Gloss cleat coat question

Sabrefan · Post by **Sabrefan** » Thu Oct 12, 2006 2:27 pm

I was reading in other threads in the forum about different ways to apply a clear coat to a model. I have a BBI Blue Angel F-18, that I would like to put a gloss coat on it. I have used Testors flat clear, and I have had great luck with that, I just wonder how well their gloss works. Any help would be great. Thanks.

USCGSARdog · Post by **USCGSARdog** » Thu Oct 12, 2006 3:23 pm

One word of advice..... don't use Testors clear on your B.A. Hornet. It is a lacquer, which for some reason reacts with some of the soft plastic parts. It will look nice until you touch it because it never totally dries. You get the same result if you use enamel paint on these parts.

I used Krylon Krystal Klear acrylic spray on my B.A. Hornet with beautiful results.
You will have to apply a few light coats to get a nice glossy shine, but the results are well worth the effort. Make sure you wipe down everything well with a tack cloth first to avoid getting any trash in the clear coat. Oh, and remove the wings etc. to make the whole process a little more managable.

-Rob

Sabrefan · Post by **Sabrefan** » Thu Oct 12, 2006 3:28 pm

Thanks for the advice Rob, I am glad you told me about the Testors clear coat. I have a question for you. How did you hang your Blue Angel F-18 to paint it? The plane is so big, I can't figure out how to hang it to put the clear coat on it.

Sabrefan · Post by **Sabrefan** » Thu Oct 12, 2006 3:31 pm

One more question. Where can I buy the Krylon clear coat paint? Thanks.

USCGSARdog · Post by **USCGSARdog** » Thu Oct 12, 2006 6:32 pm

I purchased the Krylon Klear at, where else, Wal-Mart.

To spray mine I disassembled the Hornet as much as possible. I removed the wings, wingtip rails, and stabilators. I then sprayed each piece front first, let dry, and then the back. For the fuselage I masked half using the line where the front and aft sections are joined, sprayed, let dry and repeated the process for the other end. This way you can just hold the fuselage instead of hanging it.

Let us know how it turns out!

-Rob

pokeyjtc · Post by **pokeyjtc** » Thu Oct 12, 2006 7:16 pm

Another alternative is using Future Acrylic floor polish as a gloss coat. You can spray it on with an airbrush. It will dry with a very nice shine and you can wash it off with hot water if it gets a run or you mess up. You just have to build it up with several coats.

dfoos · Post by **dfoos** » Fri Oct 13, 2006 2:56 am

Just to add my 2 cents. I would use the Krylon Krystal Klear on this as well. I have used it before and had excellent results. I just wanted to add something kind of relevant. There are all different kinds of sealers and you don't want to use the wrong kind. I just had to re do the seal on a piece of furniture I helped my wife paint last week and had to re do it 3 times. I mixed spray paints (white) and got some really bad crinkle when some kinds dry on others (like using enamel seal over acrylic paint or is it acrylic over enamel I can't remember) but I also wanted to bring up a cool product I found for sealing terrain with styrofoam content. Its called Kamar Varnish and its water based so it won't melt the foam. I found it in the arts and crafts section of WM. it apparently is made for sealing photographs and therefore has to be very delicate and is supposed to be pretty good to use on sensitive materials. I have used it now for several projects and it's great. The only problem I have with it is that it stinks worse than other sealers (if that's possible) until it's dry. You really want to spray this in your garage, not indoors. Once it dries though, it loses the smell, so it's really nice stuff and not too expensive either.

good luck with your bird,

Dennis

Sabrefan · Post by **Sabrefan** » Tue Oct 24, 2006 10:00 am

I wanted to thank you guys for letting me know about the Krylon Krystal clear paint. My Blue Angel F-18 looks like a different plane now. That paint is so easy to use, and it dries fast. My F-18 shines like a new penny, and what a different that clear coat makes. Thanks again guys for the help.