Clear Coat - guidance & explanation - HELP!

To clear coat or not to clear coat? That is the question. Well no that's the easy part. The real dilemma is to what product to clear coat with?

Coming from a background with 'military' vehicles 'Future' floor polish was king, however when it comes to car's, 'the future is not bright', in fact its a little dull. In looking around at many posts, I see people falling into either Lacquer or enamel, acrylic or the 'professionals'. The professionals use some kind of fancy 2K clear. Well I like the look of the fancy 2K clears, but I have no idea of what they are actually using.

Pro's what is 2K? How is this different than 1K?
I see DuPont 2K mentioned but when i try to search for this in Google, I get half a dozen 2K products. What should I use.

So to all those in the know, who use these 2K,1K 15K clears, can someone please explain in layman terms what's the difference, and why are some better than others. If someone has asked this before and it has been answered, please point me in the direction of knowledge. :1zhelp: anyone please.....

2 part clear, such as urethane, hardens by chemical reaction, instead of evaporation of the solution, so the 2 part tends to create a harder paint layer than the 1 part clears, like acrylic or enamel. The 2 part also hardens much quicker, making your paint job more efficient. The shrinkage is negligible, so it's easy on decals, and the paint is more durable.

However, the drawback of hard paint film is that it cracks and chips easily. If the body requires warping to fit the interior or chassis, it's better not to use urethane, or take extra caution during assembry.

I regularly use Finisher's GP1 urethane clear set, Tamiya TS-13 spray and Gaianotes EX-Clear, according to the body color and the level of glossiness I want to achieve.

BTW, you don't necessarily have to clear-coat solid colors (although I personally prefer doing it), but you should with metallic, pearl and mica colors.

I've been using DuPont's ChromaClear brand for years. It has it's own catalyst and reducer you must also purchase and it isn't cheap. But a quart will last practically forever in the quantities we use. I reduce in a 1 to 1 ratio instead of suggested 2 to 1 which is way too thick for model airbrushing. I've never had cracking, chipping or any other problems with it. It's kinda fool-proof really. I've dropped cured car bodies on tile floors without leaving a scratch. Durable stuff.

Safety is important when using this stuff. It contains isocyanates which can kill you if used improperly. Google it.

If your interested in trying 2k clear you might want to try Duponts 2k Selectaclear. Its a 4:1 mix ratio. And you can get plenty of it for a pretty decent price as well. But don't even think of trying to use this stuff without a respirator and gloves.

My take on this is that paint and clear, for me at least, falls into two categories. Hobby paints and automotive style paints. The hobby paints include acrylics and enamels, both of which have their uses. The automotive style paints are the lacquers, 1K and 2K and the base coat colours, as sold at Hiroboy. I use the automotive style paints almost exclusively for the painting of body parts and large components where I want a quick and easy route to a nice finish. I must admit that I have found myself using them more and more to the point where now I would never use the 'hobby' paints for painting of this type. However I still use the hobby paints for practically all my 'other' painting. Interiors, black trim around windows, engine parts and more. I use the hobby paints for this because they are convenient and fit my style of painting.
As for clear coating I never used to clear coat over decals, but I find myself doing this more often than not now. It really does seal the decals nicely and provides a uniform finish and gloss. The 1K and 2K clears are both good clears. I prefer the 2K for the most part because it provides, for me at least, an easier route to a good finish. It will stay 'up' on the surface and not sink, like the 1K can. Sometimes I find it takes several coats of 1K before it stops sinking in. By sinking in I mean loosing it's gloss. Sometimes the base coat colours will soak up the 1K like a sponge. This doesn't happen with the 2K. I spray on a couple of decent coats, pop it in the Mr Dry Booth and that's it. It suits the way I paint, sort of spray it, forget it, polish it. Sounds a little lazy maybe.... It's also very forgiving, takes a lot to make it run. As with all paints though a good mask and extractor is essential, more so I'd say with the 2K as it can be pretty bad stuff if you breathe the vapours.

U-POL is much, much cheaper than Tamiya TS13, and it acts and looks exactly the same. I prefer both over 2K urethane because I prefer the look of clear lacquer, and because lacquers are easier to overcoat if you need to "patch" an area. You can even spray color coat over clear coat - try that with 2K urethane!

U-POL is made in the U.K.; in the U.S., you can get it from Sam Ditchek and Sons at http://yhst-13811118617756.stores.yahoo.net/uplajaclpoca.html. A 500 ml "Power Can" costs $4.95; compare that with $6 or $7 for 100 ml of TS13. That doesn't include shipping of course, but you could have it delivered by personal courier and you'd still save money. (Okay, a wee exaggeration, but you know what I mean.)

Ddms

U-POL is much, much cheaper than Tamiya TS13, and it acts and looks exactly the same.
U-POL is made in the U.K.; in the U.S., you can get it from Sam Ditchek and Sons at http://yhst-13811118617756.stores.yahoo.net/uplajaclpoca.html. A 500 ml "Power Can" costs $4.95; compare that with $6 or $7 for 100 ml of TS13. That doesn't include shipping of course, but you could have it delivered by personal courier and you'd still save money. (Okay, a wee exaggeration, but you know what I mean.)

Ddms
The way Ddms pushes this U-POL stuff, you'd think he's getting a commission on sales. (Just kidding, Tom, and I'm still dying to try the stuff.)

Anyway, on the subject at hand, no one has yet mentioned what I find to be the least desirable aspect of 2K clears: they always look way out of scale (to my eyes, at least). Models always seem to be soaked in a syrupy goo when cleared with 2K clears. In some applications (wild customs, lowriders, showcars) it looks suitable because those kinds of subjects in 1:1 look like they are covered in a thick goo. I prefer the look a just a couple of coats of lacquer clear, preferably Tamiya TS-13, but others work too (Rustoleum makes a nice lacquer clear that is inexpensive and widely available.)

But I'm no expert. Feel free to discount my opinion as so much nonsense.

Anyway, on the subject at hand, no one has yet mentioned what I find to be the least desirable aspect of 2K clears: they always look way out of scale (to my eyes, at least). Models always seem to be soaked in a syrupy goo when cleared with 2K clears

I would agree partially on that fact. But I think it depends how much of the 2K you put on and how thick you apply it. If you put on say 2-3 light coats maximum, use it well thinned, then it gets polished compounded back as well, it can look very good and the syrupy look can be avoided.