Which Is Better To Clean Parts, Paint Thinner Or Mineral Spirits

Solvents make stains and finishes work. You will never feel actually comfortable with finishing until you have an agreement of solvents.

Post-obit is an overview of each of the most commonly available solvents. For a deeper understanding that better relates all the cease solvents to each other, see Understanding Solvents, Office II. For an caption of lacquer thinner, which is composed of almost half-a-dozen individual solvents, see Lacquer Thinner.

Petroleum Distillates and Turpentine

Petroleum distillates are distillations of petroleum. They include mineral spirits (informally referred to every bit "paint thinner"), naphtha, toluene, xylene and some "turpentine substitutes" such as turpatine and T.R.P.South. Their chief use in forest finishing is for thinning waxes, oils, and varnishes, including polyurethane varnish, and for cleaning brushes. Petroleum distillates are also used to remove oil, grease and wax.

Turpentine is a distillation of pine-tree sap. Earlier the mid-twentieth century, turpentine was widely used as a thinner and clean-up solvent for oil paint and varnish and besides as an oil, grease and wax remover.

With the growth of the automobile industry and its demand for petroleum products, a big number of petroleum solvents were introduced and these have well-nigh entirely replaced turpentine because they are less expensive and have less unpleasant odor. The simply sector in which turpentine is still used in whatsoever quantity is fine arts.

To produce solvents from petroleum, the liquid is heated and gases are taken off and condensed as the temperature increases. The process is chosen distillation—and thus, petroleum distillates.

The first gas to come off is methane, which doesn't condense at room temperature, only at much colder temperatures. Then there's ethane, propane, butane, etc.

Heptane and octane are used to brand gasoline, a liquid that evaporates very rapidly. Gasoline is sometimes used as a cleaner, but it is very dangerous because it is explosive. Don't use gasoline.

The petroleum distillates we use in wood finishing evaporate much slower than gasoline and are relatively prophylactic to utilize in small quantities, even with poor ventilation. But information technology's yet not wise to use them in a room with a flame such as a pilot light, and you should protect yourself with meliorate ventilation if you use them for long periods of time.

Furniture polishes are primarily petroleum distillates in the evaporation range slightly slower than mineral spirits. Many furniture polishes are emulsifications of petroleum distillates and water making them appear white (like milk, which is an emulsification of water and animal fat). Emulsified article of furniture polishes are meliorate cleaners considering they remove both solvent- and water-soluble dirt.

Mineral Spirits, Naphtha and Turpentine

The two most widely used finishing solvents are mineral spirits and naphtha. For our purposes, the chief differences between the two are evaporation rate and oiliness.

Naphtha evaporates faster than mineral spirits and is "drier," that is, less oily. Naphtha is therefore better for cleaning all types of oily, greasy or waxy surfaces. Mineral spirits is better for thinning oils, varnishes (including polyurethane varnish) and oil-based paints because it provides more than time for the coating to level after brushing.

Naphtha is a stronger solvent than mineral spirits, just this is rarely significant in wood finishing. Mineral spirits is strong enough for any normal performance.

To place turpentine among the petroleum distillates, call back of it as having the solvent strength of naphtha but the evaporation rate and oiliness of mineral spirits. I don't know of any situation in wood finishing where this is of import. But the better solvent strength is important with some artist'due south paints.

The nickname for mineral spirits is "paint thinner." Back in the early days of mineral spirits, before the Second Earth War, all paints were oil-based. And then there was only one thinner for paint. The nickname made sense.

Today, with water-based paints and finishes in wide apply, the name could exist confusing to beginners. Pigment thinner is used only with oil-based paints and finishes, never with latex paints or h2o-based finishes.

Information technology's important to emphasize that mineral spirits and paint thinner are the aforementioned matter. Amazingly, at that place are manufacturers who effort to trick you into paying more past labeling their containers "pure" mineral spirits and charging more.

The common naphtha available in paint stores is VM&P Naphtha. VM&P stands for "varnish makers and painters." Stronger and faster evaporating naphthas exist, but these are rarely sold to the full general public.

Toluene and Xylene

Toluene, nicknamed "toluol," and xylene, nicknamed "xylol," are the strong, smelly, fast evaporating and "dry" parts of mineral spirits and naphtha. These solvents are removed from mineral spirits and naphtha at refineries and sold separately as oil and grease removers. They are also used equally solvents for some high-functioning spray finishes such every bit conversion varnish. Toluene and xylene are very effective as oil and grease removers, but naphtha should exist adequate for most situations.

Toluene evaporates a petty faster than xylene, but this is significant only when using the solvent as a thinner.

The problem with these two solvents is that they are relatively toxic. They will affect your nervous system causing irritability and drunkenness, and in big doses could cause serious health bug. You lot should never use them in any sizeable quantity in a room without adept exhaust.

One very interesting utilize for toluene and xylene is to soften latex paint. Using a dampened cloth (and solvent-resistant gloves) you can hands remove latex paint that has spattered off a paint roller, or fifty-fifty a full coat of latex paint, from any terminate except water-based finish (you'll remove the water-based finish too), without causing any damage to the underlying finish. In fact, the products sold specifically to do this, "Oops!" and "Goof-Off," are principally xylene.

