Humbrol paint won`t dry!!!!

[Clarence3815]

Yesterday afternoon I used some Humbrol maroon and mid - green paint (14ml tins) that I probably bought last century. The green is a lot further towards drying than the maroon but still not dried. I gave both a really good stir to start with. The maroon has been in the airing cupboard since 9.45 this morning with no clear progress.

Any ideas as to how I can rescue the situation please?

Bernard

 

[Heather Kay]

Patience. I find it’s the only way. For some Humbrol enamels it can take a good couple of days - even a week - to harden properly.

As to which colours, it’s impossible to tell. The quality has been so variable over the past few years.

 

[LarryG]

Heather is correct, Humbrol has been variable for some years. I went over the Precision /Phoenix.

You could put the item you have painted on a piece of card on a hot radiator, but if the Humbrol was lacking in driers, then you could have a big problem. I dont know the history, although I think Hornby rescued the company and sent manufacture to China. Thereafter I came across some right horrors with tins of almost pure thinners to tins of putty! Manufacture may have returned to the UK, but there are stocks of China-Humbrol all over retailers shelves. Making a purchase is a gamble until you find a safe supply of the colours you need.

 

[Eastsidepilot]

Bernard,
If as you say it's paint you bought last century it will be pre-Chinese rubbish so proper enamel. I have found that certain gloss colours can take days to dry especially greens and reds so be patient with it mate.

Col.

 

[Clarence3815]

Still in the airing cupboard and I think there is some progress.

Bernard

 

[Osgood]

Patience. I find it’s the only way. For some Humbrol enamels it can take a good couple of days - even a week - to harden properly.
........

I once painted a Bedford 4x4 truck chassis gloss black (ICI synthetic transport enamel) over the red oxide primer, it looked the dog's ... when I'd finished

Went in the next morning to find it still wet and now looking like a giraffe - the black had separated out into huge giraffe-like crazy blobs maybe 5" across revealing the red oxide in between.
I just walked away and got stuck into something else while I pondered both why, and how on earth I was going to resolve it.

By day 4 it was still just as wet and looking no different.
Maybe 7 days later the following week I went in and over the weekend the blobs had miraculously all merged in to a solid black covering that was absolutely rock hard - wow!

I eventually worked out that I'd used gunwash (celulose thinners) to mix the paint by mistake

 

[Allen M]

I painted a loco back in the summer with original English (Humberside) Humbrol. It took about 5 days to feel dry.
Regards
Allen Morgan

 

[warren haywood]

I’ve found the new uk stuff (look for the little flag) dries very quickly (2 or3 hours max) it’s also much denser than the Chinese crap from about 10 years ago. The only down side is that for my use it only lasts about 2 weeks once opened then it turns to something similar to jelly.
I’m talking about gloss enamels here, the only exception I’d found being no 20 Crimson which takes a good 24-36 hours to dry.

 

[Clarence3815]

Touch dry this morning!

Bernard

 

[Neil]

The only problem I've had with Humbrol not drying was when I painted a 3D print from Shapeways. I've found that they require a heavy coat of primer (Halfords) before enamels will dry.

 

[Spitfire2865]

The only problem I've had with Humbrol not drying was when I painted a 3D print from Shapeways. I've found that they require a heavy coat of primer (Halfords) before enamels will dry.

I assume you mean one of the frosted detail resins? Its a known issue that Shapeways has refused to deal with for years. The material when raw is rather picky about ambient conditions and if not properly handled, used, and cured can lead to its solvents not curing or being removed properly.
This results in solvent paints not being particularly fond of the material, though there are ways around it, as you found. There are other issues with the material but thats a different matter.