# Painting issues



## Ken D (Feb 15, 2021)

Hi everyone and thanks for having me on this forum. My problems is unique. I build 1/25 scale cars and have been for many years. In the winter, painting becomes a problem indoors, so I constructed a makeshift paint booth in my shed, complete with lights, heat, and ventilation. It was crude, but it worked. Last spring when I tore it down, I told myself I would build a better booth in the fall, and I did. It is very small, but very tight. All the seams are caulked, and like the last one, it has light, heat, and ventilation. I was excited for the 2020 winter to arrive so I could try my new booth. My first build was a 1966 nova. Instead of model paint, I choose krylon fusion for plastic which I had used before with success. The paint laid down nice, but in 5 or 10 minutes, lost all its shine and dried flat. Rechecked the paint can and it was gloss white. After a day or two, I attempted a wet sand and polish to no avail. I stripped the model and tried again, this time with testors gloss white, same result, dried flat. A little disgusted now, I stripped the model again. This time, I bought Tamiya primer and Tamiya gloss white. I cleaned the body meticulously, followed Tamiya instructions to the letter, and tried again. You may think I'm pulling your leg on this, but it dried dull and flat. Ready to give up, I shot it with clear, and the shine stayed. Not the best finish, but I decided enough was enough and finished the model. I decided to make the leap to using an airbrush. I bought enamel paint from an upstart company, did some studying, and went in the booth. I did a test on a plastic spoon and it came out beautiful. Another spoon, and perfect again. Finally, success. Being skeptical, I sat in the booth for awhile, and you guessed it, it dried dull. I tried another spoon closer and heavier, same result. I went and called the paint manufacturer, and he said lower the pressure, and get closer, I did, a little better, but still dull and flat. I shot it with clear, and it stayed shiny. So at this point, I have sprayed 4 different kinds of paint and the result is the same, dull and flat. I have been doing this for many years and never experienced something like this. It is 70 degrees in the booth with 25 percent humidity, and the ventilation fan runs very low speed. I have run out of ideas and am ready to give up on the models altogether. If anyone can help, it would be greatly appreciated. Thank you, Ken.


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## Milton Fox Racing (May 27, 2014)

Welcome to the boards!

Your booth maybe over tight.

Still a lot of factors to consider but what psi were you using and what did you reduce it to.. And what is your actual distance from the item (spoon) being painted and the new distance?

To me it sounds like your paint is drying in the air before it reaches the surface. What is the rpm of your fan on low? Can you make it go any slower?


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## Ken D (Feb 15, 2021)

I'll try and answer one question at a time. My first spray was at 2 to 1 at about 10 inches from the spoon at 25 psi. The next spray was slower and heavier but at the same specs. The 3rd was at 3 to 4 inches away and at 15 to 20 psi. I even tried going to 3 to 1, (paint to reducer). It was a little better, but still horrible. I'm not sure about the rpm, but it is on the slowest setting. I have considered the booth being the problem, but just wasn't sure. I guess my next step would be to try a test spray out of the booth. Thank you for your help.


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