Drying time for paint before varnish

[TKNY]

How long should I let my paint dry before applying coats of varnish? I\'ve seen recommendations, on various sites, for 24-72 hours.

Lately I\'ve been spraying them the next day, but I have been known to go ahead after only an hour or 2.

If I don\'t wait long enough, will my paint start flaking in the future?

 

[Avelorn]

I think the recommendations you\'ve seen are for oils, and then you use a special varnish that lets the paint breath while it dries.

With acrylics the paint is dry very quickly, so this is no problem that I am aware of.

 

[airhead]

if you\'ve got a lot of latex (water based) paint on the mini, it is not a bad idea to let it set overnight and cure/dry. This lets the free moisture evaporate before being sealed into the vanish/lacquer (dulcoat, etc.) Moisture is a big cause of \"my varnish turned white\"

 

[ralfmetal]

from what i hace seen and read its about 24 hrs to allow all the paints (acrylics) to dry up fully.

 

[generulpoleaxe]

i give it about 5 minutes if i\'m going to dullcote it, and i haven\'t had a problem yet.

 

[Avelorn]

I\'m sorry, I wasn\'t correct in my previous statement.. with acrylics there are two different kinds of dryingtimes, one to the touch and to be fully dried. The one to be fully dried can take a long time. However it depends on the thickness of the paint and because we in general use very thin layers, again I can\'t really see that it\'s a big problem. But maybe it\'s best like Airhead suggested to leave it overnight to be sure. I guess weather and airhumidity can interfer with the process as well and pooling of paint in recesses.

This recommendation is taken from the W&N site but it concerns tube acrylics on canvas:

Thinly painted acrylic films may be vanished after 24 hours of drying time, but up to a week of drying time should be allowed for heavy or impasto layers before varnishing

 

[airhead]

Yea, I tend to forget that not everyone lives in 110% humidity.