# Infra Red Heaters



## mm289 (May 25, 2011)

Hi,

I am going to be doing a few local repairs, normal scratches/stone chips but also a few locals where i will spray and blend in.

As the weather has turned I was thinking about getting an infra red heater to help with drying, but just wondered if there is anything special about these?

Are these basically just traditional electric fires on stands, would a "halogen" electric heater work as well or is there something in the "infra red" that helps cure the paint

Cheers :thumb:

MM


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## Shug (Jul 13, 2007)

Infra red will head solid objects but not the air. Halogen will heat anything. Theres also a considerable price difference.


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## mm289 (May 25, 2011)

So does that mean you can still use the halogen, just it is more inefficient, or is there something about the IR heating the panel that improves the curing of the paint?

MM


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## Shug (Jul 13, 2007)

I imagine the infrared is more efficient, possibly less likely to burn the paint, or ignite the fumes. (ok that last one is unlikely!)


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## SteveyG (Apr 1, 2007)

Halogen heaters usually are infra-red heaters, and only offer the radiant heat from the lamp getting hot.


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## Andyb0127 (Jan 16, 2011)

above pic is the infa red lamps we use at work cost around £3,500 to buy obviously there are cheaper versions. This drys high build primer in around twenty minutes, but you needs it the right distance from the primer to close the primer will get to hot and burn, needs to be roughly around three feet away, you mite be better just air drying the primer/painting your going to do there's such a variation of clear laquers and hardeners you prob be better with an MS laquers as they air dry easier.


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## mm289 (May 25, 2011)

Thanks for the answers. I was planning to air dry but as its getting colder (even in the workshop) I thought this might be problematic.

So I could try and heat the workshop (massively inefficient) or look at direct heat. Then saw that Tesco's :doublesho had halogen heaters on special for £15 and just wondered if they would help to heat the panel for small local repairs.

TBH they are so cheap I should get one anyway to keep me warm in the 'shop, but just wondered if I could use them for paint as well 

MM


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## Andyb0127 (Jan 16, 2011)

I take it your goin to be using solvent basecoat and not waterbase then applying clear laquers, you do know you can get drying acceleraters for clear laquers as most ms is mixes at 2:1 10% instead of ten percent thinners you use ten percent accelerater which will speed up drying process.


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## mm289 (May 25, 2011)

Yeh,paint supplier was saying about this.

using Lechler paints mainly, Solid Basecoat and Acrifan 1K clearcoat, he was talking about an accelerator, saying it was really good.

Possibly a better way to go than heaters then?

MM


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## retroruss (Apr 24, 2010)

Andyb0127 said:


> I take it your goin to be using solvent basecoat and not waterbase then applying clear laquers, you do know you can get drying acceleraters for clear laquers as most ms is mixes at 2:1 10% instead of ten percent thinners you use ten percent accelerater which will speed up drying process.


my next question was going to be about heaters. maybe using an accelerater could be an option for me too :thumb:


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## moosh (May 8, 2011)

Can I suggest hiring a space heater? You'll be for ever trying to get the small tescos jobs to heat the place, you want the actual car to be warm aswell which will help dry the paint from the inside out as that is how infa red lights work, they heat the steel not the paint and the heated steel dries the paint off quickly.


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## Andyb0127 (Jan 16, 2011)

mm289 said:


> Yeh,paint supplier was saying about this.
> 
> using Lechler paints mainly, Solid Basecoat and Acrifan 1K clearcoat, he was talking about an accelerator, saying it was really good.
> 
> ...


lechler paints are really good my friend swears by it.

Only main problem you can get with drying acceleraters is a slight drop in gloss level but it will polish up to a gloss level. So id defiantly be asking your paint supplier more about it.


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