Paint wont dry

Reid

Thank you for your reply.

You have spelled out everything I did wrong quite clearly....which I appreciate.

The landlord here has an  unused (and unheated) room which I am welcome to spray in to my heart's content, as the room will someday be completely refurbished.

It was far too easy to just go in and let fly without thinking about the temperature. I should also have given some thought to the humidity, since the room is on a dock over the ocean!

However, if the worse comes to the worst I can use a hairdryer, using the technique which you describe.

Thanks again,

      Hugh

Hugh,

I think you'll find, most paint companys recommend that you not spray at temps under 65f.  You're major problem here is temp.  You need to get your work area up to and held at 60+ for the paint to set properly.

The use of a hairdryer is a good idea.  Use low heat and keep it a bit away from the plastic, so it won't melt or deform.  You want to keep your painting area between 60 to 100f as much as possible.

Reid

Cadet Chuck

Thank you for your reply.

I can certainly understand your frustration.

In my case, as this is to be a working (rough use) runabout I didn't agonize too much about the surface finish. Just rubbed it over with fine steel wool.

Nonetheless I was surprised how many sanding scratches showed through the paint.

However, it is just a workboat...

Hugh

This is frustrating, I know.  I lived in Atlanta, not too extreme in temp and humidity, a few years ago.  I had trouble with a nice resin figure.  Tried emamels, lacquers, acrylics, nothing would dry- I stripped them off after each unsuccessful coat.  Finally figured it was because of the stuff I used to clean the bare resin figure beforehand.  I used that Wesley's whitewall cleaner, and later soaked the parts in alcohol.  Even though I let it dry for weeks, I had no luck and finally had to throw out the nice $100 figure, after giving up on it.

My advice is, don't use anything but dishwashing detergent to clean your parts before painting.

Mike

Thank you for your reply.

Yes, I thought of a hair dryer...Have you tried the technique yourself?

Hugh

Milairjunkie

Thanks for your reply.

I painted a Robbe dummy outboard motor, which seems to have been made out of some sort of cast rubber

two weeks ago. The original 'rubber' lower unit has not dried while the power head which I made out of a

piece of wood has dried.

I used the same Testors Spray Enamel.

Hugh

Paul,

Paul

 Thanks for your reply.

I painted a model outboard runabout made of Evergreen sheet styrene.

The humidity was undoubtedly high as the unheated room is located on a dock over the ocean.

I live on the east coast of Vancouver Island off the West Coast of Canada.

I tend to have a heavy hand on the spray nozzle but the coat was not so thick that you can still see my sanding marks through the paint.

Interestingly some items painted black - with Rust-oleum Spray -  two days earlier are well dry.

Hugh

Try a hair dryer and keep it moving all over the model.

Painting in those temperatures is always a problem.

Being enamel, you could be looking at up to a week, especially if it's been applied thickly. Acrylics can be more temperamental to use & aren't as durable, but they dry much quicker.

What did you paint?  Plastic or some other material.  If rubber or vinyl, it may never dry.

What is the humidity?  You don't say where you are.  High humidity can increase drying time.

How much did you paint?  A light coat should dry quickly.  A heavy, cover everything a millimeter deep, coat will take much longer.

Paul