Rattle can venting….

[Locrian99]

It’s still rainy and wet up here in the pac nw. Thought we had an awesome weekend and it wasn’t too bad today.

Current system -
Rattle can primer, bring inside to bathroom with exhaust fan on. About an hour

First coat of color or another coat of primer based on need.

About an hour 2nd coat of color or first coat if needed 2nd coat of primer.

This point I let it cure for the night indoors and if I’m doing s decal do that or just clear coat if not. Problem I run into is 24-48 even past that cost I will get some bubbling. Ussually on the bottom where it meets the back plate but some times more. Do I just need to let it cure longer before the clear coat. It only ever shows up from the clear coat.

 

[jhaneyzz]

It’s still rainy and wet up here in the pac nw. Thought we had an awesome weekend and it wasn’t too bad today.

Current system -
Rattle can primer, bring inside to bathroom with exhaust fan on. About an hour

First coat of color or another coat of primer based on need.

About an hour 2nd coat of color or first coat if needed 2nd coat of primer.

This point I let it cure for the night indoors and if I’m doing s decal do that or just clear coat if not. Problem I run into is 24-48 even past that cost I will get some bubbling. Ussually on the bottom where it meets the back plate but some times more. Do I just need to let it cure longer before the clear coat. It only ever shows up from the clear coat. View attachment 44454

Or move to arizona...
heat lamp?
dehumidifier?

 

[jhaneyzz]

Could be the solvent in the clear coat, but I'm no chemist.

 

[hamerfan]

My system is primitive. I sniff on it. If it smells like solvents, i give it another 24 hours. I also think the temperature and the humidity in the air play a big role in that equation, not only time. But I am not in a hurry….

 

[BuddytheReow]

I totally get where you’re coming from. When using rattle cans I also just want to get it all done in a day. You’ll get better results with patience. Scuff the bare enclosure with some sandpaper to give the primer something to adhere to. From there, 1 or 2 coats of primer and wait at least a day. Give it the “smell test” before continuing. For actual colors I’d spray 1 coat a day, 2 if they’re super light, and let it cure for at least a day before the next coat. After all colors are on wait a day before clear coating. I usually spray my pedals early in the morning before I run off to work for the day and MAYBE another light coat when I get home. It will take me almost a week to fully paint a box, but I have no issues with bubbles or adhesion unless it’s cold outside. Oh, and I let it sit in my garage all day instead of outside, but I will spray it outside or at least at the very edge of my garage if it’s rainy out. Humidity isn’t a problem if you take your time.

 

[hamerfan]

On one of my rattle can it says, do not use under 15 Celsius (60 Fahrenheit) and avoid humid places.

 

[music6000]

It’s still rainy and wet up here in the pac nw. Thought we had an awesome weekend and it wasn’t too bad today.

Current system -
Rattle can primer, bring inside to bathroom with exhaust fan on. About an hour

First coat of color or another coat of primer based on need.

About an hour 2nd coat of color or first coat if needed 2nd coat of primer.

This point I let it cure for the night indoors and if I’m doing s decal do that or just clear coat if not. Problem I run into is 24-48 even past that cost I will get some bubbling. Ussually on the bottom where it meets the back plate but some times more. Do I just need to let it cure longer before the clear coat. It only ever shows up from the clear coat. View attachment 44454

Best Advice I Can Give for $20.00!
500w Light that gives off some Heat.
It swings up & down so I point it down on the bench & use it to keep Moisture away while I Spray .
Between coats I put the pedal 300mm (12 inches ) away on the Bench top & in 10 minutes you can barely hang on to the Pedal.
I only use Automotive Paints in a Can, No Oil or Enamel!

 

[Guardians of the analog]

Back when I was painting enclosures still I had this happen enough to where I decided to change my approach. I would generally try to do multiple lighter coats of primer then 2-3 coats of color all 5-10 mins apart. If I missed my window or the humidity was too high the bubbling would happen. You can use a dedicated toaster oven to fully cure the paint on low heat and then repaint when at room temp. I got my toaster oven at the thrift store for 7 dollars.

