Can gasoline be used as paint thinner?

[Forgottonia]

I used be a big proponent of oil based paints. I still use them some, but often use latex paint these days since it's more readily available where I live and doesn't have noxious fumes like oil based paint. Also, the oil-based paints sold today just don't seem to be as good as the stuff you could get in the past.

Anyway, when using oil based paints I started using gasoline for clean-up quite a few years ago due to the high cost of pain thinner (~$10 to $15 per gallon). Gas seems to work about as well as paint thinner or turpentine for cleaning brushes. A couple years ago I needed to finish a project I was painting but the can of paint I was using was a bit thick and needed thinning. I didn't have any paint thinner or turpentine so I used a bit of gasoline. It was sort of an experiment. The gas seemed to work just fine.

My question is: Is there any downside to using gasoline as paint thinner for an oil-based paint?

 

[liliysdad]

Uh...no. Just no.

 

[Bogie1632]

Can you? Yes. Should you? No.

Gas is full of stuff. Alchohol (in most), detergents, lubricants, anti rust agents, anti-icing agents and a lot of different hydrocarbon combinations, let alone different combos from different suppliers. Gas is designed to be burned in an engine, not just mix into something. I can't imagine it all reacting and evaporating like a proper thinner would or what it may do to the paint long term.

A small batch, outside? Eh... Inside? No way. I'd think that would smell pretty bad and the fumes would permeate everywhere indoors. Bad idea all around.

V/R
Bogie

 

[mike93lx]

Good lord

 

[Shiftless]

In my area, you can buy a gallon of mineral spirits paint thinner for about $7 more than a gallon of regular gasoline. You can easily reuse paint thinner by putting the used stuff into a covered can and letting the paint settle out and pour off clean thinner for reuse.

I would NOT use gasoline for paint thinner or clean up solvent.

 

[Lassen Forge]

Ummmm.... Not sure what would hit you first, the fumes from your paint offgassing, or the fumes from painting finding an ignition source and going kerflewie. Plus, modern "Gasoline" is a complex set of blended hydrocarbons that will **** up your body... unlike the gasoline when we were kids, this stuff will get into your pores and lungs and do some pretty serious nerve damage.

Oil based paint (the vehicle, not the pigment) is built around a very different set of hydrocarbons to allow the paint to cure properly, and paint thinner is built around that property... Mixing it with gasoline? Whay chemical concoction will you be making? Will it even cure? Will it fall off or wash off next week? Ummm...

Plus... it's pretty flammable. As in that's what it's designed to do - offgas and burn. You need to see one of those gasoline displays fire departments do when you put a pan of gasoline on the top floor, a flame source on the bottom, and, well yeah.

So I can only assume you are either joking asking this, or have some kind of death wish. Sure, you can clean brushes in the stuff (which is really hard on brushes, BTW), byt why? PAint thinner is cheap and designed to work with your paint.

 

[Bert_]

For clean up, yes I that's usually what I use. I would not use it to actually thin paint.

 

[rlitman]

... unlike the gasoline when we were kids...

I know. It's missing all of that tasty lead nowadays.

 

[nadogail]

We can put on your tombstone "He used gasoline as a paint thinner"

 

[NBN]

Is it for a flame paint job?

Seriously though, I get thinner for 35 per 5 gallons. More expensive than gasoline, put only slightly.

 

[wssix99]

There's not enough room on the internet to explain all the reasons why this is a bad idea. However; if cost of paint thinner and mineral spirits are a concern for you, perhaps you should look at re-using those chemicals and filtering them. (This is one of the great things about them.) Just let the chemicals sit for a couple of days and all the paint/solids settle out and you can re-use the chemical.

Just keep an extra can around to store your used paint thinner and mineral spirits to keep it separate from the fresh/new stuff.

 

[Grimpala]

I put a little in some tractor paint years ago, helped it dry quicker and gave it a bit of sheen.

 

[Shiftless]

We can put on your tombstone "He used gasoline as a paint thinner"

I know a registered nurse who took care of a guy who used gasoline to clean motorcycle parts In his kitchen. After the explosion, some liquid gasoline he had In a pan spilled on his clothes and he ended up with 3rd degree burns over 75% of his body. Even though he was in a specialized regional burn unit he died in a few days.

