paint drying question

[Rosco P. Coltrane]

I apologize if this is in the FAQ or tutorials, but I could not find it.

I know that when you spray paint the body of a car (with lacquer), you have to wait at least one week for the paint to completely dry and cure. What about the smaller parts. How long do you have to wait after spraying them?

What about hand-painting. For example, if I use a brush and acrylic paint to paint the engine-block red, how long do I have to wait before I can start attaching other parts to the block??

Thanks in advance.

[winstona]

Depends on personal preference I guess and what you are planning to do with it.

I find the drying times on my models are way quicker than what is posted here. (I sprayed laquer clear over my car and it only takes 3 days to completely cure as opposed to one week) I guess when people post, they tend to be more conservative when they say things.

For Tamiya Acrylics (this is what I have mostly), I usually wait 2-3 days if I have to mask them with Tamiya masking tape. It usually is cured well enough for that.

But if you are just attaching parts to it, one day should be good enough.