Drying time seems so long. Is there any way to speed it along? When I'm finished, will floquil dull coat provide more durability? Enamel always seems soft to me. Any tips would be appreciated.
Here is what I have found. There really is no way to spped up the drying time. As a general rule of thumb, if you can smell the paint on the model, it is still drying. I tend to paint, then set it aside for about a week. Dull coat is essentially a sealer. There is no real benefit to dull coat other than to seal your decals after they are applied. Think of it as a clear coat over all your finished product. One thing I LOVE about Floquil, at least that I have found anyways, is there is no need to thin it down. I shoot it right out of the bottle. But make sure it is mixxed thoroughly. I ususally put about 3-4 BBs in a bottle and shake it for a minute or so each time before I paint. Ryan
I've used a lot of Floquil. I have shot it both straight from bottle, or reduced. Usually I set it aside for at least twenty four hours. I have never tried to force it.
I paint with Floquil. I thin it with MS as per their recommendations, 3 parts paint to 1 part thinner, for airbrush use. I often put the painted part in the oven at 140 degrees F for faster dry times if the painted part is metal and not plastic. I also use Dullcoat laquer thinned 50/50 with laquer thinner after the decals are put on. I find the Dullcoat not only hides the decal edges but seals the Floquil and makes it more chip resistant. Don't use the Dullcoat until the Floquil is completely dry or you may ruin the paint job. Have fun, Mark
I almost always use Floquil straight from the bottle when I'm painting anything. If I'm in a hurry, I fire up the blow drier to help speed drying time. No matter what, it seems like drying time is quicker than with water based stuff...solvents evaporate faster than water. Dull coat to cover the decals and hide the edges (as already mentioned by Mark above).
I've used gallons of Floquil over the years,all I've ever used for 45 years except for the occasional bottle of Scalecoat.I never try to speed the drying time,I just wait,usually 4-5 days.At most,I may put them on top of the cable TV box in my workshop,since it's pretty warm.I do,however,usually paint at least 3-4 shells at a time,I'm always working on a bunch of stuff,so I really don't care about drying time.I think Floquil Flat Finish dries much faster than their paint.I also feel it's more durable than their paint,to me,the paint is only color.I always thin it,also,to me,it comes out grainy if you don't thin it.Only downside is,it takes more coats..
Applying heat will speed up the drying time, but as has been stated, smell your model and if it smells like thinner, it isn't dry. However, acrylic paint will dry quickly with a hair dryer as long as you're not really laying on a thick coat. If you're having trouble with your paint covering, apply several thin coats. I always thin Floquil at least 75/25 paint/thinner and sometimes 50/50 if I'm weathering and want to ensure gradual transitions. I have learned also not to shake Floquil, or any other model paint, but to stir it with a battery powered Badger paint stirrer. This really takes the globs out of paint and ensures a much smoother finish. If you're getting a grainy finish, your paint is drying in the air before it hits the model. This can be fixed several ways...one, get closer to your model, two, lower your air pressure, three, add thinner, or a combination of those three things. The idea is to get the paint to your model while it's still wet, so it evens out just a tad, but dries in a second or two. I also bake brass models, and I've also baked plastic models. Ya gotta be really careful with plastic and I'd never bake 'em over 115 degrees. I use a small toaster oven and use a candy in-oven-thermometer that I can see through the oven door. I pre-heat the oven for half an hour or so, and adjust the variable temp until it's just right, then I go paint, wait about ten minutes for the paint to not be wet, and insert into the oven on a clean piece of pine board...let it bake for ten to fifteen minutes...take it out of the oven by holding the pine board...smell it, and either put it back in for another ten minutes or let it cool off if the thinner smell is gone. Some resin models really warp when they get warm, so ya gotta be careful. Brass, on the other hand, is a lead-pipe cinch and I bake my brass at about 135 degrees for the same ten to fifteen minute intervals. Good Luck! Bob Gilmore
Sorry Jeff, I'm going to disagree that solvent paints dry faster than acrylic based paints. I can shoot Polly Scale and mask for the next color within 30-45 minutes. Faster if I use a hair dryer. Solvent based paints take a minimum of 24 hours to dry if you want decent results and no finger prints. The paint is still to soft to handle before it's fully cured. I've been using acrylics exclusively for 15 years because I hate the smell of the solvents and prefer to paint indoors. Just my .02 cents...and YMMV! Brian
+1 - Acrylics dry much faster when painted correctly. If you are having extremely long drying times with either formula of paint, you are putting too much paint on. With Acrylics, I can paint start to finish in an evening for most schemes and heat and air movement can speed that process up. I thin everything and shoot multiple light coats. Time between coats is usually about 10 minutes with either paint system. Spending a half hour shooting three light coats that flash over relatively fast is much faster than trying to do it in one shot and waiting 24 hours for the paint to fully cure.
In my expierence the water thinned paints dry slower. I use mainly either Scalecoat or Accupaint/shatever the name is now. With Scalecoat I, which has a VERY long drying time and isn't plastic safe, they make an additive that makes it dry VERY fast and is therefore plastic safe. In any case I have an old Ronco Food Dehydrator that operates somewhere around 100 degrees, and paint dries quickly.
This is my experience also, and I've been shooting lacquers, enamels and acrylics with an airbrush since I was a teenager...as well as watercolors, oils and ink for non-model related artwork. Using the hair drier on acrylics is a trick I learned a long time ago, and greatly speeds up painting/masking/painting/masking...etc., etc. Cheers! Bob Gilmore
