Humidity ..

[Focalized]

 

It's going to be like 65% + for a week in New Jersey. Tunderstorms and all. I've got 6 boxes to clear coat. I'll never get these done. I coated a couple with about 60% humidity. Came out a little matte. Ok though. How do you get around the humidity? I can't paint in the garage it''ll stink up the house. And it just as humid in there anyways. 

[Cardboard Tube Samurai]

Harden up a little. It's almost ALWAYS over 65% humidity here where I live (currently a pleasant 61%, mid-winter though) and I manage to get good coats on enclosures.

[MarcoMike]

You're not alone!
check the weather here in Italy:

http://www.arpa.emr.it/sim/?mappe_numeriche/dati&mo

I'm quite scared by that 97% expected for tonite....

regarding boxes... I never check the humidity when painting... I guess the main variable is my hand...

[hday]

Yeah, the high humidity here in the midwest can ruin a fresh coat of paint. But with the high humidity and all the rain we've been having, it keeps my guitars at a great humidity level and sounding great.

Sometimes, if it's raining, I'll open up the garage door and paint in the garage. If you put a fan behind you, and always spray towards the outside, it keeps the smell down.

[Derringer]

de-humidifier in the room?

[DougH]

Ah boo-hoo... Come live Florida for a summer, dude.

I never had a problem painting in humidity. I usually don't if it's raining because it doesn't seem like a good idea, although I've got a big overhang on my patio to keep the work dry, but I suspect it would still work anyway.

In my case, the ultimate solution was to quit painting and start powdercoating. But in all honesty I haven't had much problem with humidity when painting.

[DougH]

Yeah, the high humidity here in the midwest can ruin a fresh coat of paint. But with the high humidity and all the rain we've been having, it keeps my guitars at a great humidity level and sounding great.

My guitars and amps live in high humidity through the summer in Florida. We have a mother-in-law apartment in our back yard where I keep everything, and I don't run the A/C out there all the time, only when I'm out there. Only thing I've noticed is guitar strings go sharp when the neck/body flexes due to temp changes and etc. Never had a problem with it or thought about it that much, in all honesty.

[R.G.]

Even modest heating runs humidity through the floor. That's one good thing about low cost toaster ovens from Goodwill.

[petemoore]

  Reading reading, I knew someone would say 'heat Vs humidity'...

[John Lyons]

Build a low heat kiln.
Buy a toaster (As RG mentioned) oven for small projects.
For larger runs slap together a carboard/plywood/sheet metal box and put the toaster inside.
Set to 150 degrees or less and cure your boxes in ant weather.
A small computer fan inside also helps.

John

[earthtonesaudio]

Solar oven. 

[petemoore]

  Depends on the coating material, but humidity alters the dry time and ruins some finishes.
 

[drewl]

One place I worked for routinely worked on generators and meters that dealt with voltages up to 10k volts.
On excessively humid days, despite the climate controlled lab we could'nt work on that equipment due to humidity causing arcing!

[tranceracer]

It's very humid here in Hawaii too.  My good friend is an avid gun collector and he has these Dri-Rods in his gun safe to keep his weapons nice and dry.  I think a little drier can be made out of a wooden steel or cardboard box using one of these.

http://www.shop.libertysafesofvirginia.com/product.sc?productId=37&sourceCode=froogle

-bK

[jimbob]

Sorry  no humidity here in Arizona. Just the blistering hot summer sun to bake paint on pedals with. 

[DougH]

Build a low heat kiln.
Buy a toaster (As RG mentioned) oven for small projects.
For larger runs slap together a carboard/plywood/sheet metal box and put the toaster inside.
Set to 150 degrees or less and cure your boxes in ant weather.
A small computer fan inside also helps.

John

Hey, that's not a bad idea, John. My amp chassi won't fit in my toaster oven so I still spray paint those instead of powder coat.

[John Lyons]

Doug
I have an old mobile home heating unit, basically a big dual chambered metal box that I cut in half to make a drying oven for things that dry slow and don't work well in humid weather (woodwork finished in oil based varnish, effects boxes etc.)
The toaster oven may work well in it for 150 or so degrees but for powder coating you probably wont get the 400 degrees you need unless you make the box well insulated and just big enough for the chassis. Those small toasters max out around 400 don't they, and they are pretty small inside, not much air to heat.
I'd love to see some of the powder coated boxes you have done if you can get to it.

john

[Focalized]

I'm glad to read some info in there. I haven't tried an oven yet. I see how it hardens faster, but i still thought it was bad to paint at all with the moisture in the air.

I like using duplicolor paints. Some tries have come out hazy immediately after coating. And it dries very fast with that look. Would the oven heat get rid of that?

And with the clear, it'll look a bit like little bubbles that popped on the surface. I figure that was moisture escaping, or me over doing a coat. Sometimes it will just go hazy. I've had some great results that were  perfect hard as rock clear. Wish I could control that every time.