Model Master gloss enamel- how long to wait before masking over it ?

Tools, Techniques, and Reference Materials Painting and airbrushing
1

I’ve just sprayed a Kitty Hawk F9F-8 with Testors Model Master FS15042 Glossy Sea Blue. The next step is to mask off and spray the wing walks. How long should I wait before doing this? I don’t want to pull up or mar the paint, and since I normally spray flat enamels I’m not sure. Thanks for the help.

Tom

2

24-48 hours is a safe bet. It’ll give paint time to cure and harden.

3

BS214 is probably right, but I’d go a week. Putting a fingerprint on a finish like that is as much fun as hitting your finger with a hammer. Esp. this time of year when the air is cool and moist.

4

I’ve set some aside for over a couple of weeks, just to be sure, especially with Testors enamels.

5

I leave enamels at least 48 hours before masking. But thats xtracolour, not sure if testors would be any different.

6

Thanks, everyone, for the info. I’ll give it a week. Having gotten it to this point I don’t want to rush it and mess it up!

Thanks Again,

Tom

7

Gloss enamel is funny that way. Drying time is dependent on thickness of coat, temperature and humidity. Sometimes it is ready in two days, sometimes it takes a week!

For that reason, some of us use drying boxes. Some people use food dehydrators, but some of those get too hot and can warp plastic. I built my own, with a 60 watt light bulb (real incandescent bulb, not fluorescent or LED) plus a dimmer that controls temp. I keep a small thermometer in box, and run temp between 105-108 degrees. Never takes more than 24 hours.

8

That sounds like a really good idea. Since I can see several more glossy blue models in my future, I’ll look into it, patience not being one of my virtues. What did you use for the box itself ?

Thanks,

Tom

9

Now;

Here’s where I feel I can be of real help . I have used a lot of Modelmaster Paint especially the Flats and Semi-Glosses .The Glosses . Love them . Do not brush large areas with them though !

They don’t flow as well as Pactra enamels Used to .They cover well and if cut by half will give a consistant good coverage . Do not spray this too slow . Make your passes quickly if airbrushing . Thoroughly clean your airbrush after-wards .

The hand brush ? clean in mineral spirits and don’t cover the model , with tape or masking materials for at least 24 hours in a 75 degree environment . Good Luck

10

I like the Model Master enamels too. This is my first time spraying a gloss color. I cut it about 50% with thinner and put the last two coats on fairly wet. It’s drying very smooth and glossy, just like I’d hoped it would. So I will be patient and give it plenty of time to dry thoroughly.

Thanks,

Tom

11

A little tid bit, if you haven’t done this yet, I bought an 20 gallon clear storage bin to put my models in while drying to keep dust off of it. Just an idea.

Next will be a homemade drying box like the one Don made.

Good luck with the painting.

12

It’s sitting in a nice big box with a tight lid to keep dust off it. I do that even with flats and Alclad clears, which dry very quickly. It’s a good idea and an easy one.

Thanks,

Tom

13

A couple of years ago posted some pictures and some explanation of how I built the box. I know there is a search function for these forums to help people find old threads, but I have never used it myself, so don’t know how well it works. I guess you just search for something like paint drying box.

14

Why not post your thread link to make things easier for the OP…

15

Good idea.

http://cs.finescale.com/fsm/tools_techniques_and_reference_materials/f/18/t/146050.aspx

16

Thanks, Don. I found it by searching under your name, but this simplifies it for anyone else that’s interested. It looks good, fairly simple to build, and very useful. I think I’m going to have to build one.

Thanks again,

Tom

17

Not sure how tight "tight fitting " means but you do want air to get in and circulate around your painted parts… Also the tub you mention might be a good beginning to a home brewed paint dryer as others have discussed…

18

I meant to say heated paint dryer, obviously as it is now you use it for drying anyway.

19

It does allow air circulation, but it keeps the dust out nicely. Next step is to add heat as Don did. That should speed things up considerably.

Thanks,

Tom

20

Just stumbled on this thread. I’m a MM user and love how they spray specially the gloss ones that go on smoother with a bit more thinner.

Let it cure for at least a week to avoid any possible issues. By the way, if you got some orange peel you can use Novus #2 to polish out the paint and leave it smooth as glass.