Taking forever for brush paint to dry!

[Speedfreak]

I've been working on the suspension for a '41 Willys Streed rod kit and it's taking FOREVER for the paint on the parts to dry. For example: I used Model Master Chrome (enamel/bottle) on the rear control arms, that I painted 7-10 days ago and the surface on these parts is still kind of sticky/gummy after they've been held for a few minutes, resulting in the surface dulling. How long does it take for this stuff (kind word) to dry? And, is the fact that I used brush/bottle paint part of the problem? Thanks.

[Casey]

Testors Chrome oil-based enamel and some of their silvery/metallic colors can take a bit longer to dry, but they shouldn't take that long. Did you stir the paint for a long enough period of time before using it? Many enamel paints in bottles require lots of stirring to ensure they are thoroughly mixed.

How old is the bottle of paint?

[cobraman]

I have used that paint and it didn't take anywhere that long to dry. Not sure why it is for you. Too thick ? Stirred well ? Maybe put the parts under a heat source like a lamp ? Maybe strip it and start over ?????

[Speedfreak]

Hey thanks for the responses, Casey and Ray. I stirred the paint well, at least I thought so, 3-5 minutes with a popcycle stick thing. Made sure there was no heavy stuff on the bottom of bottle etc,. Here's what I 'didn't' do: I didnt primer the parts. And I 'did' put it on thick, thick enough to cover in one coat, so maybe that's the reason, can't think of anything else. Oh ya, Casey, the paint is new.

[mnwildpunk]

Thickness is the reason some of those enamels can take forever if put on to thick

[1972coronet]

Here's my 2 cents , for whatever that's worth :

I always brush-on a base coat of Tamiya that's close to the desired top coat ; to wit : if I'm going to paint , say , a TorqueFlite transmission in aluminum , I'll paint the part first with Tamiya flat , light grey ; then after that's cured , I'll brush-on Testors aluminum .

I find that starting with an acrylic base coat , that the enamel top coat just "sits" on top of the base coat ; no "lifting" or "mixing" ever !

So , with Testors Chrome Silver (which , for as long as I can recall , has always been slow to cure and dry-to-the-touch !) , I'd recommend a Tamiya aluminum base coat , then cover that with the Testors enamel .

Let me know how well that works

[1972coronet]

Additionally , Tamiya's Chrome Silver is vastly superior in every aspect to Testors Chrome Silver .

[Speedfreak]

Thanks John and Dave, yes I think thickness is at least part of the problem here. I'm de-chroming the exhaust tips for the kit now. So when they are ready I've got some Model Master acrylic gray primer that I'll try as a base coat. I'll let you know how that comes out. Next time I'm at the hobby store I'll pick-up some Tamiya stuff. Appreciate the help fellas.

[cchapman195]

Humidity is a HUGE factor with enamel paints. Was it or had it been raining in your area at the time you painted it? Temp is bad as well. Enamel is best at 70 or above degree's anything less then that will cure the outside leaving the inside gummy. Enamel especially those with metallic's in them are worse. A good base or primer can help, acrylic as John said can help but weather and temp can't be fixed no matter what you do.

[ToyLvr]

Gene:

Part of your problem is "Testors", especially Silver color.

Some of my friends in our local modeling club joke around about having 50 year old models in their collection where the silver-painted trim still isn't dry! ;-)

As other folks have mentioned, I get much better results with Tamiya.

Mike

[Nxr]

from my experience almost any silver or chrome like paint for models by testors or model master or even krylon seems to never really fully dry, ever and if you touch it a lot it just becomes gray and nasty, seems like if you press hard on the paint even after 10 days you can still create a nasty print, so i just try to not even touch those parts with hands.

[Tom Geiger]

Gene, here's a few bits of advise learned the hard way, broken models, scars and all....

Always prime everything. It's the only way I can see imperfections and if I've sanded off all the mold lines etc. I exclusively use Duplicolor automotive primers for everything. Costs a bit more, but worth every cent. The auto primer sucks down tight, leaving every detail of your model part, dries almost instantly and protects the plastic from any hot paint you may use.

Second, I don't brush paint anything. Once you've got your parts off the trees and cleaned up, mount them on toothpicks, masking tape etc, and poke that into Styrofoam blocks that you can move in and out of your paint area. Spray the auto primer. Once that's done, it's usually okay to spray small parts without any more prep.

I do use Testors Metalizers and have all the different tones. But I use the spray cans, not the bottles. It sprays well and dries very quickly. If you need a little bit to brush paint a detail, spray some in the corner of a small paper bathroom cup. That paint will be thin enough to brush on quick and it will dry fast too.

Some of the sprays etc will cost a few dollars, but remember once you own them you will amortize that cost across many models. Other Testors sprays I use are Dullcote and Flat Black. Most everything else I use is from the Duplicolor auto paint line.

[Speedfreak]

Thanks Tom. One step forward, two steps back seems to be my motto with the 'finish' aspect of models right now. And the finish when you get right down to it is almost everything to the final result. If the finish sucks,......all the detail in the world can't hide it. The fact that I have to paint outside has forced me to paint with a brush in some cases. I'm still experimenting with different paints/primers etc,..but man this stuff has gotten expensive. Yikes! Haven't tired the automotive stuff yet but maybe I'll get there. Thanks for the advise.

[Art Anderson]

I've been working on the suspension for a '41 Willys Streed rod kit and it's taking FOREVER for the paint on the parts to dry. For example: I used Model Master Chrome (enamel/bottle) on the rear control arms, that I painted 7-10 days ago and the surface on these parts is still kind of sticky/gummy after they've been held for a few minutes, resulting in the surface dulling. How long does it take for this stuff (kind word) to dry? And, is the fact that I used brush/bottle paint part of the problem? Thanks.

Testors (and Modelmaster) "chrome silver" paint is good, old-fashioned "aluminum paint", which goes back perhaps 85-90 years. I've always been told, given to understand that it's fish-oil based (not unlike classic Rustoleum), and as such, it almost never "dries" hard and solid. Basically, of all the paints we use, it's meant to allow the aluminum pigment to "float" to the surface of the paint itself (just as it does in the bottle) to have a bright, smooth brilliant appearance.

Trouble is, it doesn't withstand a lot of handling, even when dried for seemingly a long time (or for that matter, even when dried in a food dehydrator for even a couple of hours), so the pigment on the surface, that "brilliant" surface, tends to rub off quite easily. Unfortunately, for us modelers, that can make say, a Chrysler engine (from the 1930's to the late 1950's) difficult to paint correctly (Chrysler used aluminum paint on their engines for those decades) and still withstand the necessary handling when assembling, detailing, even installing in a model car chassis.

Testors #1144 Gold has the very same problem, even though its pigment is either powdered brass or gold anodized aluminum--it can still have the very same difficulties.

Art

[clovis]

I've had some of the same drying problems with Testors silver.

What is the answer? Light coats of silver, with plenty of drying time between coats?

[Nxr]

It also applies to their copper and bronze paints, their steel and actual aluminium from those little rectangular bottles dries up okay.