two painting mistakes

You could have avoided this by priming with inexpensive Walmart gray or red primer, under a Krylon color of your liking. Primer is a must for good results.

Joe,

What was the weather like when you sprayed? Did you shake the can enough? I would suggest leaving the model in the sun to bake for a few days if that is possible this time of year. I must say I have never had this problem before. Why not spray a piece of scrap plastic and see what happens just as a test?

Tom

I'm painting in the basement 70* give or take. No sun here but I have a drying rack about 1' below a furnace grate so when the furnace comes on it blows warm air and the tackiness seems to be a little less than earlier. All the panels were warped so I have them weighted with 1 2 3 blocks and every once in a while I hit them with a harbor freight heat gun from a good distance. Given enough time I think they may straighten out. Failure to prime was a mistake and I realized it pretty quick so my post was an attempt to salvage these walls if possible. Rattle can of Rustoleum American Accents Ultra Cover Satin Nutmeg. It's possible I got heavy handed with the coats. I just dusted a 6x6 piece and I'll see what happens. My spray booth vents out a window so I guess I could have turned the fan off too early and cold air came in. I usually shake the can for a minute or so after the ball rattles. Maybe I didn't shake it enough.

I was hoping for some trick like put it in the dishwasher with head and shoulders shampoo and it would wash off. When I use the heat gun I'm still getting that "paint smell" so I don't think it's cured yet. It's been around 24 hours now.

thanks Tom

Joe,

Sometimes there is a chemical release agent for the molds on the wall sections. I know that this is the case with some of the Korber models. I do not know if Amei-itownes are made the same way.

You can wash the walls ahead of time.

In this case, I would use paint thinner and wipe as much paint off as possible, and prime as Bruce suggested.

Spray paint is not as good as it used to be. Sometimes, I try to touch up something I sprayed  before and the new spray eats into the old paint and causes a crackle finish. I never had this with the old Krylon Paints. Today, I use mostly Rustoleum Painters Touch.

Alan Graziano

I don't think all is lost yet. Rustoleum takes forever to dry, because it's an enamel, it doesn't dry with heat, it dries with oxidation. Heat helps speed up the process a little, but not all that much. It will probably dry after a week or so.

If, for some reason it doesn't dry, you will be left with using a solvent based product to remove it. The plastic may survive it, it may not. I'd start with something like mineral spirits or alcohol before going nuclear with something like acetone or laquer thinner.

Whatever you do don't try and go over it with any other paint except more Rustoleum or craft paints. Rustoleum seems to react poorly with other paints such as Krylon, as an example.

Alan

I did a 3 light coat test piece no primer and all is well with it. I think I may have causing my own problem by being hung up on one wall. First I think I was a little heavy with the coats because I was in a hurry. Trying to use a heat gun for a few seconds every 30 minutes or so to straighten the wall may have been softening the paint. I never checked the other 3 walls and they seem to be fine although they also took a long time to harden. I'm going to quit playing with the wall in question and see if it dries. I'll go some other route to straighten it. Don't recall seeing Painters Touch but obviously I'm more into cap colors than reading labels. Does Painters Touch come in spray cans so I know what to look for?

thanks

I've been painting plastic models for years, and would NOT recommend using any type of harsh chemicals like acetone or lacquer thinner to remove paint!!!!!  The plastic will melt like a snowball in August.  You'll be left with a puddle of goo.  Rustoleum takes a long time to dry, and a week is about right.  Give it some time, and don't try to over coat it with any other type of paint other than other Rustoleum colors, or water based kinds.  In the future, test the paint on a small inconspicuous portion of the plastic, like a spot on the inside.  There are few paints avaialble any more for models, so beware.  I used Floquil colors for years, but they're not being made any more.  The modern acrylics are OK as are the Testor's Model Master lines. 

Read the labels carefully.  If the paint contains any sort of acetones. ketones or lacquer thinners DON'T use it on plastic!  Even Scale Coat will harm plastic if you use Scale Coat I.  Scale Coat II is formulated for plastics.

With any kind of rattle can paints, try to develop a soft touch, using as little paint as possible in thin coats.  Let the coat dry to the touch before attempting more coats.  I's like the old joke:  "How do you get to Carnegie Hall?"  "Practice, practice, practice!".

I second everything here, including just setting it aside for two weeks and waiting and hoping it hardens.  

for the record, I have learned to always prime first (Rustoleum gray primer) and then, as poniaj says, to do light coats.