Thinners for Primacon

[ripvan1]

Literature with tin says Thinners no. 3 - any alternatives such as multi purpose or the like ?

Thanks

 

[Martin_J]

Interesting thread from a few years ago about thinners..
Thinners thread

Unfortuntately I only have no.1 on the boat with me now.. If you just want a splash of no.3 I'll see what I can find in the morning... (if you are in Pompey as per your profile!).

 

[joliette]

Literature with tin says Thinners no. 3 - any alternatives such as multi purpose or the like ?

Thanks

Ordinary white spirit.

 

[ripvan1]

Martin, thanks for offer, may well get back to you but Jolliette has suggested what another tradesman had said to me and will wait to see any more answers. I'll also check out availability/cost of xylene.

 

[Martin_J]

I'll see what I have in the morning anyway... It always seems crazy to buy a new tin of the stuff, use a splash as thinners, wash the brush in another splash and then store the tin away.

 

[VicS]

Thinners no 3 is the same as used for the common antifoulings.

It contains trimethyl benzene, not xylene ( which is dimethyl benzene), and solvent naphtha

and not white spirit, which is thinners no1

 

[Martin_J]

And what is also strange is that Blakes (sorry, Hempel) and International numbering is not equal.

As it happens.. it's the Blakes no.1 that contains the Xylene!

 

[ripvan1]

But have they standardised it now

Hempel Thinner No1
No 1 White spirit based thinner containing paint conditioner for use with: Yacht Primer Undercoat, Brialliant Enamel, Yacht Enamel, Grey Metallic Wood Primer, Favourite Varnish, Classic Varnish & Dura-Gloss/Satin Varnishes. Also spray thinners for Brilliant Enamel & Yacht Enamel.

from boatpaint.co.uk

 

[Martin_J]

That's similar to the applications list on the side of the Blakes no.1..

but it also says on the side of the tin 'Contains: xylene'

 

[VicS]

And Hempel no 3 appears to be the equivalent of International no3
Hempel No.3
No 3 Thinners for use with: Antifoulings and Deck Paint.

Although the composition does not seem to be quite the same

 

[Martin_J]

Subtle differences... but still beggars the question as to whether you risk using Hempel no.3 in place of International no.3 or do you go and buy another thinners...


Back to the OP.. it's morning already!

 

[aquaplane]

They are all volatile organic compounds, non polar ones at that. There is little difference between them. If it's warm use something with higher boiling point like the trimethylbenzene, if cold Xylene. It won't make much difference though.

If it's drying too quick splash some solvent in, if it's not don't. Mix it well.

Wash the thick out of your brush/roller and bung it back in the tin. Then chuck the brush/roller in the bin. The extra solvent will help to keep the bit that's left mobile untill next year.

It's not half as complicated as you might like to make it.

 

[Spyro]

Did anyone buy the thinners/brush cleaner from Lidl a few weeks ago? I bought a couple of 1 litre tins at £2.49 each it says on the tin contains xylene. I'll be trying it out on my primacon, smells like thinners no3.

 

[Martin_J]

Thinners no 3 is the same as used for the common antifoulings.

It contains trimethyl benzene, not xylene ( which is dimethyl benzene), and solvent naphtha

and not white spirit, which is thinners no1

From the tin it looks like the Blakes no.3 contains naphtha as well (so it is looking rather more similar to the International one!)

 

[VicS]

From the tin it looks like the Blakes no.3 contains naphtha as well (so it is looking rather more similar to the International one!)

Yes. The difference seems to that it does not contain trimethyl benzene like the International product.

Regarding the naphtha; these thinners contain "light aromatic naphtha" while
white spirit is largely "heavy hydrodesulphurised naphtha"

 

[Martin_J]

aha.. that's why the tin said 'Contains: naphtha. arom.'

 

[Bosun Higgs]

Just a word of caution . Being a Yorkshireman, I naturally chose white spirit ( might have been cellulose thinners, cant remember) rather than the approved thinners to water down my XM antifoul some years ago. Went on allright but during the year it started peeling off in patches. I ended up having to clean off both hulls ( it was a cat). The extra effort wasnt worth the £ saved.

There are times when it doesnt pay to be a cheapskate.

P.S. What I can vouch for, having had to have it done, is that removing Primacon is a complete PITA.