Using A Heat Lamp To Cure Nitro Lacquer Body

[copperhead]

anybody ever use a heatlamp to speed up curing time on a nitro finish ...after all coats are applied or even between coats

[pariah223]

I think there was a topic on using heat not that long ago.. and the general consensus was dont do it.. which i agree with. I beleive the other topic was using a furnace or something but either way.. i wouldnt put the wood under the extreme heat of a heat lamp. Take your time when doing finishing jobs... finishing seems like the most rushed process in guitar building. What type of guitar are you finishing? and what brand are you using as your nitro?

[westhemann]

No,no,no,nononono...

No

[copperhead]

im talking about about 18" away from a heat lamp not to hot same as a nice hot day not a kiln

[syxxstring]

You need to heat the entire surface at the same time and temp, a spot light won't do that. You would want to raise the ambient temperature more than apply heat to one area. Otherwise you are baking the surface and trapping solvents. It can be done, but it is way easier to screw up than get right.

If you see what they use for cars its long racks of infrared lamps, nothing like a spot light.

[rhoads56]

Do it all the time. There are four lamps, which face in different directions, and the heat from those lamps also bounces off the metal walls of this shed/room. I turn them on an hour before I start sanding. Ambient temperature is on average 12-15 degrees higher than the outside temperature.

The lacquer (all types) dries faster, harder, with less long term sink back.

[ihocky2]

You'll notice though that Perry is using four lamps from different directions in a room/shed that the entire room rises in temp. I also just let time do it's thing, but I am sure Perry's type of set up would help things along. But the key is to heat everything evenly, and not one side at a time.

[syxxstring]

It also probably depends on where you live, my shop left to its own would be 100 on its own. Gotta love the desert.

Edited September 10, 2008 by syxxstring

[ihocky2]

Mine would get up to the high 90's during the summer, all day sun exposure. But it also gets extremely humid if I don't control it, and even then it is too humid to spray during the summer.

[westhemann]

In the winter I just set up a warm area for spraying and curing...but I never move a freshly sprayed guitar into a hotter area.....only time I tried that I got pinholes.

[ToneMonkey]

Perry

Have you considered covering the area in mylar to enclose it? Mylar reflects so much more of the light and heat (around 98% I think) that I think you would probably recoupe your costs fairly quickly as you won't need as much electric.

[rhoads56]

My spray booth has a room off the side which will be the heat box. I just have to finish it, an then the room I use now will become the timber storage room instead.

[MikeP]

Perry, are those just standard lamps (halogen)? Thanks,

Mike

[rhoads56]

Yes, but they get VERY hot. I tested it to the extreme once... it split a two piece body.

[soapbarstrat]

So halogen lamps are always really hot ? I found one of those ones people have in their house (floor lamp that throws light onto the ceiling) See them out for the trash quite often (I have 2 now). Bought a halogen bulb at Harbor Fright for 85 cents. Put it in that lamp. The lamp has a dimmer switch. Turned all the way up, it started smoking. Half way, it was "ok" but still damn hot.

One winter the furnace was down for repairs. That halogen lamp worked like a space heater to make my shop warm enough to work in (with freezing temps outside)

[MikeP]

So halogen lamps are always really hot ? I found one of those ones people have in their house (floor lamp that throws light onto the ceiling) See them out for the trash quite often (I have 2 now). Bought a halogen bulb at Harbor Fright for 85 cents. Put it in that lamp. The lamp has a dimmer switch. Turned all the way up, it started smoking. Half way, it was "ok" but still damn hot.

One winter the furnace was down for repairs. That halogen lamp worked like a space heater to make my shop warm enough to work in (with freezing temps outside)

Those halogen pole lamps that point up were once the cause of many fires in student dorms. They were super cheap to buy, unfortunately they had a habit of igniting stray posters and other stuff dangling from the ceiling!

[soapbarstrat]

Ok thanks for the info. I though maybe I just happened to get ahold of some weird ones, or at least a weird bulb that got too hot. I actually like the fact that they get so hot. Could find many handy uses for these things. Most floor lamps can be taken apart and made much shorter, etc. Maybe even put one inside a metal tube as a "bending iron". I know, could be a recipe for disaster, but the price can't be beat.

[MikeP]

Yes, but they get VERY hot. I tested it to the extreme once... it split a two piece body.

Thanks Perry. I see them locally in 500W and 1000W flavours...

[rhoads56]

I think mine are 500w each, and there are four.