Which Varnish and how to polish

Guys

I was just wondering what is a nice varnish to spray over a paint job that will leave a nice finish.

I've never used a varnish finish either to get a deep shine so I have one or two questions.

1. Do i thin the varnish with acrylic thinner the same way as i would with paint?

2. How do i then bring out the shine? Do you use normal car polish or is that too aggressive?

3. If i cannot use car polish what brand etc should i be getting?

Thanks guys.

80-0 on the post count so far :(

Guys

I was just wondering what is a nice varnish to spray over a paint job that will leave a nice finish.

I've never used a varnish finish either to get a deep shine so I have one or two questions.

1. Do i thin the varnish with acrylic thinner the same way as i would with paint?

2. How do i then bring out the shine? Do you use normal car polish or is that too aggressive?

3. If i cannot use car polish what brand etc should i be getting?

Thanks guys.

Firstly it depends on how you are going to apply the varnish/clear...?? You can get clear in an aerosol or you can buy it in bottles for application via an airbrush, so which method will you be using..??

To answer your questions

1. It depends on the type of clear you are using. Most clears will have their own specific thinner and I always stick to using the same brand thinner as the clear to avoid any compatibility issues with different paint types. But yes, you thin the clear same as paint, unless it's the pre-thinned variety.

2. and 3. If you get the clear application perfected you may not even need to polish it to bring out the shine. However you can use various polishes and compounds. There are specific model ones from Tamiya, Hasegawa, Finishers etc, but you can use some of the car ones as well with success.

Summary

Zero 1k or Zero 2K clears for airbrush use (from Hiroboy)

Tamiya, Finishers or Hasegawa compounds are all good products. (HLJ)

Links

Hiroboy http://www.hiroboy.com/catalog/

HLJ http://www.hlj.com/


Hope this helps a little....

If you gonna build quite a few models it may be better to invest into automotive urethane 2k clearcoat from an paint shop which you will need to paint through an airbrush. It´s basicly the same stuff as zero 2k, just repacked and is the best clear you can get. Unfortunately the smallest amount you can buy(as far i know) is 1l, but if you will use it a lot it will save you a lot of money in the end since the zero clear is quite expensive compared to the stuff you get in the paint shop ( price/liter)

The "proper" name for what you are asking about is "clear" coat.
If you have a quick look through the many WIP threads and the FAQs you will find many instances/examples of what people use and how they use it.

I'm pretty sure the most popular clearcoat is Tamiya TS-13. Most hobby shops carry it.

It's not foolproof, but it's close. Just don't lay on thick, wet coats, especially on top of decals.

All clearcoats need to be wet-sanded and polished, just like the real thing. There are different ways of doing that, of course. I start with 2000 grit and then use the three Tamiya compounds: Coarse, Fine and Finish.

Once you've got TS-13 mastered, there are other clearcoats that some of us like even better. (I like U-POL from Burbank House of Hobbies, http://www.houseofhobbies.com.) But TS is easy to find and it will definitely give you an outstanding finish.

Thanks guys. All really helpful.

I use this. I also buy my candy's and metallics pre mixed in 4 oz. bottles.
http://www.tcpglobal.com/kustomshop/kspclear.aspx

maybe it helps:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9FLu2W7mM_Y

:p