Paint

[ender098]

Anybody got any ideas;

I made a custom (Wraith) and the paint won't quite dry! I've tried air, heat....no matter what, the paint stays "gooey". You can wipe it off. Any ideas on what I can do to fix it?

Acrylic spray has been suggested. Anyone ever use it? What were the results?

I ask because I started teh figure with a light coat of silver testors paint. When that didn't work, I tried a chrome spray paint (after wiping off what paint I could from the first coat) and it still came out gummy!

[Fisher]

I always use an acrylic paint, and the sprays I have used are even better than the brush on, so I would recommend a spray if you can find it in the appropriate color.

[Outrider]

Frank, I have had this problem even with the enamels I use, and it usually happens if the paint is old and the solvent/paint ratio has "gone out of balance". (Time to throw it away!). The only way I have found to dry it is to leave the figure outside in the fresh air for a few hours (or even all day on the odd occasion). There just seems to be something about the breeze that drys the paint eventually. :)

[canada_gi]

Games Workshop "Citadel" acrylic paint works just fine for me; it is specially made for use with plastic figures and parts

[Bayer]

I always undercoat the figure with "dullcote" or "matte finish" then paint. Drying the paint is a longer process. If you have outdated paint, as mentioned, the paint will require a breeze. Outside air is the best, but a using a fan in a well ventilated room is a good second.

I've encountered the semi-permanent tacky. The paint is culprit number one, but the plastic of the figure is culprit number two. The figure plastic may have a reaction to the paint, depending on the chamicals in the both. There is a semi-hardened plastic that some of the figure heads are made of that doesn't seem to react well to paint (the VvV Duke comes to mind). I'm in the middle of repainting the VvV Shipwreck head for a custom figure and have noticed the tackiness. It has been going on week two for waiting for the paint to dry. I'm going to spray the figure with another coat of "dullcote" and see if that catalyzes the paint into drying. I'll let you know how it works.

[Outrider]

Bayer brought up a good point about reactions between the paint and the plastic (and one I should have mentioned, seeing as I work in the plastics field!) Sometimes the solvent in the paint may react with the plasticizer in the plastic (the oil which gives the plastic it's flexibility) and cause a small amount of the plasticizer to leach out. As this plasticizer is usually a phthalate based oil, it will never evaporate, meaning the paint will never dry. But this should really only happen with enamels which use a spirit based solvent. Acrylics generally use water as a solvent, which should not affect the plastic at all. :confused: