleaner for acrylic paint. It can also be used to remove acrylic paint from parts you made a mistake on. It is inexpensive (smells nice too).

[@tammyadair2301]

Do you use straight Lysol?

[@SuperTexasBlues]

@@tammyadair2301 yep, straight out of the spray bottle...into the cup... spray it out, change colors, keep painting youll need a full cleaning when finished, but its a great flush between colors

[@FredWilbury]

Thanks Grumpy ....from the old man Railway modeller.....regards Fred

[@neilward6557]

Many thanks from Yorkshire for your information .

[@jfuscojr]

I just did my first refill. Lasted me about two years.

[@w.rustylane5650]

I use the same recipes for thinner and cleaner. Cheaper than buying the commercial "stuff". The alcohol is usually 70% isopropyl. I use the non-ammonia Windex. I use the water soluble glycerin. And I make my own distilled water. Make a gallon every night in my water distiller.

[@stevecsongvay3455]

Thank you! Works like a charm.

[@davidhefner5668]

Got the stuff to make it today....

[@donalexander4113]

Great video once more. Perfect timing too. I just ran out of my airbrush cleaner and need this stuff bad. I even ordered the two bottles. Question for you. What brands of acrylic paint can you use the thinner on? I mostly use Bombshell Brew paint and Vallejo

[@keimahane]

Thank you, this will save me a ton and no smell in the house.

[@creativecraft100]

It was a great video and demonstration actually. Hopefully you teach us how to clean an airbrush because it’s my difficult part 😄

[@ligerTitan]

It work for me thanks man keep it up

[@JamesWilliams-hx4vu]

An excellent source of distilled water, if you have access to it, is a home dehumidifier. We heat with an unvented gas heater and use the dehumidifier to keep from getting mold etc in the winter. Any time of year tho just run it for an hour or two for a batch of fresh pure H2O.

[@curtcotham6993]

James Williams full of heavy metals though depending on your dehumi

[@ModelMinutes]

Thanks for sharing! Interesting stuff :)

[@Bob0sModelFabWorx]

As a side note to the Ammonia harming rubber seals. The most common (non Chinese) brand of seal is EPDM Rubber. Ammonia is only harmful to the rubber if used in concentrated form and left to sit. With the diluted amount used in Windex, and the diluted even more with your solution, there will be no harmful effects. The only seal that Ammonia will really cause damage is with Viton seals.

[@kevinm3751]

My Master airbrushes in fact had Viton seals and cleaning with Windex did in fact totally destroy the O rings. It is worth noting to that Nitrile (Buna-N rubber ) seals will also not fair well with high PH type cleaning solutions.

[@timminer5774]

75 or 100ml of Windex? You say 2 different amounts in the vid. Your cleaner recipe in the description is 320 ml like someone pointed out.

[@BeaRrug66]

Thank heavens! No more spending mega bucks for +am!ya thinner and airbrush cleaner!

[@vbaltrunaite]

Hello, what kind of paints would you recommend for the textile? Could I just thinner for basic acrylic paints (water based) and use it without spending a lot of money?

[@Georgeolddrones]

Love the video . Thanks 👍George in uk

[@chadjaeckel]

Very useful, thank you for this.

[@BloodRavenX]

Would switching the windex with windshield fluid still work the same

[@fouadfakhoury1]

Thank you for this great video, a question, is there any difference in Isopropyl based alcohol vs Ethanol based Alcohol when it comes to making those cleaner and thinner mixes?

[@alexthehopeless3778]

The fact that you even have to say "don't eat it" is already a testament

[@nikushim6665]

the seals aspect is true, just depends on what they are made of. Dont use windex, go to the automotive section and buy store brand windshield wiper fluid its generally ammonia free and a hell of alot cheaper. Gallon of walmart brand stuff is like three bucks.

[@jamesanderson9747]

Hi very detail video, thumbs up!Just 2 questions . 1)i already have 100% alcohol(commercial type),do i still add in the same proportion too? 2)I'm using angelus leather paint.does it work too? and do you know the ratio for your thinner:angelus paint?

