HawkeyeHobbies wrote: |
Heat isn't what cures paint...lack of humidity is. |
|
What!?!?!?
What I think you meant to say is that very high humidity can delay paint curing, which it can, regardless of the paint system. For acrylics, the reason is obvious, although the actual chemistry can be fairly complex. For enamels and lacquers, it has to do with surface chemistry—the partially dried and cured paint surface develops an odd affinity for water molecules.
Heat very much does cure paint, because curing is a chemical reaction and is accelerated by heat. However, if the paint solvent—regardless of what the solvent is—is trapped or inhibited from leaving the vicinity of the paint surface, it will continue to inhibit cure. Air circulation is an absolute necessity.
To much heat will soften almost any fully cured paint. Curing temperatures for hobby paints should never be much more than about 110°F. Anything much highwe and you are asking for trouble.
Heat, even relatively low heat, will also soften many of the adhesives on tapes commonly used for masking. Because they are polymers, too, they may do some cross-linking with the polymer in the paint, causing goo.