Some newbie questions on clearcoat

[Daryl]

1. How long do i have to wait to clearcoat after laying down the base colour?

2. The base Mica Blue on my MR2 is rather dull, do I have to sand/polish it before i clearcoat?

3. Would the clearcoat adhere to a polished surface?

Thanks for clueing me in

[ales]

Originally posted by Daryl
1. How long do i have to wait to clearcoat after laying down the base colour?

Depends on the paint. I usually do it after around 23 hours, but I use automotive paint. Someone else will help you out on this one.

Originally posted by Daryl

2. The base Mica Blue on my MR2 is rather dull, do I have to sand/polish it before i clearcoat?

Leave it alone.

Tip: place the model under water from a tap and you'll pretty much see what clearcoat will do to the paint.

Originally posted by Daryl

3. Would the clearcoat adhere to a polished surface?

Polished what? Polished paint? I see no reason why it shouldn't, but also read my reply to the previous question.

Good luck
Alex

[astroracer]

1. How long do i have to wait to clearcoat after laying down the base colour?

What kind of paint? Enamel? Laquer? Urethane? Basecoat/Clearcoat?
Laquer can be clearcoated on the same day.
Enamels and Urethanes should be allowed to sit for a few days.
BC/CC should be done within a couple of hours of spraying the basecoat with NO sanding of the basecoat.

2. The base Mica Blue on my MR2 is rather dull, do I have to sand/polish it before i clearcoat?

If it's basecoat/clearcoat it will be dull. The clearcoat adds the gloss. if it's regular single stage paint it should be sanded with 600 to 800 grit wet paper and then clear coated.

3. Would the clearcoat adhere to a polished surface?

No... If you have polished the paint you have "contaminated" the surface with the the polish. If you don't remove ALL of the polish the clear paint will fisheye and look terrible. Paint of any kind needs to be sprayed over a CLEAN and DRY, grease free surface. Keep your fingers off the paint and wipe it down with wax and grease remover right before spraying.

[Veyron]

If it's Tamiya Mica Blue, wait a minimum of 2 weeks if you are using TS Clear. Hopefully your Mica Blue went on very smooth because if you sand it, it will start changing colors because as you remove layers it will lighten. There is no way to sand it evenly, best to leave it alone and clear it as is so it doesn't look splotchy.

[ZoomZoomMX-5]

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Originally posted by Daryl
1. How long do i have to wait to clearcoat after laying down the base colour?

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If it's Tamiya spray, you need to clearcoat it immediately after the last color coat. You can wait up to an hour, or then you must wait 2-4 weeks for the base coat to dry. Otherwise Tamiya clear may very well crack, and not immediately. I always clearcoat about 5-10 minutes after the last color coat, and I start very lightly. Solid colors usually do not need clear.

If you've let the base coat dry too long for immediate coverage of clear, but not the full weeks-long wait, I'd go ahead and mist on a few light coats of color on the model and then clearcoat it so you won't have the long wait. Another coat of color over the base color won't cause cracking, it only happens w/Tamiya clear over their colors due to dissimilar curing rates.

If it's not Tamiya spray, wait for the base coat to dry at least overnight. Consider getting a dehydrator to speed up the drying time.

quote:
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Originally posted by Daryl

2. The base Mica Blue on my MR2 is rather dull, do I have to sand/polish it before i clearcoat?

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No, do not sand it. A pearl or mica coat isn't meant to be shiny, the paint just needs to be smooth (a dull finish is okay) and the color coverage/pearl particle distribution needs to be even. The base coat on a real car is rather flat/dull before it gets clear coated.

quote:
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Originally posted by Daryl

3. Would the clearcoat adhere to a polished surface?

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Depending on what you polished with, maybe. Tamiya compound and some other automotive polishes are safe to paint over, but I try to avoid it at all costs, as the danger of getting fisheyes in the paint is enough to keep me from doing it. Let your clearcoat be the layer of paint that you polish.