 

[bbbarracuda]

Flashpoint of paint thinner is 199.4 degrees.

Flashpoint of gasoline is -40 degrees.

That alone explains why.

 

[PugetDude]

I officially nominate this for:
"Garage Journal Thread of the Year"

 

[pancho400cid]

Gasoline is so exceptionally flammable that I'm honestly surprised there are not catastrophes swirling around it's use much more often than you hear about... and it's not like you don't hear about 'em. Gas vapor can be ignited by ANY ignition source no matter how minor... a water heater pilot light twenty feet from where you are working, a spark from static or a light switch... anything. Swirling a paint brush in a can of gas is VERY dangerous.

That said, as a teenager, I worked at an auto parts store that sold paint. A local radiator shop bought "PPG Frame & Chassis BLACK" acrylic enamel paint from us, but never reducer. I asked about it and the guy said "no... we thin it with gas". I shake my head as I think back on it. Proof positive that it's better to be lucky than smart.


...

 

[Davefr]

When I was a kid gas was commonly used to thin paint. But today's gas is much different and so is the paint.

 

[Shiftless]

"PPG Frame & Chassis BLACK" acrylic enamel paint

I’m pretty sure that was alkyd rather than acrylic

 

[pancho400cid]

"PPG Frame & Chassis BLACK" acrylic enamel paint

I’m pretty sure that was alkyd rather than acrylic

You're probably right. I actually wondered about that after I wrote it. I can't remember if the can labels were red (alkyd) or yellow (acrylic).

 

[readhead]

We must have a bunch of youngins here. Years ago it was pretty common to thin paint with gas cuz it was cheap and everywhere. Probably not smart, but common.
Probably wouldn’t work as well now because of all the stuff that has been added to both paint and gas.

 

[nadogail]

We used to be able to buy "White Gas" it had no lead or additives. White gas was commonly used for cleaning.

 

[PugetDude]

We used to be able to buy "White Gas" it had no lead or additives. White gas was commonly used for cleaning.

Never use White Gas to start a brushpile on fire when it's snowing... I have empirical evidence to support why this is a really bad idea.

 

[Dan in Pasadena]

We must have a bunch of youngins here. Years ago it was pretty common to thin paint with gas cuz it was cheap and everywhere. Probably not smart, but common.

There are LOTS of things that “used to be done” that should never ever be done anymore. Hell, most of them shouldn’t have ever been done! In fact they’re too numerous to be named.

A lot of those things probably contributed to “Darwin Award Winner” situations. Using gas inside a garage for nearly anything is one of them.

To the OP, just don’t.

 

[The Cobbler]

there was a local auto body shop here that years ago was rumored to use gasoline to thin the enamel paint. It was very shiny , for a while then dulled real quick . It was never disputed by the owner .

 

[Showkey]

We used to be able to buy "White Gas" it had no lead or additives. White gas was commonly used for cleaning.

White gas: It was dad’s go solvent ……….special pump at the service station.

Which is very similar to naphtha. Which is similar to Colman fuel. That‘s a very common paint thinner or component even today.
Acetone is another thinner common today and low flash point.
methyl ethyl ketone is another thinner common witha low flash point.
lacquer thinner has higher flash point than some of the other thinners solvent.

Guess the thought is common sense and precautions are required no matter solvent used.
Especially as a thinner spraying and atomized to that perfect ait fuel mix. Gasoline just add another HUGE level of concern.

Those brush pile incidents are when solvent vapor is heavier than air spread at ground level……..hot humid day no wind

 

[exmaxima1]

"PPG Frame & Chassis BLACK" acrylic enamel paint

I’m pretty sure that was alkyd rather than acrylic

There are acrylic chassis paints, but they are water based.

