Food Dehydrators & Paint Dryers

[Rider]

For me it is about the time. I often do multi layer/colour paint jobs, having a dehydrator will speed the process up big time. 

 

[crowe-t]

Is it OK to use a dehydrator if the body has body work(i.e. -  modifications, added plastic, putty...)  

The reason I ask is I once tried using a hair dryer on a part that had putty and some plastic added and an impression of the puttied area came through the paint layers. 

[waynehulsey]

Reading through this thread and have been hearing about dehydrators for years. Even seen a few people in Phoenix and So Cal desert area recommending them. Really? Granted haven't been doing much painting (that implies you're almost done with something) and as someone mentioned it may be a week before I get back to something so drying time isn't a problem. But is there a actual difference in the finish from the paint maybe flashing off quicker? Which here would mean I could just set it out on the patio with something over it to keep dust off (big problem here, keep threatening to duct tape all the doors, already done the windows). I've seen the thermometer on my patio pegged at a 130 degrees on an August afternoon when the sun is hitting that wall.

[peteski]

With dehydrators you have control of the temperature and it is a pretty much dust-free enclosure.  Leaving your car outside - not so much.  I live in New England where we have cold and humidity - dehydrator comes in really handy. But I can see one being used in warm and dry climate too.  It does speed up the paint drying time, but I also use it to accelerate hardening of urethane or epoxy resins, RTV and whatever else kicks over faster when heated.

[Nacho Z]

 But is there a actual difference in the finish from the paint maybe flashing off quicker?

Wayne, for me, I cannot say that I have noticed any difference in the finish.  I use a dehydrator almost every time I paint a body or chassis.

[waynehulsey]

Thanks, John. That was what I was really trying to find out. As I said, don't do much painting and time isn't a factor so with the temperatures and lack of humidity (actually have to run a humidifier at night some) one less thing I need to buy and figure out were to store.

[High octane]

Thanks, John. That was what I was really trying to find out. As I said, don't do much painting and time isn't a factor so with the temperatures and lack of humidity (actually have to run a humidifier at night some) one less thing I need to buy and figure out were to store.

I've never used a dehydrator and just let my model car bodies air-dry. This seems to work well for me as I'm not a "fast" builder and I really don't have the room for a dehydrator, or even a spray booth for that matter.

[waynehulsey]

!0-4 on that Nick.

[Russell C]

... Even seen a few people in Phoenix and So Cal desert area recommending them. Really? .......

Today we might need re-hydrators. My patio temp/humidity thing claims it's 2%, and the announcer on the Dbacks game said the same level a while ago, and a couple of the online weather sites put it at 7%. I'm thinking all the cracking noise going on outside is the wood and rubber and plants and animals drying out.

[waynehulsey]

Hey Russell, they're saying its supposed to cool down to the mid-90s by Friday for a couple of days. Then after that it will probably get serious about hot and dry.

[Custom Mike]

Is it OK to use a dehydrator if the body has body work(i.e. -  modifications, added plastic, putty...)  

The reason I ask is I once tried using a hair dryer on a part that had putty and some plastic added and an impression of the puttied area came through the paint layers. 

Michael, I would not put a body with any kind of filler in a dehydrator if it's already finished. It will cause shrinking, I learned the hard way. 

I've thought about trying it before the filler has been sanded to pre-shrink it, but always forget until after I'm done sanding. 

[crowe-t]

Michael, I would not put a body with any kind of filler in a dehydrator if it's already finished. It will cause shrinking, I learned the hard way. 
I've thought about trying it before the filler has been sanded to pre-shrink it, but always forget until after I'm done sanding. 

Thanks for letting me know!

[Lownslow]

Tried something new im way happier doesnt matter if its 10 below or 100 over, it always dries, 20W LED UV light costs around 50$ for a chinese one or 200 used for an LAB grade one. The one im using came from a dental lab. Only works on Enamels,Laquers and some Urethanes. Its near instant with rattle cans.

[peteski]

On 12/30/2017 at 12:09 AM, Lownslow said:

Tried something new im way happier doesnt matter if its 10 below or 100 over, it always dries, 20W LED UV light costs around 50$ for a chinese one or 200 used for an LAB grade one. The one im using came from a dental lab. Only works on Enamels,Laquers and some Urethanes. Its near instant with rattle cans.

