Gunze Topcoat 501 and Gunze H20 = the same thing?

[das_auto]

Hi guys!

The title says it all really. Is the Gunze Topcoat 501 spray the same thing as their water base bottle clear H-30 only in spraycan-form?

I use the 501 regularly and I'm a bit tired of the decanting procedure associated with using it in my airbrush. Therefore a bottled alternative would be great.

I've tried the solvent based GX100 from Mr. color and its very good but a bit too smelly for my apartment.

Looking forward to hearing what you think.

Best Regards!

Emil

[lovegt40]

hej hej Emil,
all the gunze can (as well as ts13) have that typical smell. Of course is anyway better than GX100. I used it on my alfa 155 and my wife was already kicking me directly to Skallen from the windows for the smell (she just remember the fog...even if also that was glossy)
If you want anyway to try gunze glossy cans, buy the one with BLUE label, and not the older one with grey one.
It works much better, both are named top coat, and of course explanations are in okinawa japanese dialekt, a little bit far away from swedish or english.

[das_auto]

Ciao Paolo!

all the gunze can (as well as ts13) have that typical smell. Of course is anyway better than GX100. I used it on my alfa 155 and my wife was already kicking me directly to Skallen from the windows for the smell (she just remember the fog...even if also that was glossy)

Sounds like you have a fierce wife! Maybe you should do more modeling, then she´ll get more used to the smell. Haha!

f you want anyway to try gunze glossy cans, buy the one with BLUE label, and not the older one with grey one.
It works much better, both are named top coat, and of course explanations are in okinawa japanese dialekt, a little bit far away from swedish or english.

Well, I think you misunderstood my question a bit. I was asking if anyone knew wether...

This



has the same contents (resins, solvent) as...

This






Emil

[stevenoble]

I'd be interested to know this also. If it is the same I'd certainly buy a couple of jars. It would be handy to have a quick and easy, decal friendly clear, that I could put through the airbrush for smaller parts and stuff..

[lovegt40]

I think they are not the same.
When I took the gloss from the blue can, I had to use laqueur thinner, while when I use H30 I use tamiya acrylic. Base is different btw.

Note I never could use the specific thinner from gunze color. The only one I get time ago was a glass bottle with identical stuff from tamiya acrilic thinner (x20A).

[das_auto]

It would be handy to have a quick and easy, decal friendly clear, that I could put through the airbrush for smaller parts and stuff

If you have a dehydrator you could use Tamiya X-22 for this. Using one really transforms this clear. When cured with heat it can be polished out beautifully.
It needs a bit more polishing work than traditional clears (Topcoat, TS-13) though as it´s a bit difficult to not get a lot of texture. That´s why I
don´t use it very much.

I think they are not the same.
When I took the gloss from the blue can, I had to use laqueur thinner, while when I use H30 I use tamiya acrylic. Base is different btw.

I´ve not tried using "iso-alcohol" thinners with the Top Coat either only used Gunze blue label thinners. I´ve run out of Topcoat right now but I have to try to use some different thinners when I get some. Maybe straight IPA will work?

Paolo: If you don´t know of it, a great place to get Gunze stuff in Sweden is Rebell Hobby in Stockholm. (www.rebell.com) They specialize in aircraft but have a full range of acrylic gunze, thinners etc.
also, if you order before lunch, shipping is overnight most of the time.

[das_auto]

Hey guys!

It seems like there is some interest regarding this question and therefore I´ve been doing some experimenting with the Gunze H-30 Clear.

To start with I´ve clear-coated a piece of plastic-card. But first I sprayed it with acrylic Tamiya X-18. No primer, just paint, straight onto the plastic. fast-n-easy.

When dry it looked like this. The camera exaggerates the texture. It´s rough but not sandpaper-like as in the pic.



I then shot 3 coats of H-30 clear thinned with Gunze green label thinners onto it. No real wet coats, just spraying it on like paint. Leaving 5 min. between coats to let them level.

I was left with a rather coarse orange peel. But nothing dramatic. As previously mentioned the surface was a bit rough to start with and it would be nice to see how forgiving the clear was to, say an automotive basecoat paint. As these can be quite coarse.

This was the result after clearing.



I then chucked the bit of card into my dehydrator for about an hour at 55 degrees celsius (131 deg. F).

This is about the equivalent of 16 hours of air drying at room temperature.
I usually dry my clears for 24 hours in the dehydrator. So this is really pushing it. And after an hour the clear was still a bit soft, but nowhere near as soft as I thought it would be. "The fingernail test" barely left a mark.

When the piece had cooled down I gave it a light sand with 4000 grit Micromesh to level the orange peel. This was very easy work.



After sanding I polished it up with the three Tamiya Compounds and a microfibre towel. No wax. And this was the result!










It´s not a perfect result, but very promising. The H-30 clear is pretty tough. The solid it uses is really resistant to polishing. I did burn through a little bit in the corners, but that is simply down to a lack of coating thickness.
With some thicker coats and longer curing time in the dehydrator It will probably be pretty good.


I´ll do some more testing and get back to this thread when there are results to be reported.

Regards!

Emil

[keveuh]

On the pictures, the shine looks really good, very suited for a car body. I would personally love to find a "health-friendly" clear to use indoors easily. So I'm looking forward to see any updates.