Painting in the cold - suggestions for heating my cans...

As the mercury reached the giddy heights of 14 or 15 degrees yesterday I managed to lay down some paint using pre-warmed rattle cans.
I warm the paint in 3 inches or so of hot water in a bucket. This works but there is always a risk of water dripping off of the cans onto fresh paint and also the water doesn't stay hot for very long (I paint in the shed).

Any suggestions for can heating? Or should I just be carefull and change the water between coats?

And what about airbrushing? Is there a sneaky way to warm small glass jars of paint or should I just be resigned to using rattle cans only for a few months?

Thanks

z

Do you have a spray booth with light? I made one using MDF about 600mm long x 400mm high x 400 deep.I've got a piece of perspex that comes about 1/3 the way down the front. I've got one down light in the middle of the top.When it's cold or wet, if I'm going to spray, I put the light on for about 1/2 hour before hand to get a bit of warmth into the booth, then go for it.Generally I only use rattle can Acrylic lacquer and have no probs with fogging or any other probs. Keeps the dust off em too while they dry. I don't spray in my booth though, no exhaust system.
As far as heating the cans I don't have to worry about it with acrylic but with enamels just do what you do but maybe use a towel to wipe it down before you use it , sorry mate got no other bright ideas.

What about a hair dryer on the can?

What about one of those oil filled column heaters? Put a thin bit of board on the top and sit the can there for half hour or so, They don't get too hot and the board will diffuse the heat a little anyway. Could also put your body on the wood as well to pre warm and then to dry

Tubman wrote:maybe use a towel to wipe it down before you use it

If your water is going cold between coats then you are taking waaaaay too long to paint IMHO.

I keep a dry rag at my spray station all the time. Are you putting the bucket on the floor or on the bench. Bench is better.

I hold the Air brush by the jar to warm it up, It's only a small amount of paint and warms quickly. If it is real cold (single figures) I hang the Air brush on the side of a 1kg Yoghurt tub full of hot water to keep the jar/paint warm, which brings the Towell/rag into play again.

Mind you if it is real cold, I usually have this

going for about an hour before hand, to bring the shed up to a sensible temp, and keep me and the paint warm.