Question About Clear-Coating.

Hey all, its been a while since I have done any kits, and now I have the time, im back at it.

Anyways, I checked the FAQ and couldnt find my answer, so here is my question.

For those of you that use a clear coat on there kits, do you sand / polish the base color BEFORE spraying the clear, or not? My reasoning for this is that I paint my bodies with an airbrush, and there is just the slightest amount of orange-peel on the roof of the car. I currently have 3 coats of my base color, and this will be my first time trying to spray clear, in the past I have just put on some wax, but the particular color I have chosen for this kit is very dull, and I want to try the clear coat.

Do I need to use a polishing compound at this stage, or do I spray the clear on a few coats and then polish/ buff it out. Im talking very very small amount of peel. Will I see the peel through the clear, or will it stand out more?

Thoughts?

I always try to sand out the orange peel before I use the clearcoat.Not a great amount just enough to rid the orange peel.The clear will restore the gloss to the base colour.However I never sand the last colour coat if it is a metallic finish as it always seems to destroy the effect of the metallic flakes.I also lightly sand the clearcoat before rubbing it up with a polishing compound,again just enough to flatten it off and remove any fine particles of dust /orange peel.Then finally I will wax the surface usually with Tamiya Wax.This is the way I do it but I'm sure you'll get many different replies.People paint in many different ways.It's a case of finding a way that works for you and sticking with it.

Mods asking newbie questions- what is this place coming to? :shakehead :)

Before clearcoating I often sand out any flaws such as dust or noticable texture. I use 2000 grit paper for this, and clearcoat hides the sanding marks. But if the orange peel is minor, you should be fine spraying clear on top of it. What paint and clearcoat are you using?

Agreed with MPWR, on this one. Surprisingly, a little bit of orange peel can often add to the "depth" of the clearcoat once it all looks pretty. I typically leave the base coat alone unless I see some flaws that are bound to come through the clear (like he mentioned, dust or high spots.)

Do the "water test". Hold the body under a moderate stream of water from the tap so that the water flows over the surface.

This is basically a temporary clear coat :) If flaws/OP are not visible, in all probability they won't be visible beneath the clear either.

I am going to echo what MPWR said earlier, but with a bit of a proviso. I have, in the past, sanded my colour coat down to 12,000 grit, and subsequently had problems with clear coat adhesion after that. I like to go a little finer than the 2,000 grit already stated, but only to about 4,000-6,000 at the most. After that, you are just looking for, and will find, fisheyes.

I have used the article parsed below in the past, and while it targets Tamiya's own synthetic lacquers the information really applies for any medium.

http://www.tamiyausa.com/articles/feature.php?article-id=35

On a personal note, I have lurked here for the better part of a year, but this thread is really what made me register. Thanks for that, and I will post some pictures when I get home, as well as my absolute disdain for the MSM Creation 360 Challenge Stradale trans kit I am just finishing up.

On another slightly related note, MPWR, I would love to build my own shocks and springs in the future, but I am really stuck on what to use for the coil material-what is your suggestion?:icon16:

If it's Metallic,Pearl,Flake,Kameleon or anything besides just a SOLID color DO NOT touch it with sand paper!!! Because if you do.. Well. It makes it different colors and the specs turn weird colors and blegh.. Only sand it if it's a solid color. If it's a Pearl or something and you're still worried you could sand t down. then spray another coat of color over it. But it is easier just to do 3-5 coats of clear and sand them with 2000 grit then rubbing compound polish then wax..