Heat Curing

[Houdini]

Now I'm no expert on curing paint or top coats, but I saw this article at:

http://bertram31.com/proj/tips/hot_box.htm

which talks about building a heat box to cure finish/paint 75% faster for only $10. Thought I might post it and ask some of the experts which types of paints/finishes this would work well with.

[Doc]

It depends on what you're shooting.

As a general rule things that cure by evaporation, like lacquer, are more influenced by moving air. This doesn't mean that it also shouldn't be at least 70F. A simple fan speeds up the cure.

Things that cure by cross-linking, etc., like urethanes and epoxies will benefit most from heat. Water base finish is especially helped by infra-reds.

Lacquer is okay to bake as long as you have let it cure for a while. I've had problems with blistering on high build finishes when too much heat gets around it and it's fresh. If there's residual solvent trapped in the wood it will blister like nobody's business.

When I had the commercial shop open we had a bank of 12 250 watt I-R bulbs on a hanging frame that we used to cook conversion varnish, contact cement, and urethanes. Cured in no time flat. Sometimes too fast.

I would worry about a heat lamp inside of a flammable cardboard box, but I'm just an over-cautious old fogey. I'd think about maybe using 1/4" plywood and duct tape for a low tech cheap and less flammable alternative.