Clear coat question

[AstroRide44]

do u guys think that i should clear coat my cars when the paint is wet? or should i wait till its dry? or should i even clear coat a over a gloss color?, thanks max

[SonyMobile]

Well, I dont no about clear coating while the paint is wet... I usually let my paint dry for a couple hours so its tacky but not wet, and i clear coat all my body paints, gloss, or no gloss, it all gets coated.

[hirofkd]

Although I understand the idea behind adding a layer of paint, while it's wet to blend two layers together, I think it causes a risk of keeping the underlaying layer wet, and that migth mess up the seemingly dry outer layer a few feeks later. This might also screws up the decal work, too.
So, I recommend waiting for the body-colored paint to be completely dry before applying clear coat. This prevents the primer to show up around the edges and the ridges along the panel lines, where body-colored paint tend to be thinner than the rest.

[weaponCIVIC]

when i use tamiya paints , i clear coat 10-15 minutes after i spray the color. with black you have to wait longer because for some reason it will kind of corrode the black. if that happens, DO NOT touch it, if you wait the black will go back as it should be when it drys.

[malsheem]

Originally Posted by AstroRide44

do u guys think that i should clear coat my cars when the paint is wet? or should i wait till its dry? or should i even clear coat a over a gloss color?, thanks max

I let everything dry completely before adding a clear coat. Messing with wet paint is asking for trouble, IMHO.

[jgmodelcars]

i usually do: primer wait a few hours, color, wait a day, clear coat, wait a week, polishing and thats it!

[feargone]

What do you guys use for clear coat?

I've tried tamiya acyrilic clear coat on top of tamiya enamel paint and found it doesn't polish well.
The surface just go dull, then become tacky after I scrub with with Turtle Wax polish 2001.
I also found some difficulties with spraying acrylic clear coat with airbrush as it dries too quickly, but if I dilute it with acrylic thinner, then the paint will just run.

I also still haven't got the idea on how to use tamiya rubbing compound/another polish cut paste. As soon as I apply rubbing compound on top of paint (this case is enamel that has been dried for 1 week), the surface would become tacky and then the paint turns dull as well. Is that meant to work that way?

[jgmodelcars]

Hmmm, thats odd. This is why I stick to spray cans, they always dry because the blend is correct. I usually go with any type of testors or boyds or model masters paint, then testors clear coat. I use a compound and it doesn't get tacky or anything (odd that yours does). Then I use a polishing compound of some sort. I dont' really like using autotive wax because some of them may actually strip the paint. But with most autotive polishes try this: rub on lightly so you can still see it and the swirls. Let sit to dry (couple minutes) then polish it off. This will remove the wax and leave it shiny.

If im wrong someone feel free to correct me.

[feargone]

Thanks JG for replying my post,

When you use rubbing compound, how do you do it? Do you leave it first for few mins before you rub it?
I found the tamiya rubbing compound is very abrasive and will eat on the paint as soon as I apply it (I can see the paint on the cloth).

[jgmodelcars]

you should see the paint you just let the compound do the work though. just rub it lightly until its smooth that should do the job.

-justin