Thinning sanding sealer

[von Braun]

Anybody know what you can use to thin sanding sealer? I've tried many different kinds of thinners and solvents to clean my brushes but it doesn't dissolve,it just stays in the brush. I basically have to let it harden,then I scrape it out of the bristles with my thumbnail or a small knife. There's gotta be something that dissolves it.

[stefanj]

The best thing:

A thinner made by the same company that made your sanding sealer.

For cleaning brushes, lacquer thinner and/or acetone should work.

[ghrocketman]

Best: The thinner made by the same brand as the Dope (Sanding Sealer)
Second: A mixture of equal parts Toluene (toluol), Xylene (xylol), MEK (Methyl Ethyl Ketone), and MIBK (Methyl IsoButyl Ketone).
Third: Any one of the ingredients in the "second" mixture above, with the MEK probably working best alone.
Fourth: Acetone (Last place because it evaporates too fast)

Do NOT try to use hardware-store "lacquer" thinner.
Due to almost all brands containing methanol, it will NOT dissolve dope worth a hoot and will cause it to form hard jelly-like clumps on your brush.

[von Braun]

Thanks,guys. The sealer I'm using is Midwest Aero Gloss;I'll check to see where I can get that brand of thinner.

[mojo1986]

I've posted this elsewhere, but here goes again................if your sanding sealer is the same as the old AeroGloss formula, a perfect solvent that's cheap and (last time I looked, admittedly quite a while ago) available almost everywhere is CUTEX brand 'Quick and Gentle' non-acetone nail polish remover. It's worth a try to see if it works for the brand of sealer you're using.

Joe

[von Braun]

I've posted this elsewhere, but here goes again................if your sanding sealer is the same as the old AeroGloss formula, a perfect solvent that's cheap and (last time I looked, admittedly quite a while ago) available almost everywhere is CUTEX brand 'Quick and Gentle' non-acetone nail polish remover. It's worth a try to see if it works for the brand of sealer you're using.

Joe
Thanks,Joe.

[Jeff Walther]

Hobby Lobby sells a package of 100 (or is it 200?) paint brushes for under $5. I just use a brush and then toss it. The cost is less than the thinner would be.

[von Braun]

Hobby Lobby sells a package of 100 (or is it 200?) paint brushes for under $5. I just use a brush and then toss it. The cost is less than the thinner would be.
Do they have a website?

[Jeff Walther]

Do they have a website?

Yes, but they do not list products on it. There's a link to crafts Etc. on their site, but it's not the same.

You'll need to visit one of their stores. I know that's not very helpful if there is not one near you.

[ghrocketman]

That Cutex Nail Polish remover can be used as a "brush cleaner" for dope/sanding sealer in a pinch, but DO NOT use it for thinning sanding sealer or color dope.
The Cutex nail polish remover contains WATER in addition to Acetone and Ethyl Acetate. The WATER in this product makes its use totally unsuitable as a THINNER as it will cause a "white haze" in the product as it dries due to trapped water. You will have bubbles in your topcoat of anything wood you seal if you thin the sealer with the Cutex product. The water will take many months to completely escape, all the while ruining the topcoat.

[mojo1986]

That Cutex Nail Polish remover can be used as a "brush cleaner" for dope/sanding sealer in a pinch, but DO NOT use it for thinning sanding sealer or color dope.
The Cutex nail polish remover contains WATER in addition to Acetone and Ethyl Acetate. The WATER in this product makes its use totally unsuitable as a THINNER as it will cause a "white haze" in the product as it dries due to trapped water. You will have bubbles in your topcoat of anything wood you seal if you thin the sealer with the Cutex product. The water will take many months to completely escape, all the while ruining the topcoat.

Well, it may contain water (if that's what 'aqua' is) but I have never experienced any of the problems you describe. Thins AeroGloss products for painting by airbrush and no problems with the finish. I have never tried doing a clear dope topcoat, so can't comment on the 'haze' you refer to, but haze and bubbles in pigmented paints...........nope!!

Joe

[von Braun]

Okee dokee;I got a bottle of the Cutex non-acetone stuff and poured a little in a Dixie cup,then attempted to clean out the brush I've been using to apply sanding sealer. There was a glob of dried sealer in the brush,and also some dried paint in the center bristles that never rinsed out. After swishing it around in the Cutex a few times,I could see the junk in the brush starting to loosen up. I kept wiping it with a paper towel,and the stuff was coming off. I kept swishing and wiping,and by golly,all that sealer and that old dried paint came out. That stuff is beautiful. Think I'll buy a case of it.