Baking paint...

[bellavite1]

I am trying to refinish a scratched up bayonet blade originally black.
I removed all the previous finish, and now I have painted it black with spray paint.
It is now dry to the touch, but I hear that baking it will make it much more resistant to scratches and such.
Before I risk my wife divorcing my ass, I want to make sure I get things right:
What temperature should I set the oven at?
For how long?
Most importantly, is it going to stink up the oven? [panic]

[MarkCO]

It really depends on what kind of paint. If it is an acrylic, or water based, baking will weaken it. If oil based, baking may harden it.

Cerakote or Alumajyde is what I'd go with.

[def90]

enamel or whatever..300 for an hour or so. I usually bake my stuff right after I spray it while its still wet though others say to wait until it air dries.

The idea is that you are rapidly expelling the propellants and solvents in the paint, the same thing will happen if you let it sit for a month or so, baking accelerates the process along with the fact that people can't resist touching a newly painted item for a month so yes they end up scratching the finish and so on before it is fully cured.

[TheNash]

Goodwill get a toaster oven, unless it’s over a foot long.

[FoxtArt]

Stink up... probably. (we are talking about the discerning nose of a women, after all)

Another option is to wire up an oven outlet to garage 240v and get a $50 stove off facebook marketplace.

[Great-Kazoo]

yes it will. toaster over . OR buy a can of alumahyde, paint and let air dry

[XJ]

For alumahyde, I took a few pieces of Home Despot metal rigid duct and a milk heater to make a forced hot-ish air system.

Tee on the ground, with the run vertical, and the heater facing into the branch with some foil to make up the gap. Moderate length straight piece extending up from the tee.

Metal parts hung on wire down pretty low, plastic parts hung from wire higher up.

Ran it out in the garage for “long enough” then recoat & repeat. Seemed to turn out better than air-drying alumahyde for weeks.

[MarkCO]

^I'll have to try that with Alumahyde.

[mb504]

Put it out in the back yard in a make shift solar oven?

[Oscar77]

For alumahyde, I took a few pieces of Home Despot metal rigid duct and a milk heater to make a forced hot-ish air system.

Tee on the ground, with the run vertical, and the heater facing into the branch with some foil to make up the gap. Moderate length straight piece extending up from the tee.

Metal parts hung on wire down pretty low, plastic parts hung from wire higher up.

Ran it out in the garage for “long enough” then recoat & repeat. Seemed to turn out better than air-drying alumahyde for weeks.

This or I used "BoB."

I sent my projects on a window sill that gets alot of sun, close the blinds to get it heated up................patience and done.