Llarry Posted January 24, 2011 Share Posted January 24, 2011 I've heard of folks using a hair dryer to help with drying paint and decals. Is this really worth doing? If so, are there any particular characteristics to look for when choosing a dryer? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Expat Tomcat Posted January 24, 2011 Share Posted January 24, 2011 I've been known to pilfer the wife's hair dryer, when I'm being particularly impatient. I'm more apt to use the one incandescent bulb I have left in my shop to bake paint. If was to use one full time for drying paint I'd put some kind of beefier dust filter on it. Don't need extra dust along with extra air. Oh and it would have to have a variable heat setting. :lol: Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Kopfjaeger Posted January 24, 2011 Share Posted January 24, 2011 like an electricians heat gun? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Hawkeye's Hobbies Posted January 24, 2011 Share Posted January 24, 2011 A slower drying process is better than a quick one. You will in many cases cause the surface of the paint to dry, but delay the underlying paint from curing. Hast makes waste. You're better off just thinning and mixing your paint appropriately to speed drying. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
piper19 Posted January 24, 2011 Share Posted January 24, 2011 Depends indeed on which types of paint you use. Acrylics dry fast enough themselves, enamels or oil paints of different brands can dry in different times, and I think it's best to let them cure normally. If I really want to fasten things up, I would more see into the thing car body painters use, I think they use infra red lamps. Would see first if plastic doesn't melt though (same with hairdryer!) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
kenlilly106 Posted January 24, 2011 Share Posted January 24, 2011 The easiest way to pick a hair dryer for use in modeling is to see if you have one at home, if you do then you have one for modeling as well. I've used hair dryers to help dry ink or acrylic washes, or to dry thin 'glaze' type paints in between coats. I wouldn't use a heat gun or heat lamps, too easy to melt a model without warning. Ken Quote Link to post Share on other sites
datahiker Posted January 25, 2011 Share Posted January 25, 2011 I've used a hair dryer to speed up the painting process but I've never tried it on decals. You have to be really careful though - I melted a thin 1/72 piece even with the hair dryer set to low heat and I was waving it back and forth. One pass was fine, the next pass shriveled it like a raisin. After that happened I stuck with the "cool" setting and only on thicker pieces. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Hawkeye's Hobbies Posted January 25, 2011 Share Posted January 25, 2011 Understand if you use the hairdryer that is in the house used by others...you risk getting hair and fibers in your paint! If you're going to use one, purchase a cheap one and keep it hidden away in your stash. Anything that moves air will carry dirt and debris with it...pulling it out of the air in which it operates. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
kenlilly106 Posted January 25, 2011 Share Posted January 25, 2011 Understand if you use the hairdryer that is in the house used by others...you risk getting hair and fibers in your paint! If you're going to use one, purchase a cheap one and keep it hidden away in your stash. Anything that moves air will carry dirt and debris with it...pulling it out of the air in which it operates. Unless you model in a Class 100 cleanroom using a separate hair dryer for modeling is overkill, the air at the workbench is going to contain the same hair/fibers/dust that the main hair dryer picks up. If the posted pictures of peoples workbenches are indication, you'll stir up more dust blowing the hair dryer at the workbench than you would using the one the wife uses. Ken Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Llarry Posted January 26, 2011 Author Share Posted January 26, 2011 Thanks guys. I may still try to find one that's satisfactorily low-powered and compact, but I won't expect it to be a game-changer. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
alfredodelpino Posted February 24, 2011 Share Posted February 24, 2011 I use a hair dryer mostly when there is too much moisture in the air, like in cloudy or rainy days, and my favorite type of paint are laquers from Gunze which don't take usually long time to cure. Other times, I use it for taking fingerprints away, but I'm not sure of how effective this is. Greetings Quote Link to post Share on other sites
moeggo Posted February 24, 2011 Share Posted February 24, 2011 I use the hair dyer all the time.. Paint and Decaling... I get the best results on decals when I use the hair dyer than mircoset/sol etc... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Azza Posted February 24, 2011 Share Posted February 24, 2011 I use the hair dyer all the time.. Paint and Decaling...I get the best results on decals when I use the hair dyer than mircoset/sol etc... Hey Dave - yeah mate am gonna try the wifes hairdryer on my next decal job! Thats if she will let me use it! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
balls47 Posted February 24, 2011 Share Posted February 24, 2011 Let the paint dry at its own pace. Good things come to those who wait. Besides, if there is anything in the air at all, if you use a hair dryer, it will find its way to your model. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
urloony Posted February 24, 2011 Share Posted February 24, 2011 (edited) Food dehydrators work great and is what I use. Take the inserts out and you get a large area to fit most models. It dries the paint and decals evenly and safely. You can set the temp as well. Edited February 24, 2011 by urloony Quote Link to post Share on other sites
RAIN Posted February 24, 2011 Share Posted February 24, 2011 A totally other reason for a hair dryer. I recently bought and started a 1/48 Revell A-6E. To my horror, when I opened the box, the left side fuselage half, and the right side wings were completely twisted, folded at a steep outer angle. I put the pieces down on the counter, blasted them with heat from the hair dryer until I could carefully "bend" them back to the proper straight positions, and to my own surprise, it worked. Right after that I blasted them with cold air (wife's hair dryer has a "cool air" feature too). Back to normal. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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