# Tamiya Clear Gloss Question



## spocks beard (Mar 21, 2007)

Hi! I am finishing up on detailing my J2 Interior,However before i start gluing things in, I would like to spray a coat of Tamiya clear gloss to the J2 floor to give it a little shine like the original. As it is now i have only been using Tamiya sprays on the floor to detail the inner & outer circles, And was wondering if the Tamiya clear gloss spray will be ok as a sealant. I have great results with Tamiya sprays, But never used their clear sprays before, And wanted to get some feed back by other members here that have.Basically, I need to know if the clear coat will cause a reaction in the paint that it will be covering. The floor detailing has been left to cure up for about a little over a week now. And i'm hoping that as both the clear and detail paint is from the same brand, They will be compatible. Thanks!!


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## starseeker (Feb 1, 2006)

Tamiya clear is beautiful stuff. Just remember to thin it with Tamiya thinner before airbrushing, Experiment on scrap plastic before you spray to get a consistency you like. It definitely won't react with the Tamiya paint underneath, except to make the colors somewhat darker. So your color coats should be somewhat lighter to begin with, if you're trying to match a specific shade. Almost all clear coats darken colors. 
You could also airbrush Future.
I have a question about Future, tho. I've used Tamiya paints almost exclusively for about 25 years now and they have remained color true and none of the whites or clear coats have yellowed over time. Does anyone have experience with Future over a long time period? Does this stuff yellow over 10, 15, or 20 years? Or are actual clear coats like Tamiya a safer choice?


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## djnick66 (May 2, 2008)

He said he is using their sprays, not jar paints.

Tamiya TS series Clear Gloss and Clear Flat spray cans are super. Two or three coats of Gloss can give a wonderful, deep, even gloss. The Flat is DEAD Flat. They go over any Tamiya spray or jar paint. Note, and this is true for most clear finishes... they will dull down colors like bright Silver. Usually I will gloss things up then apply metallics last.

I do not like Tamiya X series Gloss in a jar very much. IMHO its fairly poor for large areas, although I brush paint it on small parts like eyes on figures.

Future does not seem to yellow. Tamiya acrylic jar paint white CAN YELLOW and will even yellow in the jar, especially the Flat White.


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## starseeker (Feb 1, 2006)

Another one that I misread. Sigh. As I've never used paint in a can, I was just assuming spray meant airbrush. Obviously not, now that I re-read. . 
I still have several dozen bottles of the Tamiya back from when they were in the big bottles. Have to admit, I don't like some of the stuff (yellows, reads, oranges) in the little bottles. They've changed their formula or something, thinned them horribly. Those colors could go opaque in a couple of light passes. 
My remaining old big bottles are still fresh and I still use them. 
My Testors enameled Saturn 5 has yellowed very much. My Tamiya flat white/clear coated Saturn 1 and 5 done a couple years later, maybe 1984, are still white as when I painted them. That's not good news about the new Tamiya white, if it yellows in the jar. I've also found that Polly S in recent years is utterly different than it used to be, also much thinner much less able to coat in a single light pass or two. Shame. They both used to be great. As my Tamiya and other old acrylics run out, I'm finding that Testors enamels are good alternative. So very many common brands of paint can't be shipped into Canada anymore it's getting very frustrating.
Good luck on your clearcoat. Just watch out for dust particles. The broad pattern of spray cans tends to pick up dust a lot more easily than an airbrush, so pick a dust free location and wear something that dust isn't attracted to.


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## spocks beard (Mar 21, 2007)

*Thanks!*

Thanks for the info on the Tamiya gloss!
I went ahead and sprayed the J2 floor with the Tamiya gloss clear & it did wonders for it.The reason the finish was originally so dull is i had used flat paint on it.I couldn't match any gloss colors in the Tamiya line that looked true enough to the stage colors other than their flat paints. I used light sand for the middle circle, & Red Brown for the outside.I know a lot of people here used Testors wood for the inner circle, But this looked as close as i could get. And the gloss did darken it up a bit which is fine to my eye. I'll let it sit and cure for a few days before handling it. Thanks guys for the help.:thumbsup:


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## djnick66 (May 2, 2008)

They haven't made Poly S paint in 25 years. Poly Scale (the current stuff) is NOT Poly S...

Tamiya never quit making the large jars of paint. They make both sizes (along with jars of enamel paints). The small jars are just more common now. Tamiya initially imported only the large jars.

Most brands of model paints have been modified in the last 15-20 years or so due to various health and saftey issues. Testors TODAY is not the same as in the mid 1980s. Humbrol was reformulated into their thin, translucent "Super-enamel". I havent noticed much of a change in Tamiya but I do know it has been off the market a couple of times for formula and lable changes.


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