car paint finish drying time?

sawyer

So I've built myself a bitsa Strat which has turned out really great.Changed my avatar image to show guitar as i can't  post photos:(. Sprayed it ivory about 2months ago now and looks canny good if I do say myself ha. Only problem it still seem soft? Marks quite easily which is giving it a cool light relic look,so im cool with that.Guitar stands leave Mark's which can be polished out also. Paint isn't mega thick so I thought it would of started to harden off by now. Anyone advise how long for it to cure completely?

paulnb57

I've had great results with Auto paint in rattle cans, in some cases sprayed one hot sunny day, assembled the next, other folk have had issues where the paint never seems to harden completely, I've no idea why! Possibly whats under the paint, I started with bare wood, or stripped back to bare wood.....

My gut feeling is, if it hasn't hardened in two months it's not going to......

Paul

WezV

I think the mixed results are generally down to thickness of application.
I have done halfords rattlecan finishes which worked okay by keeping it superthin coats with plenty of time between, but I still think its a sub-par medium

I stripped a 10 year old rattlecan finish that seemed hard a few weeks back, and it still turned gummy as soon as I tried to sand or scrape it off.

melvynhiscock

I think the problem is the paint taking in moisture from the air. I have done bodies in car spray and had to strip it all off, which is a horrible job, as they had not hardened.

SimonRF

2 months and still soft is not promising, I'm afraid. Car paints from Halfords etc are modern finishes for use on metals, plastics and fibreglass - their 'cure' time is measured in hours or days rather than the weeks typically associated with nitro and pre-cat.

Which primer did you use?

Corvus

One thing that stands out is that 1k colour paint has a satin finish and is designed to be clearcoated over, doesn't polish well at all, and isn't very tough - it's not a final topcoat paint. So if you're able to polish it to a shine I'm wondering what it actually is.. or you may just need a couple of thin coats of 1k clear on it.
If it is 1k for sure and not celly and as you have nothing really to lose by it I'd try that; one thinnish coat enough to wet it, wait 10 mins, put on one decent but not flooded wet coat. See how it is the next day or two.

This car paint type is called 1k, 1k acrylic and commonly just "basecoat" or "base". Should be touch-dry inside 20mins if the proper thinnish coats were done. By then the solvent's evaporated and it's starting to crosslink.
With too-heavy layers, and too soon, it's possible to trap solvent and mess up the setting process.

It's common to put on 2k clear inside an hour of doing the colour coats, 24 hrs max. Say that as an indicator of how fast it normally dries. This paint is also used on guitars as the colour stage in clear-over-base finishes.

You didn't mention the H word but Halfords mixed-to-order cans are nitro, according to someone who works there, while their racked cans are normal 1k acrylic/base.

sawyer

It is Halfords. Audi Amalfi White which is more ivory than white. It feels great to the touch. It's just when its on a stand or a surface with a texture. Polishes up a treat but doesn't seem quite there. I've started to periodically heat the surface to force a bit more curing but don't k ow if this will be to no avail? Ive sprayed stuff with professional painting equipment before so technique thickness and drying time about right. As best as you manage with a tin anyway ha.  Appreciate everyone's input by the way.

thermionic

I bought some Halfords metallic blue (I think it was a Fiat colour) along with the recommended clear lacquer to do a cast aluminium effect enclosure. The instructions on the lacquer said allow two weeks to harden before buffing back. They were not joking - it was soft for a couple of months, even handling it left deep fingerprints. I think it was the clear lacquer rather than the paint itself though.

Baking in an oven is a technique often used when finishing enclosures, not practical with a guitar body! I left my box propped up on a radiator for a few days (in winter) but I don't think it helped.