Paint cure time before decals

Do folks generally allow a period of time for paint to fully cure before putting decals on (either waterslide or vinyl)? When I've applied waterslide decals a day or so after drying, I have seen decals lift in some areas and had to go back over with Microset again to get the air out. I'm guessing that the paint was still off-gassing. Paint is usually dry to the touch and can be handled in a day or so, but how much time should be allowed to elapse before decaling?

I usually wait until the paint smell is completely gone. Took over a week for one rocket I painted recently.

I wouldn't trust my nose for that sort of thing, my nasal sensitivity is largely non existent. Which can be advantageous, except when it isn't...

I usually let enamel cure for a minimum of 4-days before any other work on the rocket.

chrisudy said:

I usually wait until the paint smell is completely gone. Took over a week for one rocket I painted recently.

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Ditto:
There is no set cure time for rattle-can or Automotive sprayed paint out-gassing. I've had some "older" paint take as long as a month to finish curing. By Far the safest way to tell is the "Sniff Test". with you nose on the model if you can smell paint It's NOT cured.

With a 2-part epoxy paint the cure times are a lot more predictable for downstream processing (polish, decals, clear coat) and the solvents are gone very quickly. True lacquers also go pretty quick. With enamels the solvents are less volatile and take a long, sometimes indefinite, time to clear. it's the nose check and multi-day drying times...a big reason I almost never use 'em anymore.

Micromeister said:

Ditto:
There is no set cure time for rattle-can or Automotive sprayed paint out-gassing. I've had some "older" paint take as long as a month to finish curing. By Far the safest way to tell is the "Sniff Test". with you nose on the model if you can smell paint It's NOT cured.

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I've sometimes accelerated that by using my car as a curing oven. Once the paint is dry to the touch, or a tiny bit tacky, I put it in my car to bake in the sun while I'm at work.

A problem with the "if you can smell it, it's not dry enough" method is that some of us have super sensitive noses. If I take some of my 4-5 year old first rockets as a BAR, painted with enamel at the time, and stick them next to my nose, I can still smell the paint.

Figuring out what the cutoff threshold should be for "how much smell" is the challenge for folks like me.

I switched to water-based acrylics. No problems.

Marc_G said:

Figuring out what the cutoff threshold should be for "how much smell" is the challenge for folks like me.

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I've got the opposite issue - I can't smell something unless its pretty strong, so I'd have to get someone else to smell it. Here, smell my rocket for me...

Well; either way the Sniff test is the only real way to know if our paint is fully cured and ready for second colors or hand painted details.

That said: Applying decals does NOT require completely cured paint. The only exception to this would be a complete body wrap type decal. Not just a roll pattern but the entire model surface. Such large area covering would demand completely cured paint.
For simple or standard size Decal application allowing overnight drying is sufficent to prevent outgas "silvering" even in the most humid conditions. After decal application I'd allow another day before applying Pledge w/ future or UV resistant Clear if you must "clear coat".

Edit: In this Instant Gratification world; it's very hard to practice patients. But patients is one of the things that has to be learned. In Finish Work "Haste Always Makes Waste!" which is particularly true when it comes to any type of surface preparation, be it primer, paint, stain, decal, detail painting, protective coatings, polishing etc. Finishing always takes Way longer to complete then building anything from Model Rocket to Skyscraper or everything in between

chrisudy said:

I usually wait until the paint smell is completely gone. Took over a week for one rocket I painted recently.

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Agreed. I have learned that if time is taken to let paints cure completely, it goes a long way to avoiding finishing headaches down the road. Ever get those sanding tripe/boogers clogged into your sanding paper? Waiting until the paint or primer is cured before sanding helps to alleviate much of that mess. Wait till the paint is cured before adding the "finishing touches" to the surface.

DRAGON64 said:

Agreed. I have learned that if time is taken to let paints cure completely, it goes a long way to avoiding finishing headaches down the road. Ever get those sanding tripe/boogers clogged into your sanding paper? Waiting until the paint or primer is cured before sanding helps to alleviate much of that mess. Wait till the paint is cured before adding the "finishing touches" to the surface.

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I always wondered why I was getting the sanding boogie woogie booger buildup every time I sanded. I have to clean them off the sandpaper quite often. Now I know to be patient and let it completely cure.
I need to start building a few rockets at a time in different build phases so that I'm always working on something. Nothing like having free time for a weekend and having to wait days for paint to dry before going to the next step.