# which is the best clear coat for enamel, acrylic OR enamel clear



## bert model maker

whats a better clear coat for enamel model paint ? krylon crystal clear acrylic for plastic OR plasticoat fast dry clear coat enamel ????


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## John P

Future Floor Polish. Works on everything.
Airbrush on (unthinned) in successive light coats until you have the gloss you want.


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## bert model maker

John, i ran across a couple of paints at wal mart. Tell me if you know anything about them, they are#1 krylon fusion- it is for plastics and needs no priminng or sanding
#2 these are clear coats- krylon crystal ,clear . it is acrylic ,it also comes in a clear satin acrylic. both have a 12 min. dry time
#3- plsticote "odds n ends" fast dry clear Enamel
so for our models that have an enamel paint job and even in metallic silver at times, which would be the best choice for a sealer? a clear enamel or clear acrylic ???


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## mb1k

MM,

I have trouble with Future as did most of our IPMS chapter. Orange peel. By exception, only one guy could get a glass smooth clear coat of Future, and man was it awesome. I only use Future for dipping clear canopies in and it's great for that. I don't have that luck so I tried out some varying alternatives. 

Today I have Tamiya clear gloss and Model Masters clear gloss in my paint box and thin them about 1/1 with alcohol (Tamiya) and lacquer thinner (MM). The MM seems to have yellowed my 1/9 BMW R80G/S Paris-Dakar motorcycle tank over the years, about three. So I'm watching closely what the Tamiya will do with my other projects such as a 1/12 YZ500R Grand Prix racing bike I used it on.

With both subjects -successive coats provided a glass smooth surface to work with! Very little loss of scribed detail and now that I remember I used Tamiya over metalizer when building my Horizon T-800 Endoskeleton. Not yellowed yet!


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## bert model maker

i wish i had an air brush but i don't and i really want to protect my metallic silver finishes from fingerprints and scratches i saw a thread that mentioned the orange peel you describe, and someone said the psi was to high or to far away from the surface and it was drying before landing on the paint it was on the starship modeler BB in the finishing forum under "FUTURE"


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## omnimodel

One other note about using Future... You'll need to wet sand san it if you plan on topping it off with any other finish (for example, a dull coat). Otherwise, you will see a wrinkling and the paint will not stick properly.

For myself, clear coats have been the bane of my modeling existence. At this point, I only use Model Master acrylics... they are the only thing I've used that will not fubar the panit below (even the Krylon acrylic has wrinkled paint for me). If you've got a good enough compressor, you can airbrush them straight from the bottle, but I'd recommend thinning with 91% rubbing alcohol in either a 1:1 or 2:1 ratio.

Since you don't have an airbrush, there are a couple of alternatives you can use. If the area is small enough, you can actually apply the finish with your finger, and you won't get brush strokes or bubbles. This method takes some pratice, but it works well once you get it down.

Another option you have can be found in the models section of walmart. Testors usually sells kits with paint, a compressed air can, and sprayer for under $15. It's great for occasional use and does a nice job laying down the paint... just be aware these aren't the most durable things you can buy. The air valves tend to leak after a while.


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## mb1k

Bert,

I've tried it all. Hi/lo, straight, thinnned. The only thing that I think that's keeping me from getting good results spraying Future is hypothetically related to the fact that I use a CO2 bottle for my air source, instead of a compressor. Whenever I give up my CO2 bottles and get a compressor I may try spraying Future again. The air may too dry...


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