John Deere paint, What do you thin it with ?

Just bought 1 Qt. Blitz Black, and asked at the store, what is it thinned with. The answer was " John Deere Thinner " , sold in gallons only. I only need a few ounces to thin for spraying, and can not justify buying a gallon of a product I don't need. So the question is, what have you had success with, Paint thinner ? , Mineral Spirits ?

Thanks,
Bob

 

you have to clean your gun.

 

I have used Acetone. Makes a flater finsh. And I use mr187 a slow reducer for omni base coat. Much more glossy. All so it seems like the amount of hardener you put in it can make it more glossy.

 

They seem to be pretty adamant about using their thinner.
I have only used the Blitz Black with the John Deere thinner, I have been very pleased with it. Do any HAMBers have some left over JD thinner they could give Bob?
It would be interesting to know what one could substitute, if anything. Something cheap and availible in five gallon drums would be nice, as we have been using the Blitz Black for everything frame and under body related lately.

 

when i bought it last it was less than $15 for a gallon of thinner.

Just buy it and be happy. I used their primer and semi gloss for my ol dodge truck and it came out lookin pretty good.

Real durable paint too.

 

Enamel reducer or acrylic enamel reducer, it only takes about 10%. Any body shop would sell you a pint can full or a good hardware store.
Don

 

Any more suggestions ????

 

Look at the side of the can, usually there is a list of chemical ingredients. See if one of the chemicals is available at the local hardware store and use that to thin it.

 

I used to work at a John Deere dealer, If I remember correctly you can thin it with "mineral sprits" But I think I thinned it once with Gasoline one time and it worked fine.

 

Ha Ha. I don't know if I'd advise that.

 

Straight Laq. thinner works fine too.. You can buy it in small cans at any Hardware store.

 

I'm getting a lot of conflicting answers. Anyone absolutely sure on the thinner. ?

 

Your getting replies from those who have actually used it. Pick your poison and start spraying. Also a PM to any of the posters might get you specific answers.

Frank

 

'John Deere paint thinner' is probably just
Xylene. Xylene is a commonly used industrial
paint thinner and solvent and is available
at any industrial paint supply place. Xylene
also makes a great octane booster by the
way too! (1 gallon of Xylene mixed with 10
gallons of 93 octane unleaded pump premium
will raise the octane rating about four or five
points to the 97-98 octane range.

Mart3406
=====================

 

I used Enamel reducer (check with the paint store on what speed to use depening on your weather) I wouldn't use mineral spirits (even tho it says to) because it takes forever for it to evaporate. It gave me the look I was after and if you only need a little of it a paint store can sell you a quart.
Kyle

 

Buy the gallon of thinner from John Deere. I used it on the Henry J in my driveway and tried other things to thin it with trying to make it flatter and what not and it just works the best with the $12 thinner they sell in the gallon. Plus you can clean your gun with it when your done or use it to clean things.

 

Hey,

You can use mineral sprits to thin and help improve the flow. I'd advise against lacquer thinner or acetone, as these are both much hotter solvents and may attack the binder, that's the oil in the paint, that holds it together. Too, lacquer thinner and acetone may cause lifting of any finish you happen to be spraying over, and may cause early die back of the paint job.

" Meanwhyle, back aboard The Tainted Pork "

 

The first cup full I mixed up I did not take the warning that the paint would seperate if mixed too much too quickly. Because, seriously. But low and behold, it did. I had never seen that happen before.

 

I had good luck using xylol (xylene). The can said it was a thinner for heavy bodied rust preventive enamels.

 

How much cheaper can you expect to do the job? If the proper, recommended thinner from Deere is only 18 or 20 dollars a gallon why would you even waste time trying to find something else, just buy the gallon and get on with it.

 

I appreciate all the answers, I am either going to try the xylene or make a trip back to the John Deere dealer. It's a tough call. I should have bought the thinner while I was there. Don't think of me as a cheap SOB, It isn't really a money thing. Sometimes logic gets in my way. I have xylene on the shelf. The JD dealer is a 50 mile round trip & $20.00 for the gallon. I need just a few ounces to thin a quart, and it may not even need thinning. In addition, I have paint thinner, mineral spirits, lacquer thinner, xylene and MEK on the shelf, I don't need cleaning solvents. This logic thing gets me every time. By the way, xylene is an ingredient in JD Blitz Black, probably safe to use.

 

Enamel reducer will work fine, that is what I would use, course, you might have to buy a gallon anyway, but I bet you can get it for less than $22, and closer than the JD store.

 

Years ago, a friend of mine went to work in a new shop and was going to stay late to paint a car one night. He asked the body shop owner what he should use for the enamel reducer and the owner gave him enough money to buy a gallon of gas; which is what he used.

Like what was mentioned, you can use almost anything with synthetic enamel. Probably for best results, use what they recommend on the can.

 

X2

That is about as cheap as you will find anywhere, and you can use some to clean your gun... and the bearings in your bicycle, and whatever else you have laying around. besides that, the paint is only 30 bucks a gallon..

 

Enamel reducer makes a great wax and grease remover; which you could use to clean your panels before painting them. That's all I used to use to wash down a complete before painting it.

 

Does anyone know what type of paint J.D.Blitz is? ie: enamel laqure urathane etc. Any danger of lifting the blitz if I painted over it later? Thanks for a replt..............MO

 

I cannt understand why you guys still insist on using that crap! John Deere Blitz Black is the worst paint I ever seen or dealt with. Keep in mind I work for JD and I refuse to use it unless I have to. It is not very UV resistant and will get pourous after a few year of sunlight.

Why not spend an extra $50 and buy a good flat black at the paint supply store.

 

How do you feel about the green?

 

The reason why is--I can't get a responce on what I am looking for in other threads , and this is the first time I have heard of J.D. Blitz. I am still reseaching for a dark black suede with little to no shine. I have seen pics of it before. What?? is llat black suede taboo to most folks around here? I have my reasons..............................MO

 

We painted my '55 Suburban with the "Blitz" using paint thinner. The stuff I used came from Reno, NV (no reducer or hardener as req's in CA) @ a cost of $28.00 per gallon. It called for 10% reduction. When applied it looked a little "lumpy", but over a 3 day period it layed down flat. I had to reshoot the roof & we reduced it 20%. It laid down much flatter but the color had a little less sheen than I would have liked.