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Vht231d minimum spraying temperature to cure

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Honda enthusiast:
Hi folks

The temperature in the workshop is ten degrees and I can probably get it up to 15 with a heater, would that be ok for the vht 231d to air dry if applied in thin coats? I do have two 1 KW bodyshop infrared lamps , was thinking of using them to cure it as opposed to doing it in the oven....any ideas?

Nurse Julie:
15° to air cure is fine. Never cured under lamps as we always cure in an oven, so can't comment on that. But, the heat needs to be all around the part to oven cure it evenly.

Martin6:
When I first got my 750, the main case paint had been damaged by carb leaks and the previous owner had repainted with VHT, which would wipe off with any petrol on a rag.

When I worked on the engine, I wanted to repaint it. Although it was out of the frame, I only had the head and cylinder block off, so I couldn't put it in an oven!

I took it back to bare metal with brass brushes in a Dremel. Lightly scuffed it with 800 grit paper, to giive a better key. Then did a light coat of etch primer and left it a day to dry, light coat of VHT silver, left it to dry, then warmed up the case with an electric paint stripper on low, let it cool. This step took about an hour going over the case in sections. No idea if it achieved anything other than making me feel good! Then finally, I sprayed a light coat of engine clear lacquer. Let it harden for a couple of weeks, before it went back into the frame.

All was from aerosols. All in November/December, with a fan heater in the garage. Each time i made sure the engine case was at room temp (not hot), by gently heating with my paint stripper and the paint was kept in the house between uses.

It was a labour of love, for sure. Not quick. But, 1,000 miles in, so far it is standing up very well to riding and cleaning, much better than just the VHT. The odd stone chip off the front tyre. A lot of cleaning, due to winter muck. Still looks fresh. However, I did have an episode where petrol leaked from the carbs. A small area was damaged. Only the lacquer was affected and I cleaned it off, masked everywhere off and misted the affected area. Good as new.

Honda enthusiast:
Thanks Julie and Martin, I'm glad you say it's doable 😁 it would be a shame to have to wait till July/ August....I've just bought a 3kw fan heater from Amazon and along with my 2kw space heater should have a good enough temperature.
Thanks both 😎👍

SumpMagnet:
I would also make sure the paint cans are not cold. I was advised once to stick the cans in warm water to heat them, but I didn;t fancy putting a pressurised can into anything hot...so I just bring them in the house the day before I want to use them to warm them up. As well as the curing process, aerosols don't like cold or damp conditions, and the paint may not atomise properly leading to spattery paint.

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