Tamiya TS-13 over Decals?

[jtrout13]

I am wondering if anyone has ever used TS-13 Tamiya Clearcoat out of the spraycan over decals? I have had it eat my decals before, and I wondered if it was because I'm putting too thick of a coat on? I love the gloss it gives and want to be able to use it on top of my decals, specifically SMS carbon fiber decals.

Any ideas for this, or suggestions of other super-glossy clearcoats that come in a spraycan?

[MPWR]

TS-13 can certainly be used over decals, but IT CANNOT BE APPLIED FAST AND HEAVY. It must be built up in many light mistcoats, with an hour or more in between applications. If you allow it to get wet when spraying, the solvents in it will attack whatever it is being sprayed on- and it will easily ruin decals (and even paint).

4-10 light applications will do nicely- but it will take all day (or weekend) to apply. Once you have 3 or 4 layers on, you can spray it a bit heavier. But again if you let it get wet, it can ruin nearly anything under it.

[MidMazar]

You can, but becareful. I think it mainly depends on the decal manufacter. I would test it on a spare decal, like the ones usually on the bottom of the sheet that say the company name. I had good results with tamiya and cartograph decals. Had bad results with older decals.

Also put on a lot of mist coats before laying down a thicker coat. And make sure the decal area is wiped clean if you used a decal softing/setting solution. What happened to me was i used microsol on sms decals in the past and never cleaned them with a damp cloth after they were dry and applied. What i got was dots that appeared after clear was sprayed, from the sol that dried on the decal before.

PS I would clear coat only if its your last choice.

I heard mr.topcoat (gunze) is a better choice. Also future clear is even better.

[stevenoble]

I've tried it before and to be honest it's just too 'hot' I've ruined more decals than I can remember. There are better alternatives, Gunze Top Coat, Zero 1k and 2k (if you have airbrush) They will do the same job and without ruining your decals....

[jtrout13]

is this Gunze topcoat acrylic??

[hirofkd]

GSI Creos (Gunze) has two kinds of clear in spray cans, one is water-soluble acrylic, "Top Coat," and the other is synthetic lacquer "Mr. Super Clear," which behaves like Tamiya's TS-13, so you have to know what you are buying (because the brand name alone doesn't tell you which).

B501, B502 and B503 are gloss, semi-gloss and mat water-soluble acrylic clear in a 86 mL can.
B513, B516 and B514 are synthetic lacquer, and they come in a taller 170 mL can.

(Or you can buy a fancy UV Cut Clear B522, which is also synthetic lacquer.)

The water-soluble clear is safer on decals, but moistening decals will raise the risk of damaging them whatever you use, so you still have to take the usual precautions described by others above.

[xpeed]

*sigh* TS-13. Such a problematic paint.

[klutz_100]

Originally Posted by stevenoble

I've tried it before and to be honest it's just too 'hot' I've ruined more decals than I can remember. There are better alternatives, Gunze Top Coat, Zero 1k and 2k (if you have airbrush) They will do the same job and without ruining your decals....

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