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Old 01-13-2007, 11:07 AM   #7
MPWR
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Re: clear lacquer or clear acrylic?

It's not true that acrylic can't give a decent shine. This is Tamiya acrylic clear applied over mixed Tamiya acrylic color.



And yes, laquer clear is certainly more agressive than acrylic. Applied wrong, it can easily destroy decals and even paint underneith it. Which to use will depend alot on your skill and confidence in your airbrushing ability.

What are you building? How many decals are on it? Is the paint metallic? The safest way to learn to spray laquer clear is over a body with few or no decals, painted in a solid (non-metallic) color. Applied too fast or too heavy, laquer clear can soften/melt the paint it's sprayed on. On a solid color you likely won't see the effects, but on a metallic the damage would be more obvious. TS-13 has a well deserved reputation for eating what it's sprayed on. Applied correctly the results can be fabulous, but applied incorrectly you can almost always ruin what's under it.

If you're still just learning, acrylic clear can give a stunning shine also. For best results it has to be applied correctly, too- but even if it's not it won't destroy the paint and decals under it.
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