Painting Help

[gkendall]

Ok, I am ready to spray a model, now I had heard/read that you can warm up the spray can before applying to the model. Can someone give me the lowdown on this so that I do not make a mess out of my kitchen and stove?

Thanks all

Gary <><

[Towmaster Dave]

Just fill a small bowl with a couple inches of hot water from your faucet. Don't heat the water up on a stove, you don't need it that hot. Put the spray can in it for a couple minutes and then use it. Hope this helps.

Dave

[bobss396]

I also heat mine in a Pyrex cup with tap water, but do check it with a meat thermometer. I keep it about 105 F, above that I've had the bottom bulge out on a can as I shook it right after heating. Would have made a mess in my kitchen for sure!

[bobss396]

Oh yeah, I give it 5-10 minutes to soak.

[patrol52]

While temperature of the paint is important, also keep in mind the humidity level of where you are painting. If the humidity is high, the paint can become milky, or dry with a matte finish, or even worse a combination of them.

Enamel is really bad when humidity is high (usually dries dull)

Lacquer color will dry dull, and clear lacquer fogs

Base clear seems to be fairly immune.

The only time I've heard of heating the can is for getting maximum pressure out of aerosol cans for airbrush propellant, but you definitely want to get the paint somewhere near the temperature range listed on the can, as cold paint doesn't work, and (really) hot cans explode or leak their contents (like the R-134A refrigerant can inside my dad's corvette.)

For heating, I agree with the heated or tap hot water to sit the can in.