[@p40tomahawk41]

Also,in the thinner,is there a mixture with a paint extender for the open time with the paint...thanks

[@nathanpartridge3565]

I was sick and tired of $8.75 for a bottle of Tamiya thinner. Used your home brew mix and it works perfect! I did use Vallejo flow improver (15 drops) since I had that instead of straight glycerin.

[@luisdanielmirandagomez7582]

was usefull?

[@pilot4701]

I wasn't sure this would work with tamiya since it's alcohol based acrylic.

[@jrgreiner]

@@pilot4701 Actually, Tamiya acrylic is a solvent based "hybrid" acrylic. I haven't tried Grump's mixture with it and while I know what I'm about to mention "ruins" dealing with this paint because it's acrylic, but *THE* best thinner I've ever used with Tamiya acrylics (and still do) is Mr. Color Leveling Thinner, which is a LACQUER thinner. I usually mix 60-70 (sometimes even more)? % thinner to about 30-40% paint and it airbrushes flawlessly, never clogs the airbrush tip and dries smoothly and durable. Having said that, you must then clean your airbrush with regular 'ol lacquer thinner but believe me, once you try it, you won't go back.

[@Allessio777]

Do bottles need shaken before each use, or is the suspension permanent?

[@p40tomahawk41]

Thanks for the info...I will try that...quick question...since I have a bunch of 99% Iso Alcohol.....could you still use that or would you water it down a bit before adding to rest of ingredients.....thanks

[@mikepulsomagnetico8573]

Very good attitude. Thank You. Do you suggest some paint cleaner for enamel.?

[@waynereeves6023]

I used windex 70 % and metholated spirits 20% and 10% water and it is ok for cleaning

[@ilkergundogdu8368]

Thankyou so much, you are awesome!

[@lancelehman1105]

Great videos on great topics! The one thing I use that is different is Liquitex Flow Aid as a leveler. Or does the glycerine tackle this?

[@twobyfour]

From what I`ve read, you can use a drop of glycerine. Save the flow aid for paint as its more expensive.

[@collenyoung2812]

Very helpful video, is the idea to run the airbrush cleaner through the airbrush? Or is the purpose to disassemble the airbrush and scrub the parts with it?

[@katieshousecs]

I hear that you should stay away from products with ammonia for the cleaner, does that also go for the home new thinner?

[@williamaviles2647]

Thank you for info. Can I use 70% alcohol.

[@martinj9251]

Very handy, Question can you use spray tin primer. Then go over the top with Acrylic air brush paint? Very new to this 😳

[@juanbarrera8542]

Is this thinner good for maintaining the paint pigments?

[@igorrabinovich3386]

Thanks a lot for your advise. Did you test your thinner with AK 3rd gen paints? A lot of modellers have issues to thin it properly for airbrushing. Thanks again.

[@betsychiu1663]

Hello, I live outside the state and w don't have Windex here, is there any possible replacement that I can use to clean the airbrush? Thank you.

[@tuesday630]

Good stuff here. To jump to thinner mixing - 12:01

[@WayneEarls]

Been using windex on car windows with chrome trim all my life.

[@thecraftykricket]

Question about thinner! My airbrush say to dilute acrylic paint 7 parts water to 1part pain. To me it looks to thin what would you recommend to dilute paint with the thinner?

[@FRED031447]

What camera and audio equipment are you using?

[@tehbh1688]

The measurement of the Cleaner if I hear you correctly is 75 ml Windex and 175 ml distilled water and both should adds up to 250 ml. Next comes the 91% IPA from the 250th mark up to the neck of the squeeze / wash bottle and finally 10 drops of Glycerine. Capped with the thumb to mix homogeneously well. Please correct me if I am wrong here.

[@DjRoan_only_top_kizz]

can i use 90 grade PINK denaturate alcol instead of transparent iso 91? Will the pink contaminate the acrilic color? Thanks

[@mariekirkland4089]

How would you make both mixes for 6oz bottles?

