Painting in Winter?

[Murray1134[501st]]

I'm getting close to the painting stage of my MRCE rebuild, sadly the days of clear warm sun are behind us for now, and I really want to have this helmet done for an event in February. I'm looking for helpful tips and tricks for painting in the winter. Winters here tend to be windy, wet and cold, not good weather for painting.

 

Oh, and to make it worse, I don't even have a garage to use

[tatooine]

Hmm, no garage? Use a friends garage! That is if they don't mind white overspray all over their floor (you should see mine!) And a heater if the garage is a bit chilly...

[Peregrinus]

Not even a basement? Do you have a public storage facility nearby that would let you rent a 10'x10' locker on a daily pro-rate?

 

As for garage issues, I've figured out over the past year (since last Winter) how to hang painting dropsheets (couple bucks at most) from the garage door tracks to make a three-sided full-height painting booth, with another draped over whatever stand I was using to hold up whatever I was painting. Overspray is almost non-existant. Of course, I also have a heater and dehumidifier in there, and good lighting. It's a very comfortable work environment for the sorts of things that get stuff everywhere, like filing, sanding, spraying, and the like.

 

Of course, when I'm working, it eliminates the use of one of the bays by my parents for things like... oh... a car.

 

--Jonah

[TK-8224[501st]]

I do the painting outside and then I bring the stuff inside to dry. It smells a bit, but it works.

[TK-1287]

I do the painting outside and then I bring the stuff inside to dry. It smells a bit, but it works.

That's pretty much what I do.

[cr4nky]

I do the painting outside and then I bring the stuff inside to dry. It smells a bit, but it works.

 

Same here. But I´m using an airbrush now, and that is doable in the livingroom to some extent:-)

[Skiffy]

You're really gonna need an interior space if you want any control over where the paint is going, as you hinted before. Wherever you do it, if you're using rattle cans you'll get a fine dust of dry paint particles settling on everything, so be aware that you'll need to clean up after! Do you have any friends/relatives with a garage or room they aren't using at present??

 

If you really hve to do it outside, set up a big cardboard box on it's side and put your helmet in that - to make a temporary spray-booth. This will deflect the wind and give you more control.

[Billhag]

You're really gonna need an interior space if you want any control over where the paint is going, as you hinted before. Wherever you do it, if you're using rattle cans you'll get a fine dust of dry paint particles settling on everything, so be aware that you'll need to clean up after! Do you have any friends/relatives with a garage or room they aren't using at present??

 

If you really hve to do it outside, set up a big cardboard box on it's side and put your helmet in that - to make a temporary spray-booth. This will deflect the wind and give you more control.

 

 

Yerrp, BIG cardboard box makes a brilliant temp spray booth that's exactly what I do.

Also I'm lucky I have a loft that's boarded out and as lights fitted, so if I have to do any

while its lashing down I just break out all the dust sheet and tape up big polythene

sheets as a back drop.

Always remember to keep inside areas well ventilated otherwise you'll feel like Jimmy

Hendrix after a good night out with the boys

[riveting]

Wishing you lots of Good luck

 

I had lots of prob's using spray paints on lid's outside & that was just with inclement day's during summer

 

mind You I do live in the UK

[Murray1134[501st]]

Thanks for the advice. I have no garage, basement, anything like that to use. I do have a storage shed in my backyard, though. I'm thinking if I paint it on a reasonably good day outside and then put it out there to dry away from wind, etc. That should work the best.

[ThayNerd[TK]]

I do the painting outside and then I bring the stuff inside to dry. It smells a bit, but it works.

 

I do the same as well.

[Peregrinus]

Just make sure of the temperature and humidity. A lot of spray paints don't like cold temperatures or high humidity, and you might end up having to sand and do over. If there's any way you could hang some plastic sheeting in the storage shed and bring in a space heater...

 

--Jonah

[TK6237[501st]]

Got the same problem. I did the inside of my helmet last winter, outside, in about zero degrees centigrades (about 32F), using a brand of rattle can spray paint called "Quick Spray". The result was quite interesting...The surface got kind of a matt, frosted look to it, with lots of tiny, tiny bumps. Which was actually kinda cool for the insides of the helmet. It looked a bit like technical paint, the type one would use to stop corrosion on metal surfaces, so I think I´m gonna try it again on one of my Hasbro blasters. But certainly not a good idea for the surface of a TK helmet!

[Peregrinus]

Yup. It's called "orangepeel", for it's resemblance to same.

 

--Jonah