Getting confused with clearcoat!

[mantis147]

Hello all,

Ive been practicing airbrushing small dicast cars over the last few days and im getting a bit confused with the clearcoat/laquer!?

Basically ive been painting with the Wicked paints and then using aersol clear from the local halfords (not the best i know!) but because im just having a practice im not overly concerned on the finish. But even though im using this clear im getting some really good finishes but then it wont work and just dulls the paint? Can anyone recommend a decent clear for doing this type of thing or am i doing something wrong?

Ive heard about 1k & 2k clear but basically know nothing about it at the min but presume i will need extra equipment to use it.

Cheers
Lee.

 

[Squishy]

So is it going kind of milky? If so this is called blooming and can be caused by the previous layer not being completely dry (stick religiously to the recommended times between coats), or possibly temperature/humidity of the place you are spraying in. Warm is better, and you could try heating the can in warm water maybe. Halfords is definitely NOT a good clear. Ideally a 2K clear such as spray max, with the separate activator, would be much better, although after you add the activator it only lasts a couple of days so it's best to have enough work to do to use it all at once.

 

[shadow2462]

So is it going kind of milky? If so this is called blooming and can be caused by the previous layer not being completely dry (stick religiously to the recommended times between coats), or possibly temperature/humidity of the place you are spraying in. Warm is better, and you could try heating the can in warm water maybe. Halfords is definitely NOT a good clear. Ideally a 2K clear such as spray max, with the separate activator, would be much better, although after you add the activator it only lasts a couple of days so it's best to have enough work to do to use it all at once.

What Squishy said ^^^^^

 

[ad fez]

Aiii that girl knows her clear..... but between you and me is only cause she hasa hip flask of activator that she sups throughout the day

 

[Squishy]

Aiii that girl knows her clear..... but between you and me is only cause she hasa hip flask of activator that she sups throughout the day

Except at the weekends then I treat myself to a ****tail, activator and meths. Or Methivator, shaken not stirred of course.

 

[ad fez]

With an olive garnish

 

[mantis147]

Yep going milky squishy! I've been using a bit of cutting compound and plenty of polishing tonight and it does help a lot but the laquer does feel a bit too soft. Will have a look at the spray max stuff cheers.

 

[mantis147]

Just found the spray max on a website can 1k be used or is it no good for what I'm doing? It's just the short shelf life once the 2k is activated.

 

[foreveryoung001]

just saw your thread, but if the lacquer is still soft, out of a spray can, then it sounds like you may be putting on your coats to heavy. I don't mess with the 2k clears, so can't really help you there, but lacquers out of spray cans are mostly thinner and should dry incredibly fast. Plus, if you're putting it on to heavy, it can also cause the milkiness, since a lot of moisture can get trapped in all that liquid. The moisture is what causes lacquers to go milky. Giving it a ton of drying time can help, but the best way to avoid that is to spray light coats and give it the proper amount of drying time between coats.

 

[afterdark]

Great advice above, only other thing I do when painting metal is to make sure the item itself is warm. If its cold it will also cause some dulling with your clear. Try putting it by the window in some sun or outside to warm up. I usually set up my item and paint in the sun for 30 mins while I set up everything else.

 

[tau]

Light coats, flash time between coats.

 

[Talla]

Humidity can also cause blooming. I am assuming that you are in the UK as you mention Halfords. We have had some very humid days recently especially down south. This my answer the reason that you have been getting inconsistant results with the same rattle can.

 

[mantis147]

I give it a go again tonight with wicked flashback green (pearl) then the same laquer but beforehand dried the paint with a hair drier warming the shell in the process and then done light coats with the lacquer and it worked a lot better, still got the orange peel effect but I can work on that. Cheers.

 

[foreveryoung001]

I give it a go again tonight with wicked flashback green (pearl) then the same laquer but beforehand dried the paint with a hair drier warming the shell in the process and then done light coats with the lacquer and it worked a lot better, still got the orange peel effect but I can work on that. Cheers.

Orange peel will happen. There are a few tricks to help minimize it, but the best thing to do is cut and buff the lacquer after your last coat. There's plenty of threads about that process, but basically its just sanding it down, I usually start at 1000 grit and finish up with 2000 grit, then polish it out. For that, my choice is a basic automotive rubbing compound, followed by a polishing compound, then finally meguiars 2x scratch remover. There's lots of different things to use, but I've found that this combination works best for me.

If that's to much work, then just a really light sanding with 1500 grit between each clear coat will help with some of the orange peel. Don't sand to heavy or you'll go right through the clear and take off the paint, but just enough to smooth it out. If it is a flat piece, then spraying a wet coat of plain lacquer thinner over your last coat of clear can eliminate some of the orange peel too. I don't use that technique much, but it can help. It has to be a flat object though, because the thinner is basically turning all that lacquer back to a liquid and on a flat surface, it will settle out nice and smooth, but on rounded objects, it will just run off the higher points and settle in the lower points, giving you runs and drips in the clear.

 

[HCP-draggin]

Unless you have a place where you can safely shoot a 2k product, I'd stick with 1k clears for now. U-Pol makes a 1k rattle can clear that has worked well for me on smaller projects. The problem with 2k products are that they contain chemicals that WILL enter your body, and that your body can't break down and process, so they accumulate. Eventually, this can lead to breathing problems, nerve issues, and all sorts of other nasty stuff. You can also get an acute poisoning by spraying without proper gear and ventilation. 2k's have a lot of nice advantages, but it's not worth risking your health for.