[@DocIdaho]

If you have to use the 70% isopropyl alcohol, you can adjust by using slightly more and less water. Just do the math by proportion of the two.

[@acipod71]

Stay grumpy my friend....

[@jeffmcdonnell1179]

Great informative video. IPO is fairly expensive where I live. Is there a cheaper substitute?

[@loaded68mustang]

Really appreciate sharing your home brew. Just made up a batch and about to try it. You asked for other ideas- I've been using 75% water + 25% Fantastik ala Bloodshot airbrushing channel. Might try adding the Glycerin to that and comparing these. Definitely looking forward to trying yours. Thanks!

[@henrysscrollsawworks6367]

love the videos

[@AMM18691]

My concern with windex is what other ingredients are in it. Obviously what ever makes it blue and how these unknown ingredients will effect the paint in the long term.

[@klaasbakker4304]

Excellent!

[@ameliabuns4058]

can those water based acrylic paints be used on plastic?

[@RJ99729]

I'm curious what is the point of the glycerin? Thanks for the recipe and the info

[@scottp.5055]

Is it 100 ml of Windex or 75 ml? You said 100 ml first then marked 75ml when you started making the cleaner.

[@alijafri1648]

Can I use this home brew thinner with Mr. Surfacer primer 1500?

[@moniquehagansOnly]

Thank you for this video. Can you use mineral oil in place of the glycerin? Or just go with the glycerin?

[@contirossini]

you should not add OIL to acrylic ink (even when it does not mixes whit water)... so, no, keep whit the glycerin.

[@REKlaus]

A note on Ammonia: In its raw state, Ammonia is a very caustic Gas (not a liquid). It is used when dissolved in various other substances and used in many things from rocket fuel to agricultural fertilizer (including some food products.) Off the shelf cleaning Ammonia is around 30% Ammonia in water. Windex says their cleaner contains 5.66% Ammonia. When mixed in Grumpy's cleaner it is down to around 1.7%, probably not enough to do any harm unless left to soak in it for an extended time. Mission Models Paints do say you can strip their paint with Ammonia or Alcohol.

[@harryschmus8579]

Are the cleaner and thinner suitable for acrylic urethane primers

[@kevinb9327]

Great! As you say there are a lot of different recipes. I am the newest of nobbies. I'm going to use yours. Consider putting the ingredients in "parts" - three parts water, 2 parts alcohol, 1 part glycerin, blah blah etc.

[@comitube]

exactly. Why not just give ratios and let any bottle size be the factor? Every time I do math with the milliners the math comes out off enough to make me wonder what I'm missing. And the drops?

[@waynereeves6023]

Can i use 100% alchol if not can i dilute it with watet

[@donalexander4113]

One more question. How much for the Grumpy stickers?

[@azdave2721]

Excellent video. This is Exactly what I was looking for. Thanks. I plan on making several bottles. What was that stand your plane was on? I’m interested in getting a few stands like that for painting. Thanks again.

[@GrumpyModeler]

Thank you I am glad that you found what you were looking for! The stand is actually made by JH Models. A quick google search will bring them up. Note that some assembly is required! Thanks for watching!

[@tonymammel3542]

Thanks for posting this video, you presented it very well and in a clear concise manner! Just a point of curiosity for me, why are you using the 90% alcohol and thinning it down? Why not go for a lower percentage off the shelf (we have 50 and about 70% available where I live in Canada) and add less water or maybe no water at all? I’m certainly no chemist, just left me wondering.

[@cathy3046]

91% is easily accessible here in the U.S. I can get it every bit as easily as the 70%, but I also use it during prep of my items, so I prefer the 91% anyway. :)

[@moisesmendez2226]

Would this work for Createx water-based paint?

[@georgebowen2161]

Does the window cleaner have to have ammonia?

[@Galdorx]

Hi There, im gonna make some thinner and Cleaner for my Airbrush. In this mix, can i use something else than Glycerin, i cant get that in Norway. Nowone have it.