Help needed! Clearcoat drying more than 3 months.

[Sliwa]

Hi
I've got a problem with clearcoating. Varnishes I use are Mr. Hobby and Zero. I'm sure, that model is painted well with Tamiya, Zero or Pactra acrylic paint and that clearcoat is well mixed before painting. Everything is fine except drying. People says that it should dry for about one month to be sure that clear coat is dry before polishing. After a month I've tried to polish a clearcoat but it was still a little bit soft. After 2 months - soft after polishing with 6000 and 8000 cloth. Now it's staying for more than 3 months and it's the same (on 3 models. 2 with Zero Paint, 1 with Mr. Hobby). What am I doing wrong?
Sliwa

[Macio4ever]

If it is 2k clear - old or wrong proportions with activator. Probably will not dry completely ever.

If 1K - possibly you put too heavy coats and that what is underneath the clear is still soft (thinner is somehow trapped).

I would try drybooth or hairdryer. If it fails I would strip off the paint or put thin layer of 1K clear coat and leave it as it is.

BTW
2K drying time (full hardeness) - 24h, to touch/mask check technical data of a particular clear.
1K - minutes to dust free and hours to dry. I would say 24h or few days if you are extra cautious.

NOT months...

[CrateCruncher]

I agree. Your paint should be hard enough to polish by 3 or 4 days at the outside. Perhaps you could tell us all products you used on the three models: primer, color, clear. Be specific with brand and type and if the bodies were resin or plastic.

[thijs37]

it could also have something to do with your polish! not just the paint

[SmokeyR67]

Originally Posted by Sliwa

Hi
I've got a problem with clearcoating. Varnishes I use are Mr. Hobby and Zero. I'm sure, that model is painted well with Tamiya, Zero or Pactra acrylic paint and that clearcoat is well mixed before painting. Everything is fine except drying. People says that it should dry for about one month to be sure that clear coat is dry before polishing. After a month I've tried to polish a clearcoat but it was still a little bit soft. After 2 months - soft after polishing with 6000 and 8000 cloth. Now it's staying for more than 3 months and it's the same (on 3 models. 2 with Zero Paint, 1 with Mr. Hobby). What am I doing wrong?
Sliwa

What temperature is your model stored in?

[Didymus]

Interesting; I think there's somebody else on this forum who lives in Warsaw. Quite an active modeling scene there, it seems.

It's hard to speculate about why it didn't dry unless you tell us what kind of clear coat you used.

But like everybody says, a lacquer or urethane clearcoat should be dry to the touch in minutes, and ready for compounding / polishing in a few days. I would not put anything on top of an "undead" clearcoat. Doing that will just make matters worse. If it hasn't dried by now, you need to strip down to the plastic and start over. Sorry.

If you're unsure about how to remove the paint, run a search. It's probably the most frequently discussed topic on this forum.

[tobyzhang]

You can't paint lacquer over Tamiya acrylic paint. If you did, the clear coat will near dry and eventually crack. If this wasn't the problem, then it's probably because you painted too thick at once and the paint at the bottom does not have sufficient contact with air to facilitate drying.

[lovegt40]

can be also old or deteriorated clear paint.
Milliput is the same, when it becomes old it remains always softer.