Finish Bake Or Air Dry?

[Derek Arita]

I'm getting into stripping and refinishing planes and was wondering if it's best to bake or not bake the body after painting? I've done some research and have read that if anything, baking simply speeds up the drying process of enamels, so baking is really unnecessary if you allow proper drying time. Which is the popular process and why? Thanks for the help.

[Winton Applegate]

Derek,

baking simply speeds up the drying process of enamels, so baking is really unnecessary if you allow proper drying time.
Yes that's right.
Were you thinking that baking the paint ultimately made it tougher than if it air dried for a year or two ?
Enamel baked or not won't fully be cured for ultimate durability for months or a year.
The baking gets the solvent out and hardens the outer surface of the paint so just handling it doesn't ding it up.
I recommend it. Just a wood box with some foil to reflect heat and a heat lamp with a rheostat to turn it down some.
I suppose you could use the oven but sure is going to stink up the house.

[Tom McMahon]

Derek, I believe if you are using enamel there is no big advantage to baking, however if you use real asphaltum which is what was used originally, baking makes a tougher more durable finish. The asphaltum not only dries it melts and solidifies as it cools. Real asphaltum is available in several forms from Graphic Chemical and Ink in Ill.

[Jim Koepke]

Depends on whether the wife is out of town or not.

Air drying with most enamels takes a few days to get hard enough to not get marred by reassembly.

jtk

[Greg Wease]

One source of asphaltum is Liberty on the Hudson (Pontypool). Their instructions specifically say "do not stove" but they don't say why. I assume this means not to bake the finish. I have seen baked Pontypool come out extremely wrinkled. Perhaps this causes rapid drying of the outside skin so the carrier underneath can't flash off properly?

Personally, I'm happy with air-dried enamel paint.

[Tom McMahon]

I believe Pontypool is an asphaltum based paint not straight asphaltum, it most likely contains oil and some kind of dryer. Liquid asphaltum is just asphaltum dissolved in thinner. I have cooked it many times with no problem, however I have also used engine enamel, much easier and hard to tell the difference. Asphaltum is also used as a colorant in some oil based stains.