Ok I just painted the lower floor section of my new helicopter model. Problem is, for some reason the enamel is refusing to dry. It’s been about 1.5 hours now and athough looking tacky and dry in spots I know it is not curing… any suggestions? Or should I just get out the thinner and get it off?
It was a new bottle of MM Light grey enamel I bought today. I haven’t tried it on another piece of plastic but I will and see if it is the plastic that is causing it…
Did you stir it enough. If it was on the shelf for a while the pigment and solvent would have separated so a good stirring would be required. I don`t think that the plastic can have any effect on the paint applied to it, unless it had some kind of greasy deposit on it.
Well I washed and rinsed it really good so I didn’t think it was oils or something. And I stirred and shook it well too. It’s really wierd, I have never had that happen with a bottle of MM. I did notice that even though I stirred well, there was a little black streak on my first pass of the brush so I went back and stirred it for a good 1.5 min. Just to make sure. Maybe it was old to begin with… before I even bought it.
Ok good news, it must be the paint I guess. I went back and was going to just get the thinner out and clean it, and when i touched it it had cured. It was wierd though because it was a bottle of flat that cured glossy. I might go back and exchange it for another bottle before I go further.
Did you use a thinner? You didn’t say if you used an airbrush or hand painted it. If you used a thinner then what kind? Mineral spirits, linseed oil, pine oil, laquer thinner.
I’ve experienced slow drying paint before. The paint could be on too thick. If that was the case you have to give a long time to dry. The oil in the paint need time to evaporate. It will dry…eventually. Work on another part of the model and check the undrying painted part in a week.
I was hand brushing it and lightly thinned it with Model Master enamel thinner. I’ve just never had one take that long, but like my previous post said, I think it was just I didn’t see it go dull like I as expecting… so I assumed it was wet… I am going to take it back this week because it is supposed to be a flat…
thanks for the help though!
I am building this for my dad, when I was a kid he built an entire scene from the battle of britain and had it hanging from my ceiling… (until I broke it all) Among countless other models.
Now he is retired and in the coast guard auxillary so I thought I would make one for HIM since I am the one modelling now. I am doing a HH-65 Dolphin for him and want it to come out the best possible… So I freaked when I saw it wasn’t drying, was even thinking of calling sqaudron for another one…
1.5 hours isn’t very long to wait. If it hadn’t dried to the touch in 1.5 days I might start getting concerned, but not 1.5 hours.
Dry to the touch and cured are completely different. Paint dries on the surfaces exposed to air first and then dries toward the lower areas. It hasn’t completely cured until it is dry all the way through. With enamels that typically takes 24 to 48 hours, but that time can be extended by thick coats, humidity, etc. Some colors and brands take longer to cure than others. If in doubt, smell it. If it hasn’t completely cured you can usually still smell the solvents evaporating.
Speaking of smell… I’ve got model cars where the engines still smell like oil, and I built those 8 to 10 years ago. I guess the hoods kinda keep that smell inside.
Yeah, I know what you mean. I guess paint just has a distinctive smell like everything else. I don’t have any of my real old models left, but I have a couple I built early this year and I can open the display cases on them and get a whiff of dried paint. It isn’t the sharp, pungent smell of the solvents but more of a musty smell of dried paint though.
Yeah I guess I was just freaking last night… I had such plans for this model… (it’s my dad’s late fathers day present.) I appreciate the responses though.
I guess I (being it was supposed to be a flat) I was not used to seeing a flat take that long to dry, I’ve seen glosses do it but usually flats take 15 min or so in my experience…
Yeah I’ve got models that have been done for months that if you get close enough or the right weather conditions you can just smell the paint still…
Oh well, all’s well that ends well… the model is ok, I just need to exchange that paint for the flat (and maybe test it before I leave this time)
ok this is wierd… it must be the kit. I just washed my canopy pieces last night, went to future them tonight… what happened??? same thing, future bunched up in the center of the canopies as if they were being repelled by something.
I washed them extra good too since the last dillemma… allowed them plenty of time to dry.
I’ve never had this happen with a Trumpeter or any other kit… too wierd. I’m going to wash them all with 409 or Windex tomorrow then soap, see if that helps…
It’s always a good idea to let the paint dry for at least several hours. When I was working, I would model in the evenings and I often found it convenient to paint before going to bed; that way at bedtime, I could put the part under the dust cover, put everything away and let it dry overnight.
Now that I’m currently not working, I still try to time painting so the painted part can sit for several hours (for flat paints). Gloss paints require more time; I’ll give those a minimum of two or three days; sometimes even a week before handling the part. In the meantime, there’s always another subassembly (or even another model) to work on!