Amazon.com: High Gloss Jet Black 2K Acrylic Urethane, 3:1 Gallon Kit w/Activator, SMR-9705-M : Automotive

Amazon.com: High Gloss Jet Black 2K Acrylic Urethane, 3:1 Gallon Kit w/Activator, SMR-9705-M : Automotive

www.amazon.com

Amazon.com: Restoration Shop - Chassis Black (Gloss) Acrylic Enamel Auto Paint - Complete Gallon Paint Kit - Professional Single Stage High Gloss Automotive, Car, Truck, Equipment Coating, 8:1 Mix Ratio, 2.8 VOC : Automotive

Amazon.com: Restoration Shop - Chassis Black (Gloss) Acrylic Enamel Auto Paint - Complete Gallon Paint Kit - Professional Single Stage High Gloss Automotive, Car, Truck, Equipment Coating, 8:1 Mix Ratio, 2.8 VOC : Automotive

www.amazon.com

 

[demarpaint]

Bad move. It will work but not only is it a major health risk, more than using paint thinner or mineral spirits, it's dangerous and stupid imo. No disrespect intended!

For a pro: Get caught using it in a commercial job site or have a customer drop a dime get ready to pay some pretty steep fines!

 

[Nick Danger]

I've seen the gunk that gets left behind when gasoline evaporates off. I wouldn't want to mix that into my paint.

 

[oldcpecdr]

Let me add a fun story....

I finished up at college in 1968. I couldn't find any bone spurs so I got a paid vacation to the jungle . When I returned in late 1969
I ended up purchasing a body shop at the ripe old age of 23. I had worked for the owner all through HS and college. He was in his eighties and I used my government check and agreed to pay him x dollars a week pretty much forever until he went to the great paint booth in the sky.

One of the workers I inherited was a guy who was my age now, 75, and he had been painting cars since the late 1920's including using lacquers applied with a brush !!!!!

There was a hot plate on the paint bench that I had never seen used and I took it and put in the office to keep the coffee warm.
The next day Leo comes charging into my office demanding to know where his paint warmer was.

Turns out for thirty years these guys had been painting all the commercial trucks and other industrial jobs by what they called a "gas job".
Not only did they paint with gas as a thinner but they HEATED enamel on the red hot old style hot plate to help it flow out. It was scary but I have to admit we had some old junkers that went out with some beautiful enamel finishes, and they didn't have to spend hours polishing out lacguer.

Leo passed away about a year later and we never used gas or heated paint again.

Mike B

 

[SILVERPLATE]

whatever you paint will smell of gas

 

[WordMan]

whatever you paint will smell of gas

It used to be quite common to cut the varnish used on hardwood floors with gasoline.

 

[TinkerLogic]

Let me add a fun story....

I finished up at college in 1968. I couldn't find any bone spurs so I got a paid vacation to the jungle . When I returned in late 1969
I ended up purchasing a body shop at the ripe old age of 23. I had worked for the owner all through HS and college. He was in his eighties and I used my government check and agreed to pay him x dollars a week pretty much forever until he went to the great paint booth in the sky.

One of the workers I inherited was a guy who was my age now, 75, and he had been painting cars since the late 1920's including using lacquers applied with a brush !!!!!

There was a hot plate on the paint bench that I had never seen used and I took it and put in the office to keep the coffee warm.
The next day Leo comes charging into my office demanding to know where his paint warmer was.

Turns out for thirty years these guys had been painting all the commercial trucks and other industrial jobs by what they called a "gas job".
Not only did they paint with gas as a thinner but they HEATED enamel on the red hot old style hot plate to help it flow out. It was scary but I have to admit we had some old junkers that went out with some beautiful enamel finishes, and they didn't have to spend hours polishing out lacguer.

Leo passed away about a year later and we never used gas or heated paint again.

Mike B

First off thank you for your service!

Second, the only thing "gas related" I've ever heard about when it comes to car painting is there's a painting process that's usually for high end cars or museum quality show cars that takes a long time to do due to (among other reasons) waiting for the paint to off-gas in the process (if I'm saying that right).

I myself have worked in a body shop over the years and seen some odd stuff or just straight up crazy stuff from people. I was generally just a prep and parts guy as well as cleaning.