Because white and yellow glues are the aforementioned chemistry as latex paint, you tin can also utilise toluene or xylene to soften and scrub these glues from wood when you take mucilage seepage or finger prints yous didn't fully remove during sanding. You volition need to use a toothbrush or soft contumely-wire castor to become the glue out of the pores.

Odorless Mineral Spirits

The mineral spirits left after the toluene and xylene are removed is sold as "odorless" mineral spirits. When understood this way, it'due south obvious that odorless mineral spirits is a weaker solvent than regular mineral spirits. But I've never constitute this to be a problem. It still appears strong enough to sparse all common oils, varnishes and oil paints.

The disadvantage of odorless mineral spirits, of course, is that it is considerably more than expensive because of the actress steps necessary to produce it. You may find the actress expense worth information technology only to avoid the unpleasant scent of regular mineral spirits.

Turpentine Substitutes

The turpentine substitutes, turpatine and T.R.P.S., are more than similar to turpentine than to mineral spirits. These petroleum substitutes take a solvent strength closer to naphtha and an evaporation rate closer to mineral spirits. Then they are useful to fine artists but provide no special do good to wood finishers.

Booze

Booze is an entirely different solvent than petroleum distillates. Information technology is used as the solvent and thinner for shellac. Booze is the solvent because it dissolves solid shellac flakes and the dried terminate, and it's the thinner because it thins the liquid shellac after the flakes have been dissolved.

(Notice the technical divergence between the terms "solvent" and "thinner," even though they are ofttimes used interchangeably. Alcohol both dissolves and thins shellac. Mineral spirits, on the other manus, doesn't dissolve varnish; it just thins varnish. For more than on dissolving and thinning, see What Dissolves and Thins What.)

There are two types of alcohol available at paint stores: methanol (methyl alcohol) and denatured alcohol (shellac thinner).

Methanol evaporates a little faster than denatured alcohol, only methanol is toxic and could blind or even kill you if you breathe too high a vapor concentration for besides long. Y'all shouldn't employ information technology in big quantities unless you wear a respirator mask or a good exhaust organization in your shop.

Denatured alcohol is ethanol (the alcohol in beer, wine and liquor) that has been fabricated poisonous and then we don't accept to pay liquor taxes to buy it. This is the alcohol you should utilize with shellac.

In situations where shellac is non the finish, denatured alcohol has the farther use as a felt-tip-pen ink remover. Dampen a material with denatured booze and wipe over the mark. You will remove it in about cases. You won't damage any finish except shellac as long as you lot don't soak the surface.

Propylene glycol is a very slow evaporating alcohol that is often used as a "flow condiment" in water-based finishes. Unfortunately, this solvent isn't widely available for consumers.

Acetone and MEK (methyl ethyl ketone)

Both acetone and MEK are very strong (high solvent strength) and fast evaporating solvents. Acetone evaporates faster than MEK and, in fact, is the fastest evaporating of all the solvents commonly available to consumers. Information technology is used in many industries as a cleaner and degreaser.

In woods finishing acetone is used as a solvent for lacquers and, forth with MEK, every bit a common ingredient in paint removers. You can add acetone to lacquer and shellac to get them to dry faster in cold temperatures. Acetone is also the about effective solvent for removing the oily resin from the surface of some exotic woods, including teak, wenge and cocobolo, before gluing with a water-based agglutinative or finishing with an oil or varnish.

Acetone is unique in that it is the only common solvent that is exempt as a VOC (volatile organic compound) and HAP (chancy air pollutant). VOCs are ecology (smog) pollutants. HAPs are bad for the states to breathe. Both are regulated and their utilise is limited in many parts of the country. You tin can use as much acetone as you want, everywhere.

Lacquer Thinner

Click here to read about lacquer thinner.

Brush Cleaners and Deglossers

Brands of castor cleaner and deglosser (liquid sandpaper) vary greatly in their composition. Some are even water-based, but these work slower and are less effective than solvent-based.

You tin normally substitute a brush cleaner for the mineral spirits or lacquer thinner you may otherwise use to clean your varnish or lacquer brushes. (Information technology's easiest to make clean shellac with household ammonia and water.) Castor cleaners are usually more expensive, however.

What is left unsaid almost deglossers is that it matters profoundly what paint or stop you're trying to clean and dull. Cleaning grease or wax is no problem, but high-performance paints and finishes such every bit powder and UV-cured coatings, catalyzed lacquer, conversion varnish and even oil-based polyurethane are very solvent resistant. So it'south rarely possible to dull them short of abrading with real sandpaper or steel wool.

Table ane - What Dissolves and Thins What

Solvent	Dissolves	Thins
Mineral spirits (paint thinner) Naptha Turpentine	Wax	Wax Oil Varnish (incl. polyurethane varnish)
Toluene (toluol) Xylene (xylol)	Wax Water-based finish	Wax OilThe Finishing Store News Varnish (incl. polyurethane varnish) Conversion varnish
Alcohol (denatured)	Shellac	Shellac Lacquer
Lacquer Thinner	Shellac Lacquer (nitrocellulose, CAB-acrylic) Water-based finish	Lacquer (nitrocellulose, CAB-acrylic, catalyzed)
Glycol Ether	Shellac Lacquer (nitrocellulose, CAB-acrylic) Water-based finish	Shellac Lacquer (nitrocellulose, CAB-acrylic, catalyzed) H2o-based finish