Time between MM enamel recoat

Tools, Techniques, and Reference Materials Painting and airbrushing
1

Aloha all,

I’m going to use MM enamels for the first time; all of my experience is with acrylic paints. Approximately how long should I wait between coats of the same color? It seems like it would take forever if I have to wait overnight between each coat, what do most people do?

Much Mahalos,

Justin

2

I uae MM exclusavly and useualy wait about an hour but i live in a very dry state.

3

Thanks for your opinion Rob,

I wouldn’t call Hawai’i a “very dry state”, so maybe I’ll give it a couple of hours. Are there visual signs you look for in the paint to tell you it’s dried enough to paint over?

Mahalo,

Justin

4

Spray some scrap plastic, even sprue at the time you spray your model.

You can then handle the test material to check the curing.

5

Thanks Namrednef for the great tip. I actually already test-sprayed my Dunkelgelb on a big sheet of styrene, so I’ll just use that and spray it again. I wouldn’t have thought of that on my own, because my brain is very small, so it’s good that you tipped me off.

Much Mahalos,

Justin

6

Justin, I love MM enamels. Drying time really depends on what you use to thin it. I use two thinners for MM: Lacquer thinner and Mineral Spirits.

Lacquer thinner will cause these paints to dry much, much quicker. You could probably paint over in an hour or two. I use Lacquer when I’m laying down a primer coat, and mostly on military aircraft where a good finish is easy to obtain.

Mineral Spirits extend the drying time greatly. This is the thinner of choice when painting model cars, as it allows the paint more time to even out. Gloss paint jobs with enamels and Mineral Spirits are often set aside to cure for a week or so.