# clear coats - what do you like?



## Magesblood (May 12, 2008)

When you're at the craft store, what kind of clear coat do you get?

I'm looking for something with a really high gloss, something that won't run or sag or pool.

I wonder if you could thin Mod Podge enough so it'll flow through an airbrush.


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## veedubb67 (Jul 11, 2003)

I personally like Future (now Pledge with Future). Gives a nice hard glossy finish and can be shot straight through your airbrush (don't forget to clean immediately after use!). It'll dry fairly quick, but give it 72 hrs.

Rob
Iwata Padawan


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## Mark McGovern (Apr 25, 1999)

_MODGE PODGE??!?_ Talk sense, boy. I myself can name several products that will produce the clear gloss you want. And I bet you'll hear of a dozen more before the day is out.

The first, best suggestion I have is Testors Clear Gloss Top Coat. You can spray it from a can or buy it by the bottle, thin it, and use your airbrush. Or you can spray Pledge® with Future® Shine Floor Finish as it comes straight out of the bottle.

I know there have been some complaints about yellowing with clear gloss finishes. Here's what I know: heat and exposure to sunlight are the main culprits. Keep your models in a stable environment out of the sun and you'll be okay. I would also suggest that you consult some _FineScale Modeler_ or _Scale Auto_ magazines for tips on producing gloss finishes. It's not as easy to spray any gloss finish as it is to spray flats.

Good luck!


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## djnick66 (May 2, 2008)

I don't use any craft store stuff.

Tamiya clear gloss lacquer in a spray can is great stuff. Its safe over acrylic model paints. Their clear flat spray is also very good and dries dead flat.

For glossing up a model for decals, I use Testors Gloss Coat spray in many cases.

I rarely do white or light models that could yellow if the clear goat ages, but the Tamiya stuff seems very good and safe.

Testors Clear Flat and Clear Gloss Lacquers airbrush well too.

Pledge With Future Shine works for some people. I brush it on car bodies, but thats about it. Its good for brightening clear parts like aircraft canopies.

I do not think yellowing has anything to do with lighting, as I store my built kits in boxes and have had some yellowing issues over the years. They were never exposed to light at all.


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## Mark McGovern (Apr 25, 1999)

djnick66 said:


> I do not think yellowing has anything to do with lighting, as I store my built kits in boxes and have had some yellowing issues over the years. They were never exposed to light at all.


Not any light, dj - sunlight; the issue was discussed in FSM. I haven't got that many gloss finished models, but I've never had yellowing problems with the ones I do have. Nor have I seen a color shift in the other models that are pretty much all finished with Testors Dullcote. My display shelves are all in the basement and that may be helping.


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## djnick66 (May 2, 2008)

Yes sunlight is UV light. But if I build a kit indoors, finish it, put it in a box... and it yellows, NO light is really effecting it.

In 35 years of modelling, yellowing hasn't been a huge issue, especially in recent years. But it happens sometimes. Usually specific products can be identified as causing it. For example, I clear coated several models with Humbrol Clear Matte Poly... all of them turned dark amber brown within a year. So it was that particualr clear that did it.


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## AuroraFan1 (May 14, 2009)

Kalmbach Publishing ( same people who publish FSM and Scale Auto ) have offered 2 specials on how to paint and weather scale models ( FSM specials ).
As Mark mentioned, you might run these up the flagpole and see what they offer as well.
Gloss coat can be a little tricky to apply, as I use it on my military model kits prior to applying decals. Upon completion, I then spray the entire kit flat using Testors flat clear coat. If you were applying a gloss coat finish on your kit, you would just apply the gloss at the end instead of the flat finish.
FSM and Scale Auto offer some great tips and I recommend that you do some research before attempting. PS your Local Hobby Shop ( LHS ) should be able to guide you in the right direction.


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## machgo (Feb 10, 2010)

Check walmart's paint department for rattlecan clear gloss. I can't remember if it's Krylon or Rustoleum, but they have a clear gloss that specifically says non-yellowing. Available in lacquer and acrylic.


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## bucwheat (Mar 9, 2010)

I use a semi-gloss to knock the shine of of some of my Diorama pieces,it also gives glass/plastic window or windshields a weathered frosty look.


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