 

[vigilante398]

TOASTER OVEN.

That was the main piece of advice I was given back when I started doing rattle can finishes. I picked up a toaster oven for $8 at a thrift store and baked the enclosure in between coats to ensure full curing before additional coats. My process was:

1. thin coat of self-etching primer
2. bake 20 minutes at 300F
3. first color coat
4. bake 20 minutes
5. second color coat
6. bake 20 minutes
7. waterslide decal
8. first clearcoat
9. bake 20 minutes
10. second clearcoat
11. bake 20 minutes

My oven was big enough to hold up to 4 125B or 1590B enclosures so I would usually do a couple at a time and I could get a finished enclosure or two in a single day.

Some people used lower temperatures for longer times, like 200F for 1-2 hours, but I always got good results at 300F for 15-20 minutes.

Then I got into powdercoating and it all became irrelevant

 

[Locrian99]

Thanks for the suggestions. Sounds like i need to start hitting up my local thrift stores looking for a toaster oven.

Wonder if hitting it with a heat gun would help. I have one of those…

 

[Locrian99]

My system is primitive. I sniff on it. If it smells like solvents, i give it another 24 hours. I also think the temperature and the humidity in the air play a big role in that equation, not only time. But I am not in a hurry….

Yea temperature plays a role for sure. What I’ve been doing is I bring whichever paint I’ll be using and the enclosure in the house from the garage to warm up for a bit. Then go back out to the garage and spray it. I’ve made this little box with an empty Gatorade bottle to hold the enclosure up. Carry that back inside and put it in a bathroom with the exhaust fan on to dry. I think I’m just rushing the process I guess. The stuff I’m using says ready for second coat in an hour but sounds like I need to give it more time.

 

[jwyles90]

I live in Portland, so I can absolutely relate to your struggles. What's the temperature/rH level in the space where you're leaving them to dry? I've noticed that if I keep my enclosures in a room that has a bit of a higher, consistent temperature and is between 40-50ish rH then I don't run into any issues. I also never spray anything if it's raining or even kinda wet outside (which can sometimes feel impossible up here haha).

I live in an apartment, so my system is kinda wonky but basically I give it a spray or two (or sometimes three) in the span of a day and leave it in an area of my kitchen that is near a window and ventilated. Once it's not so fumey I move it into my music room/office, which is relatively temperature controlled and has a dehumidifier going pretty much constantly. From there I'll use Polycrylic since the fumes are way less intense than clear coat and just keep it in that room until it's totally dry. All in all it generally takes about a week for the entire process, including any decals I use.

 

[Coda]

I live in extreme South Jersey. No, its not "extreme" here, nor does it have anything to do with the band EXTREME, but rather, as far south as you can go before you hit water. We have all weather. Hurricanes? Super Storm Sandy would like a word. Tornadoes? I pass a town every day on my commute with a section that looks like Verdun, tornadoed up real good. Blizzards? 1996 (I thought it was awesome when the snow plow came past and took out our mailbox). In the summer, we are in the South. In the winter, we are in New England...

I find that I can only spray enclosures at certain times. Its much drier in the winter, which is great for a few different types of finishes, especially hammered finish. However, if its too cold, the paint seems kind of thick, and it doesn't like to lay even, leaving pedals looking like they are covered in icing. In the summer, the paint lays better, but finishes like enamel or hammered finishes don't like the humidity: enamel finishes never seem to dry, and always seem gummy, and hammered finishes don't really get "hammered." I did Tayda pre-painted enclosures for a while, but I got tired of having to scrape paint off of the inside of the enclosure...

 

[jimilee]

It’s still rainy and wet up here in the pac nw. Thought we had an awesome weekend and it wasn’t too bad today.

Current system -
Rattle can primer, bring inside to bathroom with exhaust fan on. About an hour

First coat of color or another coat of primer based on need.

About an hour 2nd coat of color or first coat if needed 2nd coat of primer.

