I have to rattlecan a largeish (~3ft x 5ft) metal surface that I can't transport indoors. Daily temperatures are going to be in the 30s-40s F. What should I do to make sure it cures okay?
>>2960418>I have to rattlecan a largeish (~3ft x 5ft) metal surface that I can't transport indoors. Daily temperatures are going to be in the 30s-40s F. What should I do to make sure it cures okay?Heat it with a weed burner until it sweats out all the moisture in the metal. That will get it good and hot. Then a couple minutes later after it cools down enough to not sizzle the paint start spraying. The hot metal will help the paint cure way faster than spraying it on cold metal.
>>2960418I should add, it's steel, and currently painted but I can strip it. Cosmetic factors don't matter, but the finish does need to protect it from the elements well.
>>2960421>weed burnerThanks, would an electric heat gun work? What's the target temperature for the steel to be (I can measure with an infrared thermometer)?
>>2960423Yeah you could probably use an electric heat gun but it will take much longer to get it up to temp. I've never actually measured the temperature when I have done it. When you get it hot you will actually see moisture come out on the metal surface, and then when it gets hotter yet it will evaporate off and dry out. Once it dries out it's up to temp. Not sure if it will sweat 100% the same way with electric heat gun, as some of that moisture could be from the propane weed burner.
>>2960421>Heat it with a weed burner until it sweats out all the moisture in the metal.The moisture you see when this happen is a byproduct of propane combustion, water, condensing on the metal surface. Heat it long enough and the metal gets too hot for condensation to remain. It's not metal "sweating."
>>2960418>What should I do to make sure it cures okay?Clean the old paint off with a sandblaster. Degrease, coat with either enamel or high-temp paint, then bake it.
>>2960448>The moisture you see when this happen is a byproduct of propane combustion, water, condensing on the metal surface. Heat it long enough and the metal gets too hot for condensation to remain. It's not metal "sweating."As I mentioned above. It still gives you a good temp indicator of when to quit heating. And I know for a fact it does dry out the metal some too, especially if you have had high humidity or the metal was wet to begin with.
this isnt what you are going to want to hear, but you are going to want to wait till warmer weather if the goal is to do a good jobif corrosion is a concern, fluid film, wd40, or really any oil misted on it will help it not deteriorate till then, but you are just wasting paint at 35 to 40 degreesn imo
>>2960418It's more important the paint is warm than the part. Just keep there paint inside and paint when it's dry. I've painted in colder weather inside an unheated carport and it's fine if the paint was in the house beforehand.
>>2960482>fluid filmWorks better than paint at preventing corrosion.
>>2960626I say warm both. I have done the weed burner trick as well as heating paint cans with a heat gun or by putting them in hot water.
You could postpone the project until it's warmer outside.
>>2960418Build a temporary tent like structure, wood preferred, that you can heat up with a portable radiator heater. Kind of like a green house but on the smaller scale that you can get inside to paint. Don't use any other kind of open heater with paint or you can fry yourself in a nice fire. Don't paint with the heater on, just use it beforehand to heat up the structure and afterwards when done paining.
