Painting in cold weather

[mikedwelle94[TK]]

I recently finished assembling my styrene CAP helmet, and I'm ready for my first coat of primer. The forecast high temperatures for this and next week are mostly in the high teens to mid twenties. It will be 40 degrees F (4.4 C) on Monday Jan 6.

Living in Maine, which is infamous for its terribly long and cold winter season, I'd really rather not wait 'till April, which is when it starts to warm up.

Any suggestions on what I could do to get in a good paint job at these low temperatures? Or would it be worth waiting a few months? If I get my painting done soon, I may be able to submit my 501st application sometime before mid-February.

 

I was thinking about filling up a container of heated water and dropping the spray can in to warm up.  I could probably run outside, paint the helmet quickly, and bring it inside to dry. 

[Tolo[TK]]

You don't have an area to paint it inside?

 

 

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[Tolo[TK]]

Oh and it's -17f in montreal lol

 

 

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[mikedwelle94[TK]]

You don't have an area to paint it inside?

 

 

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Well, I would paint in the garage (that's where I painted my EFX during the summer), but it's nearly as cold in there as it is outside. You could say the garage is a little TOO well ventilated.    I'm still dependent on my parents (age 19), and they've made it pretty clear they don't want spray painting going on in the house! 

[pandatrooper[TK]]

Make sure your lid is sanded and washed with detergent.

 

Warm up the can of paint by immersing it in warm (not hot) water for several minutes. Warm up the lid with a hair dryer and paint it with a light coat quickly outside.

 

Let it tack up and dry. Then repeat the process. Be careful not to get dust or lint on the helmet between coats.

[mikedwelle94[TK]]

Thanks, brother! I'll give this a try on Monday! 

[gazmosis[501st]]

Let us know how this works.

[SuperTrooper]

It'll work, I've painted in freezing weather before.  You just have to use super light coats and give it extra time in between coats.  Also if you don't prep correctly the cold will minimize interactions as well.

[mikedwelle94[TK]]

Let us know how this works.

I'll be posting the outcome right here, as well as on my Magma build thread (under Other 501st Costumes) when time permits. I read somewhere that styrene takes paint better than ABS, so I'm hoping that makes it easier to get good results. 

[pattrooper]

I would work on something else until it warms up if you can't do it inside.

[gazmosis[501st]]

Insert Jeopardy music here

[TK bondservnt[501st]]

take a large box and put a pvc pipe stand inside with duct tape on a ball of newspaper on top

 

cut the box so it can lay flat cut some holes in the sides of the box... 2 holes per side 8 holes

 

have some tape handy

 

bring the box and lid inside to keep it warm at room temp.

 

let the can be room temp.

 

 

paint the primer on the lid in the garage on the stand inside the box.

 

when you have completed the painting fold the box up and lightly tape it closed to keep the helmet insulated.

throw a  plastic bag over the top carefull to not be dusty.

 

then insulate the box with a sleeping bag over the top.  don't cover completely.

 

after about an hour bring the box inside to let the primer cure at 70d  you only need the box.

 

keep it in a bathroom as that's usually the room that has a smaller airspace.

 

when the primer cures, then you can do this over time to keep the helmet in the paintbox and transfer it from garage to bathroom as you paint.

make sure that you don't touch the helmet for at least 4 days after painting the final coats.

[mikedwelle94[TK]]

 

 

I decided to paint it today. Also decided to go against advice of leaving it alone for a few days!

 

 

 

 

 

Behold...the CAP Magma Trooper helmet!

 

 

 

 

 

Helmet front

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Helmet right

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Helmet left

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Helmet back

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Comparison of helmet to armor

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I really like how it turned out. It's better than the paint job I did on my EFX, but back then, I had no idea how to prep the surface. For this helmet, I used 220 grit sandpaper to rough up the surface, then I did a thorough wash with warm water and dish soap. Making sure your plastic is ready for paint really makes a big difference.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thank you to all for your input.