Enamel cure time

Ultradog MN · Jan 29, 2020

Going to shoot some Tisco enamel this
afternoon. Will use my usual recipe of
paint, hardener and lacquer thinner.
Am going to shoot it in a corner of the
shop that I have temporarily walled off
and heated to about 75 degrees with an
electric heater. Will pull the heater out
while I shoot but put it back in there
afterwards.
I don't want to heat it forever so
afterwards the temp will drop back down
to about 25 degrees. How long should I
leave the heat on and how long afterwards
to cure?
Thanks.

rob in nh · Jan 29, 2020

. I was told by my paint rep that the curing will stop below 60 degrees, I would keep the heat on as long as you can.

SVcummins · Jan 30, 2020

How long does it take in the summer time to cure

dpendzic · Jan 30, 2020

the paint spec i used for bridge painting contracts called for 48 hours between coats at 50 degrees and 85% humidity max
I would think lacquer would cure quicker

rob in nh · Jan 30, 2020

I was also told by the paint rep that using lacquer thinner with hardener slows the cure time way down.

Ultradog MN · Jan 30, 2020

Thanks guys.
I shot it about noon yesterday.
Checked it at 8 pm and it was still sliiightly tacky.
Just checked it again a bit ago and it's dry to the touch but I can dent it with a fingernail. So it's drying but slowly.
Normally when I shoot parts it's spring or summer and it drys to the touch in about 4 hours. The temp is about 60 degrees in there.
Supposed to get up to about 40 here on Sunday.
I'll keep it heated till then and then I'm going to stick it in the tractor.

rob in nh · Jan 30, 2020

That looks really nice.

David G · Feb 1, 2020

curing time with non hardener enamel can take months at that temperature.

David G · Feb 1, 2020

No way to use lacquer thinner in enamel to cut it.

Stephen Newell · Feb 2, 2020

At that temperature just keep the building hot enough until it's dry enough you can press your thumb hard into the paint and it doesn't leave a print. From there ventilation will do more than heat. Still it would be at least a month and could be as much as two months before you could call it cured. If it were me though I would just let it dry 3-4 days and go ahead and install the engine. The worst that can happen is a rub mark on the paint which could be touched up. Just don't mix the touch up paint with lacquer thinner. There will be a recoat window and lacquer thinner has acetone in it which is a very hot solvent.

Enamel cure time

Ultradog MN

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rob in nh

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SVcummins

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dpendzic

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rob in nh

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Ultradog MN

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rob in nh

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David G

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David G

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Stephen Newell

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