This point I let it cure for the night indoors and if I’m doing s decal do that or just clear coat if not. Problem I run into is 24-48 even past that cost I will get some bubbling. Ussually on the bottom where it meets the back plate but some times more. Do I just need to let it cure longer before the clear coat. It only ever shows up from the clear coat. View attachment 44454

What do you use for the clear coat?

 

[jimilee]

I live in extreme South Jersey. No, its not "extreme" here, nor does it have anything to do with the band EXTREME, but rather, as far south as you can go before you hit water. We have all weather. Hurricanes? Super Storm Sandy would like a word. Tornadoes? I pass a town every day on my commute with a section that looks like Verdun, tornadoed up real good. Blizzards? 1996 (I thought it was awesome when the snow plow came past and took out our mailbox). In the summer, we are in the South. In the winter, we are in New England...

I find that I can only spray enclosures at certain times. Its much drier in the winter, which is great for a few different types of finishes, especially hammered finish. However, if its too cold, the paint seems kind of thick, and it doesn't like to lay even, leaving pedals looking like they are covered in icing. In the summer, the paint lays better, but finishes like enamel or hammered finishes don't like the humidity: enamel finishes never seem to dry, and always seem gummy, and hammered finishes don't really get "hammered." I did Tayda pre-painted enclosures for a while, but I got tired of having to scrape paint off of the inside of the enclosure...

You gotta watch the humidity levels, it plays all kind of havoc when I paint outside. Makes me nuts.

 

[Locrian99]

What do you use for the clear coat?

It’s the rustoleum gloss, I’ll have to look at the can when I get home for exact product type. I’ve noticed the paint and primer in one stuff and hammered ones do better than the stop rust (I think that’s what it’s called) products from rustoleum.

I had been doing pretty well with my bring the cans inside to warm up and then spray the enclosure in the garage and bring inside to a bathroom with the exhaust fan going to dry. But last couple have given me issues again.

 

[Locrian99]

I live in Portland, so I can absolutely relate to your struggles. What's the temperature/rH level in the space where you're leaving them to dry? I've noticed that if I keep my enclosures in a room that has a bit of a higher, consistent temperature and is between 40-50ish rH then I don't run into any issues. I also never spray anything if it's raining or even kinda wet outside (which can sometimes feel impossible up here haha).

I live in an apartment, so my system is kinda wonky but basically I give it a spray or two (or sometimes three) in the span of a day and leave it in an area of my kitchen that is near a window and ventilated. Once it's not so fumey I move it into my music room/office, which is relatively temperature controlled and has a dehumidifier going pretty much constantly. From there I'll use Polycrylic since the fumes are way less intense than clear coat and just keep it in that room until it's totally dry. All in all it generally takes about a week for the entire process, including any decals I use.

It’s pretty much 70 degrees no clue what the humidity is in there. It’s just a little half bath and very small. I figured with the exhaust fan going it would keep the humidity in the right range. But I could be wrong. I’m leaning towards it really just a drying time thing as I shouldn’t expect to be able to finish an enclosure in 2-3 days apparently.

The polycrylic you use is it a brush on type? I’ve been thinking of trying that.

 

[jimilee]

It’s pretty much 70 degrees no clue what the humidity is in there. It’s just a little half bath and very small. I figured with the exhaust fan going it would keep the humidity in the right range. But I could be wrong. I’m leaning towards it really just a drying time thing as I shouldn’t expect to be able to finish an enclosure in 2-3 days apparently.

The polycrylic you use is it a brush on type? I’ve been thinking of trying that.

Yessir, it sure is. The same clear I've been using is making the water slides crinkle up, it's weird.

 

[Harry Klippton]

I don't use spray cans very often but I usually leave them in a bucket of warm water for maybe an hour before spraying them regardless of the time of year or current temp

 

[RetiredUnit1]

Not waiting long enough with too little heat and too much humidity. Clear coats should be applied in VERY thin layers to avoid melting the paint.