Is Hamerite thinners rubbish...?

[Roy_S]

Sorry, bit of a left field question, but I have a 2.5L tin of Hamerite smooth, use it to cover and smarten up things when I've repaired or cleaned them up. Anyway, Hamerite is a strange paint, not like enamel or spirit based paints, and to clean brushes I've used neat washing up liquid worked into the brush to work off the paint then rinsed.

I was looking to spray some of this paint so bought the proper Hamerite thinners, I didn't end up sparaying it in the end, but I thought at least I have the correct brush cleaner now.

Used it yesterday, small brush from painting a bracket, Ahh I thought I'll pour a little into a jar and watch it disove off, it's terrible. You swish the brush round, the paint comes off in clumpy bits and you still have to work off the paint from the brush on a rag. It's like using white spirit on a paint that is not spirit based.

Both paint and thinners are Hameritre products, both were new, and there is no way this could be used to thin the paint if you did want to spray it, it acts like you're adding water. Being a 2.5L tin, at some point it will get too thick and need thining, just wanted to ask if anyone else had any experience or tips about it.

[NeilR]

How old is the paint ?.

The old original hammerite was good stuff.

IMO. The newer re-formulated offering - supposedly being enviromently friendly - is absolute rubbish.

So could you be trying to thin older paint with newer thinner.

[Roy_S]

Other way round, it's an older paint (full tin) and new thinner.

[NeilR]

That what I said !.

Trying too thin old paint with newer thinner just will not work.

It's the new paint stuff thats rubbish.

[Roy_S]

Hmmm, it might be that I need xylene to thin this older Hamerite paint, or at least better clean the brushes.

[jbuckl]

It’s. The xylene that was banned / taken out.
Fwiw, hammerite was alway to be avoided… chips too easily & overpriced.

[Roy_S]

I've emailed Hamerite direct, asked if the old thinner is still available. Think I know the answer but you never know.
Looked up xylene, that seems a bundle of fun
Might use that outside........

[jbuckl]

I think toluene is still available & works with old hammerite.

[richardthestag]

cheap paint brushes is a lot easier

[Parney]

Tbh MSP made by bedec which is water based is a far better paint than todays hammerite. Sticks to anything and lasts for years.

[Phil S]

Always used cellulose thinner with Hameright never had a problem

[dasadrew]

cheap paint brushes is a lot easier

beat me to it! Especially when we're talking about a gooey paint for suspension bits or the like - so cheap on eBay nowadays, and if they lose a hair or two it isn't really a problem to pick it out of the paint.

[mallardstag]

Always used cellulose thinner with Hameright never had a problem

Me too.

(That's not a political statement)

[Goldstar]

Tbh MSP made by bedec which is water based is a far better paint than todays hammerite. Sticks to anything and lasts for years.

Just used this exact paint on some 75x50mm steel, external support posts on our new house, looks good, goes on well and has great reviews online

[marshman]

Me too.

(That's not a political statement)

Cellulose Thinners was no good on the "old formula" Hammerite - certainly when I first tried it many years ago (1980's). It may well work with the newer formulations.

The change to the formulation was forced on Hammerite (Finnegans/ICI/Akzo-Nobel) along with all other paint manufacturers by the European Decopaint Directive 2004/42/EC with limits the VOC's (Volatile Organic Compounds) - the nice smelly stuff that gets you high! As with nearly all such legislation and formula changes the resulting product is - in my opinion - inferior to the original.

As far as I know the original was based on trichloroethylene, now pretty much banned - and that is the correct cleaner thinner for the "old" stuff. Cellulose will just turn it into a gloopy mess. The newer (latest) formulation is Xylene based according to the MSDS that I have seen - so cellulose thinners will usually work.