Bake that Paint !

[mschlem66n]

Has anyone put a painted model in the oven.I painted it Sat.,and would like to clear it,and put in the oven to cure everything.If so what do you recommend for heat temp ?

Thanks in advance

[aurfalien]

Man, I did that and it seemed fine at first.

That is until the cooler air from outside the oven came in contact with the model and caused it to accordian!

Haste makes waste and patience is a virtue are all I can say.

[fseva]

I've heard 105 to 110 degrees is the highest you should use on plastic... 

[Ace-Garageguy]

Don't. Really. Let it air dry. Life will wait.

Baking styrene models can also cause the plastic itself to out-gas, making the paint blister.

Most ovens don't really have very good temperature control at the lower settings anyway (many of them are somewhat inaccurate through the entire range too...which you'd have experienced if you cook much).

AND...your food will taste like paint and plastic forever afterwards. 

Edited October 7, 2015 by Ace-Garageguy

[Dave Van]

ALL  my builds are run through my food dehydrator after body pint applied.  If I use Tamiya I can paint in the morning and decal/foil that night.  A  regular oven temp is not regulated well enough. 

[Ace-Garageguy]

ALL  my builds are run through my food dehydrator after body pint applied.  If I use Tamiya I can paint in the morning and decal/foil that night.  A  regular oven temp is not regulated well enough. 

Yup...but there's BIG difference between a dehydrator and an oven.

[Dave Van]

Yup...but there's BIG difference between a dehydrator and an oven.

And why I had the comment '.  A  regular oven temp is not regulated well enough. ' in my post......

[StevenGuthmiller]

The closest I've come to baking paint is setting freshly painted parts in front of my gas fireplace for a while in the winter time.

Works great for some things, but even that can have it's problems.

Never, ever put any heat to anything that has masking tape on it for any significant time.

Not unless you want the tape permanently fused to the part! 

 

Steve

[Art Anderson]

The only time I have ever used the oven in my kitchen stove was back in the day of ovens (stovetop too) relying on a pilot rather than electronic ignition.  I found back then, that the pilot flame inside the oven maintained a constant 100F temperature, which is well within the range of safety for a plastic model kit body shell.  Only disaster there was when my then-wife turned on the oven, without checking to see if anything was in there, with predictable results.

I now use an Oster food dehydrator,which carries a constant 120 degree temperature, with a fan circulating air through it (in at the bottom, out at the top).  It's worked without incident since 2010.

Art

[Kit Basher]

.  Only disaster there was when my then-wife turned on the oven, without checking to see if anything was in there, with predictable results.

LOL!  Murphy never sleeps!

[fseva]

The only time I have ever used the oven in my kitchen stove was back in the day of ovens (stovetop too) relying on a pilot rather than electronic ignition.  I found back then, that the pilot flame inside the oven maintained a constant 100F temperature, which is well within the range of safety for a plastic model kit body shell.  Only disaster there was when my then-wife turned on the oven, without checking to see if anything was in there, with predictable results.

I now use an Oster food dehydrator,which carries a constant 120 degree temperature, with a fan circulating air through it (in at the bottom, out at the top).  It's worked without incident since 2010.

So, you've used 120 degrees without a problem... Mine is adjustable... I've never gone over 105 - so maybe I'll set it up a little higher! Thanks!

[Art Anderson]

So, you've used 120 degrees without a problem... Mine is adjustable... I've never gone over 105 - so maybe I'll set it up a little higher! Thanks!

120-degrees is right about the highest setting you can get from your water heater.  Now, I have NEVER had straight hot water from the faucet EVER damage a styrene plastic model car body (although I would not expose a resin body to that temperature of water!).  I've baked every model car body shell & hood I've done since I bought this dehydrator, and NEVER a single problem, even after forgetting, leaving a couple of them in the thing overnight.

To my septegenerian mind (that's someone between the ages of 70 & 79 yrs old, OK?) it does seem to me that too many of us get far too technical, much too timid.  Consider this, a plastic model kit can come out of the molds at or perhaps a degree or two below this temperature with no problems.

 

Art

[Brett Barrow]

I did have 2 dehydrator-related accidents back when I had one without a temperature control.   One was an armor model that had a metal gun barrel next to thin plastic gun shields the hot metal barrel caused the shields to deform, and the other was an aircraft cockpit that had a clear plastic instrument panel, the clear plastic melted.  

So I learned don't put metal or clear plastic in one.  Now I have one with a temperature knob, but I still don't put metal or clear in it. 

Edited October 7, 2015 by Brett Barrow

[mschlem66n]

yep,i'll forego the oven.So next up would be what type or brand of dehydrator do you people recommend ?

Thank you guys again for all the input

[modelercarl]

Been using a Nesco Food Dehydrator for several years now without incident.  It's square (can get more model parts in it) and I cut the lattice shelves out just leaving the outer frame.  I can get a whole car kit in there at one time with ease and most of a big rig kit.  It has an adjustable thermostat but I leave at 105 degrees.  About $50 on amazon.

[Brett Barrow]

Also a Nesco, but mine's round.