Metal Temperatures

D

dkr

Hi All,

I am on the finishing stages of spraying epoxy/2K on my '81 Mercedes. I am spraying outside under a makeshift tarp I have set up. I watch the weather reports regularly and it appears after Monday the temps will be below 70 degrees for the rest of the year most likely. This weekend if all goes well I should have all of the major pieces done, but I will still have a few individual pieces to spray that are off the car right now -- sunroof, engine cowl, front end pieces, etc -- mostly small stuff. What should I change in the process? Should I bring the individual pieces inside where the temp is above 70 or just leave them outside to cure in the sun and wait longer before touching them?

Thanks,

Dkr.
 
best advice i ever seen was mr jc clark and the electric blankets. beats running heat all night or waiting 4 hours for the metal to heat up.
 
Inducing your epoxy before spraying should help. Especially when temps are in question, I like to mix my epoxy the night before I need it. Just cover your mixing cup with a lid or set a gallon can on top of it. If you can get your parts in the sun after spraying, that will make a BIG difference. It might be 70 ambient temp, and 100 or more on your metal. From what Barry told me, 2K isn't much of a concern, just increase flash times between coats.
 
it doesn't matter what kind of paint. paint doesn't flow on cold metal. it will peel up on you at once.
 
Weather reports and air temp readings can give clues, but a non-contact infrared thermometer is a must when dealing with materials that are sensitive to temperature. Knowing what the actual surface temp of your parts is will help you make decisions about when they can be sprayed, and where they should be kept afterward.
 
shine;12987 said:
best advice i ever seen was mr jc clark and the electric blankets. beats running heat all night or waiting 4 hours for the metal to heat up.
Click to expand...

Cool idea. Thanks.

Dkr.
 
I have an infared thermometer, so it looks like that will be my best clue. Other than that, if it gets too cold outside I will bring them in and can take them outside again when the sun comes up the next day.

Dkr.
 
Keep in mind that a regular halogen light can warm a panel nicely
if you don't have a heat lamp.
 
I tried out the infared thermometer, and I don't think it's going to be a problem. At the beginning of the day, I had low 60's temps and towards the end of the day I was reading 95 degrees metal temp (70 degrees outside). I just need two more good days and I'm done spraying. Thanks for all the comments.

Dkr.
 
Glad to hear you've got it worked out. I'm fighting the temps here myself. I'm doing some farm tractor parts right now. My last project before winter.
 
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