Tried a $40 infrared thermometer on paint curing temps and it changed my drying time game

I've been fighting with paint drying times in my shop here in Phoenix for months, especially during monsoon season when the humidity spikes. Last week I picked up one of those cheap infrared temp guns from Harbor Freight, just to check panel temps before I start spraying. Turns out my metal panels in the sun were hitting 140 degrees while my air temp gauge said 95. I started preheating my panels to 120 before clearcoat and my flash times dropped by almost half with zero fisheyes or solvent pop. The gun is super simple, just point and shoot, no calibration nonsense. Has anyone else messed with substrate temps for curing or am I just late to this party?

2 comments

2 Comments

kelly33822d ago

My buddy used one to check his oven calibration and found it was off by 50 degrees.

hart.taylor21d ago

That would explain a lot about some of my baking disasters over the years. My cookies have come out like hockey pucks more times than I care to admit. Maybe I should ask to borrow someone's thermometer before ruining another batch.