Solvents are necessary to ensure an even mixing of the paint components and to make them
easy to apply. The solvents used differ with the way in which the paint will be applied as the
drying rate required differs depending on the manner of application, e.g. the solvents in spray
X-Polymers-D-Paints and Pigments-18
paints need to evaporate much more quickly than those in brush-applied paints. In general, a
blend of solvents is used to produce a paint that will surface and through dry (i.e. dry
throughout) at the correct rate without uneven shrinkage. White spirit and mineral turpentine
are probably the most widely used solvent, however many other compounds find use in paint
formulation and these include