DIYbanter - View Single Post - Problems using regular enamel paint in microwave oven?

GregS

In article , (GregS) wrote:
In article , Sam Goldwasser
wrote:
Has anyone seen problems using common hardware store gloss enamel to
touch up a microwave oven interior?

Someone emailed me all in a huff that they followed this advise and it now
smells "funky" and smokes. They said the paint color was white and they
waited 24 hours before use. This was apparently under the turntable.

The smell could make sense if there was some residual solvent present and
should go away after awhile, but the "smokes" part is strange unless they
didn't bother to clean and sand beforehand and there was trapped debris.

Some black paints are electrically conductive, but even that should be no
problem unless
it was across an insulator like glass. Probably just the residuals from a
little heat and moisture
from normal cooking. The oven should have been baked. Did I say that right? At
least
a hot air gun or hair dryer shold ahve been used to treat the paint first.

Come to think of it, materials can be lossy at microwave frequency, so
even if it were not dc conductive, a material could heat up if were suspended
across an insulator.

My black electrically conductive seal on the old Heathkit microwave,
use to kind of melt.

greg