International Original - Thinners?

Little Rascal

Little Rascal

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I have some International Original varnish that I want to thin - I can only get hold of 333 Thinners at the moment, (I'd have to order No 1). Does anyone know if 333 and Original are compatible?

Thanks....
 
I just used white spirit

Little Rascal said:
I have some International Original varnish that I want to thin - I can only get hold of 333 Thinners at the moment, (I'd have to order No 1). Does anyone know if 333 and Original are compatible?

Thanks....
Click to expand...

I just used B & Q white spirits and it (a) dried and (b) gave a good gloss. Nice varnish as you can brush it out without it going sticky.

No doubt, I will be told that white spirit is the wrong thinners to use but I am happy with the result.
 
So if thinners 1 is white spirit then what are the others? If we don't have to buy the international version then there's a good saving to be had. I just paid £11 something for a litre of thinners no3!
 
G12 said:
So if thinners 1 is white spirit then what are the others? If we don't have to buy the international version then there's a good saving to be had. I just paid £11 something for a litre of thinners no3!
Click to expand...

Depends on the brand

International Thinner no 3 is the thinner for (most of their) antifouling paints. Like wise Hempel no 3
 
Last edited:
I know No3 is for A/F........ I was just wondering if there was an unbranded equivalent. For instance, a can of International thinners 1 is much more than a can of white spirit as mentioned above. So what would the B&Q equivalant of a can of No3 be if indeed there is one at all? Thinners No9 is for the two pack epoxy stuff...... there must be unbranded alternative to that also. I will look at the tin next time I see one and note the contents.
 
All the manufacturers are obliged to make available a MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet) for their products, so a visit to their website usually lets you download these and they will list the active chemical ingredients.

Rob.
 
G12 said:
I know No3 is for A/F........ I was just wondering if there was an unbranded equivalent. For instance, a can of International thinners 1 is much more than a can of white spirit as mentioned above. So what would the B&Q equivalant of a can of No3 be if indeed there is one at all? Thinners No9 is for the two pack epoxy stuff...... there must be unbranded alternative to that also. I will look at the tin next time I see one and note the contents.
Click to expand...

International thinner no 3 is mostly "light aromatic solvent naphtha" and 1,2,4-trimethylbenzene plus some 1,3,5-trimethylbenzene

Hempel Thinner no 3 is also mostly light aromatic solvent naphtha

International Thinner no 9 is for 2 pack polyurethane, not epoxy. Its chief constituents are 1-methoxy-2-propyl acetate and 2-butoxyethyl acetate

International thinner no 7 is for epoxy products. It contains xylene (dimethylbenzene), butan-1-ol, light aromatic solvent naphtha, ethylbenzene and smaller amounts of 1,2,4-trimethylbenzene and 1,3,5-trimethylbenzene.

I'll leave you to identify equivalent products in B&Q.
 
PCUK said:
B&Q antifouling, B&Q Epoxy, B&Q two pack poly? If you ever find them then you'll find the thinners!
Click to expand...

It wasn't a specific B&Q thing, that was just an example because you can buy White spirit there.
Another example is that nobody really buys Y10 at vast expense. You just hop onto eBay or your preferred local supplier and buy oxalic acid.
Vic, thanks for the info - I have seen cans with various solvents in them in MacSalvors so I will pay more attention next time.
 
Still just used White Spirit

VicS said:
Depends on the brand

International Thinner no 3 is the thinner for (most of their) antifouling paints. Like wise Hempel no 3
Click to expand...

I have used White Spirit for yonks with International, Seago and Hempel antifouling. Not had a problem but I haul out every winter and blast the s#1t off the hull to get rid of the residue.
 
For Thinners No3 you can substitute xylene which is available much more cheaply. For epoxies where only small quantity of thinners is required you can use meths. For 2 pack polys it's not worth trying to substitute as there is a high risk of affecting the end result of the job you are doing
 
Most of the thinners/solvents are available from industrial paint suppliers or auto paint supplies. I know of at least one solvent supplier who have their own vans and deliver in 5 Litre quantities.

Xylene is now renamed "Universal Thinners", because of the reputation it got
 
Don't use any old cheap white spirit with International varnishes. Thinners No 1 is highly refined as are only the very best white spirits. The standard for white spirit (BS245 - i think) is a very broad standard, and within that, quality can vary greatly. I have used cheap white spirits to my dismay a few times, and they will affect the flow and adhesion of the varnish. In my opinion, Thiners No 1 every time if you don't want to be taking risks.
 
Thinners

No 1 thinners used to be a high grade White Spirit, No 3 thinners used to be Zylene based however with the introduction of V.O.C. compliancy thinners have had to be modified in an attempt to bring V.O.C. levels down hence the reason for so many water based paints nowadays.

V. O. C. = Volatile Organic Compounds
 
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