# Penetrol vs. thinner



## michfan (Jul 6, 2008)

Just curious what most of you use to thin your oil paint. As with the walls vs. trim question, I am just curious. I was told recently that thinner evaporates faster than Penetrol, so that is why this certain person prefers it over Penetrol. We have always used the latter, unless thinner was all we had available. So...which do you prefer? Also, for those that have some knowledge, which actually does evaporate faster?


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## TooledUp (May 17, 2008)

Neither. Clitoris drops all the way for me.


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## MDRocket (Feb 3, 2009)

I have had more luck myself with Penetrol over thinner. I also feal that thinner evaproates quicker.....but never put a watch to prove it to be a fact.


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## michfan (Jul 6, 2008)

TooledUp said:


> Neither. Clitoris drops all the way for me.


Lol. I'll have to give these a try next time. Do you think they evaporate the quickest?!?! Can anyone vouch for this?:blink:


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## Workaholic (Apr 17, 2007)

Thinner was what i used mostly back in the day.


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## nEighter (Nov 14, 2008)

michfan said:


> Lol. I'll have to give these a try next time. Do you think they evaporate the quickest?!?! Can anyone vouch for this?:blink:


depending on how you treat them afterward yes.. they can dry up immediately and you may have trouble finding more for quite some time  :whistling2:


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## WisePainter (Dec 27, 2008)

Thinner is more forgiving.


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## Bender (Aug 10, 2008)

Look at the viscosity. I would assume thinner evaporates quite a bit faster.


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## Ax Man (Feb 5, 2009)

Penetrol is like a lubricant that will help the product flow, it is not necessarily a solvent like paint thinner. If you are into "enameling" where you want to lay the product off really smooth, Penetrol is better. It will slow down the dry hard time.

Paint Thinner works for and against you. It reduces the solids in the paint, leaving a thinner film behind, which can lead to poor hiding, durability issues, etc. Paint thinner will slow down the initial dry because there is more thinner that needs to evaporate however, it will speed up the through dry because you are applying a thinner film.


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## painterdude (Jun 18, 2008)

If you're adding to a full can then Penetrol is the answer. If adding a few drops as you get lower in the gallon thinner will do the job as the liquid in the can itself will evaporate and thicken...but to use it as a spreading agent that's not what it's made for. Now as for adding for a spray job thinner is fine. Hence the word, thinner.


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## Primer Guy (Apr 20, 2007)

There is another product- XIM Extender- Not a thinner and chemically different than Penetrol. Biggest advantage is that it does not yellow light topcoats. Some painters swear by it as a way to make Pro Classic oil super smooth on trim.


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## GA Painter (Jan 29, 2009)

We use pro classic oil and penetrol. It lays down great and makes for a great finish.


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## michfan (Jul 6, 2008)

Pro Classic oil is the product we were using when we had the "disagreement" about which was better to thin the product with. It actually does not need much thinning to brush anyways. We also prefer a pinch of Penetrol as well. To me thinner just slowed down the dry time and made it run like crazy on RB3 casings. Puddles everywhere from those stupid grooves!


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## Bender (Aug 10, 2008)

VM&P Naptha


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