72moonglum Posted January 4, 2015 Share Posted January 4, 2015 So all, I just finished something this morning, the combination of middle age and wanting to get things done before people start waking up and make me do other random fun things (like take down the Christmas decorations) and I want to seal it. I normally wait for a day for whatever reason, but I'd like to get this figure finished and move on. Is there a recommended minimum drying time for paint before you throw varnish on it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heisler Posted January 4, 2015 Share Posted January 4, 2015 Depends a lot on your climate. All the paint has to be dry or you risk frosting the miniature. In my dry high altitude climate most acrylics are going to be completely dry within 30 minutes, inks sometimes take a little longer. Many painters wait 24 hours to be sure everything is completely set. It also depends on if you have used any other types of paints on your miniature like enamels or oils. Those can take much longer to set which is why the 24 hour mark is a good rule of thumb. Again, I have sealed within 30 minutes of finishing a mini without a problem, your mileage may vary. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ub3r_n3rd Posted January 4, 2015 Share Posted January 4, 2015 Yeah I live in very dry climate as well. Usually 15-20 mins and my stuff is ready to spray seal. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robinh Posted January 4, 2015 Share Posted January 4, 2015 i have actually sealed mine as soon as the paint feels dry,, sometimes in under 30 minutes,, I do not live in a climate that is dry (east coast canada cannot be called that) and have no issues with frosting. Mind you I only have Reaper's paints so no enamels or oils are ever used. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
72moonglum Posted January 4, 2015 Author Share Posted January 4, 2015 (edited) I live in Nebraska, and it is about nine degrees right now outside. I'm an advocate of the 24 hour wait typically , but I just want to get this coated so I can finish up the base and move on. I've only used Reaper acrylics on the figure. And I finished it around 11.oo or so and now it's one. Edited January 4, 2015 by 72moonglum Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robinh Posted January 4, 2015 Share Posted January 4, 2015 If using Reaper sealer I would say you are fine to go. If you had a test piece to try it on that would be even better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pingo Posted January 4, 2015 Share Posted January 4, 2015 Best practice is to wait 24 hours, since it takes that long for most of the water to migrate out of even a very thin film of acrylic paint. However, clearly one can fudge that some. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
72moonglum Posted January 4, 2015 Author Share Posted January 4, 2015 (edited) Oh, accursed science and wisdom! I'm going to try to wait... So hard... Edited January 5, 2015 by 72moonglum Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egg of Coot Posted January 4, 2015 Share Posted January 4, 2015 Where I live on the north shore of Lake Superior I can usually seal within 30 minutes during the dry winter weather. Summers have gotten to be damnedly humid over the past few years so I generally wait 12-24 hours just to make sure I avoid disasters. Stupid global warming . . . The Egg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
72moonglum Posted January 5, 2015 Author Share Posted January 5, 2015 (edited) So I eventually gave up and sealed him around 4.30 if I recall correctly. Seemed to work okay. Small problems with dried pieces of sealant in a few spots and I dropped the figure once and had to touch him up, but other than that, I didn't really encounter any major issues. Edited January 5, 2015 by 72moonglum 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MonkeySloth Posted January 5, 2015 Share Posted January 5, 2015 Ya, with Nebraska's humidity I'd wait 24 hours. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
72moonglum Posted January 5, 2015 Author Share Posted January 5, 2015 Too late! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kangaroorex Posted January 6, 2015 Share Posted January 6, 2015 Ya, with Nebraska's humidity I'd wait 24 hours. wait, this is indoors in Nebraska, in the winter... What humidity? When you raise air from -20 to +25 C there is no moisture left! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doug Sundseth Posted January 6, 2015 Share Posted January 6, 2015 Ya, with Nebraska's humidity I'd wait 24 hours. wait, this is indoors in Nebraska, in the winter... What humidity? When you raise air from -20 to +25 C there is no moisture left! Yup. Dew point is a much better measure of indoor humidity than outdoor relative humidity. (Assuming that your indoor temp is relatively constant, of course.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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