Other than dabbling a paper towel in a little gas to get a fire going or using gas in a little metal container for parts cleaner OUTSIDE.. I've not been one to try and find uses for it other than for it's intended use.

 

[wolfhawk73]

In my area, you can buy a gallon of mineral spirits paint thinner for about $7 more than a gallon of regular gasoline. You can easily reuse paint thinner by putting the used stuff into a covered can and letting the paint settle out and pour off clean thinner for reuse.

I would NOT use gasoline for paint thinner or clean up solvent.

That's the way to go. I've painted and refinished quite a few pieces of furniture over the past 20 years or so, and I finally had to get rid of an old thinner can last year. It was about 80% full of solids. I do the first couple of brush washes with the used stuff to get it about 90% clean, shake it out really well, and use a splash of fresh stuff to do the final cleaning. All of it goes back in the can for reuse except for the little bit that gets shaken out of the brush...usually on top of weeds I'm trying to kill.

 

[Prospecter]

Working for a painting contractor in the 70s, we always used gasoline for clean-up. Regular paint thinner leaves a little residue on the bristles, which keeps them soft for a while between uses. Gasoline leaves less of a residue. Not a problem when we used brushes and rollers day in and day out. More of an issue if they went unused for a week or more. However, we used regular thinner for thinning paint. Ran out of thinner one day. Boss used gasoline instead, and ruined two very expensive gallons of paint. Picked up more paint thinner when he went to replace the paint!

 

[Prospecter]

That's the way to go. I've painted and refinished quite a few pieces of furniture over the past 20 years or so, and I finally had to get rid of an old thinner can last year. It was about 80% full of solids. I do the first couple of brush washes with the used stuff to get it about 90% clean, shake it out really well, and use a splash of fresh stuff to do the final cleaning. All of it goes back in the can for reuse except for the little bit that gets shaken out of the brush...usually on top of weeds I'm trying to kill.

This, of course, would be the preferred approach!

 

[Crfdell]

There are LOTS of things that “used to be done” that should never ever be done anymore. Hell, most of them shouldn’t have ever been done! In fact they’re too numerous to be named.

A lot of those things probably contributed to “Darwin Award Winner” situations. Using gas inside a garage for nearly anything is one of them.

To the OP, just

 

[Dan in Pasadena]

I don’t really know if this is true but my dad told me that back in the 30’s when he was a kid the guys that wanted their brand new cars to have a “perfect” finish with no orange peel (though I don’t know if that term was even used back then?) they’d color sand their new cars with gasoline. Interesting if true.

 

[Jazz1]

Paint thinned with gasoline will have less gloss, near satin finish but would not be my choice. I learned this from a fellow using Naptha gas as thinner.

 

[PassnThru]

There are LOTS of things that “used to be done” that should never ever be done anymore. Hell, most of them shouldn’t have ever been done! In fact they’re too numerous to be named.

A lot of those things probably contributed to “Darwin Award Winner” situations. Using gas inside a garage for nearly anything is one of them.

To the OP, just don’t.

Maybe - maybe not. I don't really disagree with your point but there are so many things to consider when deciding whether the things our parents and grandparents did made them Darwin candidates. It seems to me that they did pretty well doing what they did - but you could argue that social media wasn't around then so you didn't hear about the fails as often.
It could be that we are hyper sensitive to things now that they considered low risk. If they considered it low risk then they weren't seeing people being harmed doing that particular thing that was common at the time and so they continued to do it.
Give your grandad a break - we act like they were a bunch of idiots that couldn't make an informed decision on risk.
At the end of the day - they made a risk assessment every time they did something just like we do. Maybe their threshold was above ours and maybe they lost more often - I don't know - we will never have the numbers on that one.
I do know that risk exists in everything you do - and there is a sliding scale on where you land on that scale. I do wonder if our elders had a better grasp on where you should be on that scale than we do now.

 

[quickfarms]

When I grew up I was taught to use gasoline to clean both brushes and parts and sometimes thin paint.

I never actually knew of someone getting burned

I heard the stories but they always involved someone doing something stupid such a smoking around gas or being inside without ventilation