UV light?  Why?  Are hobby or automotive paints UV-curable?  I never heard of that.  My dehydrator uses a 40W heating element. Wouldn't a plain 40W incandescent bulb generate same amount of heat (IR, not UV energy)?

[Cien1986]

Is it really effective on uv lamp?

How long i takes to completely cure 2k clear coat?

[Cien1986]

Iam using incandescent light bulb with ceiling fan speed controller potensiometer to adjust the dim.... so i can adjust the temp inside the box....

Simce the light itselft radiate heat itself

Usualy iam set to 40 to 43Celcius inside the box.....

 

[Joe Handley]

Can a dehydrator be used to cure filler putty sooner too?

[porschercr]

1 hour ago, Joe Handley said:

Can a dehydrator be used to cure filler putty sooner too?

For epoxy putty, (Milliput) yes. 

[Joe Handley]

2 hours ago, porschercr said:

For epoxy putty, (Milliput) yes. 

So it doesn't work on the normal solvent based? I was hoping  it would work better for the solvent based fillers like Squadron's putties.

[porschercr]

29 minutes ago, Joe Handley said:

So it doesn't work on the normal solvent based? I was hoping  it would work better for the solvent based fillers like Squadron's putties.

That I don't know. I don't use Squadron putty. I find it shrinks too much, even in light applications.

[Joe Handley]

13 minutes ago, porschercr said:

That I don't know. I don't use Squadron putty. I find it shrinks too much, even in light applications.

That shrinkage is what I was trying to accelerate, if I could bake it dry, and work the shrink out before laying paint and maybe even primer, I won't need to worry about it on down the road after the model is done.

[NOBLNG]

I bought this dehydrator last year because it was on sale for a good price. I finally got around to modifying it to work for drying paint. I didn't want to hollow out all the plastic trays, as I might want to use it for making Doggy Treats also. I made a 4" spacer from 26 gage metal to raise the tray  up away from the heat a bit. Then a 6" spacer for the main compartment.

Edit: I changed the upper section to 8" tall. This way I can put a full size spray bomb in there to warm up. It is -30C here right now. I have 2 electric heaters going in the garage and they barely keep up!

 

 

Edited January 18, 2019 by NOBLNG
change pics

[Mr. Metallic]

On 7/22/2018 at 6:52 PM, Joe Handley said:

That shrinkage is what I was trying to accelerate, if I could bake it dry, and work the shrink out before laying paint and maybe even primer, I won't need to worry about it on down the road after the model is done.

Honestly, if you're using that much filler that you need to worry about shrinkage, I would switch to a two-part filler. It cures, rather than waiting for solvents to evaporate like you have to on "1 part" fillers.

Search for U-Pol "Dolphin Glaze" filler on eBay or elsewhere. The right deal on eBay should cost about $20, and often you can find free shipping. Fully cures to sandable state within an hour, sands and feathers well. 

I use Tamiya grey "1 part" filler for minor imperfections and final surface smoothing. It does shrink if applied to heavily, so I've learned the limits of what to use it on

Now, back to the dehydrator discussion

Edited March 14, 2019 by Mr. Metallic

[Rider]

On 2019-01-11 at 4:45 PM, NOBLNG said:

I bought this dehydrator last year because it was on sale for a good price. I finally got around to modifying it to work for drying paint. I didn't want to hollow out all the plastic trays, as I might want to use it for making Doggy Treats also. I made a 4" spacer from 26 gage metal to raise the tray  up away from the heat a bit. Then a 6" spacer for the main compartment.

Edit: I changed the upper section to 8" tall. This way I can put a full size spray bomb in there to warm up. It is -30C here right now. I have 2 electric heaters going in the garage and they barely keep up!

 

 

Cool set up.

What temp do you set when using it in the summer and how accurate is the setting? 

[NOBLNG]

5 hours ago, Rider said:

Cool set up.

What temp do you set when using it in the summer and how accurate is the setting? 

I have read on here that 105F is OK and will not damage styrene, so I set it at either 95 to warm the paint or 105 to dry it. I have never checked it for accuracy, but have not melted anything yet.