What to use as a clear coat ?

[turbokev]

Well, back from Lowes and WalMart.. No future, but they did have that Pledge stuff lol..
I had that in hand as it seemed the same as Future to me (now I know) but when I got over
to the spraypaint area they had the Krylon acrylic crystal clear gloss stuff so I got that..

I'll get the Pledge stuff next time I'm in there.. that way I can compare my own results.

Pictures of success or disaster later tonight~!

[Ember]

So many different formulation of clear coat. It really doesn't make life easy.

My limited experience of Future suggests that the surface isn't hard enough to protect the paint and decals underneath, but I've no idea of how many coats the car had. Still using Tamiya TS13 on everything here. Haven't had the courage to change.

[Audi1]

I've recently picked up a can of Krylon Crystal Clear; haven't tried it yet. I was looking for something that won't cause decals to wrinkle. When putting clear over paint, I just use Tamiya gloss lacquer over any Tamiya lacquer paint and it seems to work just fine (light coats, then wet coats).

Allan

[turbokev]

The Krylon worked and didn't damage decals..

Didn't dry 'in 10 minutes' like the can says.. still felt a little tacky an hour later but I could handle it.

It's not 'glass smooth' either.. didn't seem to self level very well. Looks good, don't get me wrong,
but it's not perfect.

[Audi1]

[turbokev]

I printed my own decals Allan.. Nothing fancy, just ink jet printer on Testors paper with 1 coat of
Testors decal bonder spray once the ink was dry.

I only did one coat of the clear gloss as well.. not a mist, and not super heavy, just one medium coat.

[Fumey]

I used Krylon Crystal Clear on my Porsche for the IROC proxy. It's still tacky. Think I read somewhere that there may have been a formula change? Just sayin...

[Ember]

[oldtymer]

I have used Pledge and didnt care for it . I used Holloway Quick Shine for floors from Home Depot ..This 57 I just did has 3 brush coats on it and I wet sanded it before putting on decals . My last build is about a year old with many oval laps on it and still looks good ..Just throwin' in my opinion.

[Audi1]

[Ember]

A mist coat is lighter than a light one. The spray should be almost dry as it lands on the surface. After a mist coat the surface will look semi matte and not smooth. I tend to wait about half an hour between mists. I also like to allow the mist coats to cure overnight before going to the next level of a few light coats and then a last wet coat. If you plan to cut and polish the surface with the Tamiya cutting compounds you will need to build up a thicker surface than this.

It does take time, but it's worth the effort. Tamiya clears are among the hardest non-automotive clear coats that I have found. I've had cars return from round the world proxies with no marks on the paint but very little chrome left on bumpers.

The only trouble is that the stuff in the spray cans is quite "hot" with solvent so special handling is required.

I have had instances where I got too eager and the clear made the colour coats beneath run. Strip and restart is always fun.

[Audi1]

Thanks Ember.

A couple more questions:

1. How far do you hold the can (or airbrush) from the car when you apply a mist coat?

2. How long is each pass? Is it on the order of a second or less?

3. Do you mist the car from several sides (front, sides, back, top) or do you just shoot it once and let a mist settle on the car (sprayed into the air above the car and let it fall on the car)?

I really don't want to botch another paint job/decal set. And I like the Tamiya products. That's why I'm asking so many questions...........

Allan

[Retro Racer 44]

They must have changed the name because it is no longer the future, it is here now, eh? :lol: :lol: :lol:

[Ember]

[Audi1]

OK, thanks. I'll give it a try.

Allan