Questions about decals and gloss coats.

[BringHomeTheBacon]

I'm now painting my Kenworth truck model in Testors Grape gloss enamel and it's coming along super. Eventually, I will come to applying decals and that will be followed by the need to seal them in with a gloss topcoat.

a. May I just gloss over the decals themselves? I was thinking about masking around the applied and set decals and leaving about 1/8" overlap for clear paint onto the body parts.

b. Is it just best to spray the entire decaled body with clear? 

c. Should all body parts in body exterior base paint color be clear coated, or is it Ok just to clear the decaled parts? 

 

The following tractor parts are to be painted in body base color, Grape, parts are to be decaled as noted:

 

-cab, both sides (decals for trucking company on doors)

-hood, both sides (KENWORTH badge decal on sides of nose)

-battery box and driver cab step assembly, both sides

-battery cover, both sides

-sleeper unit assembly

-air cleaner housings (truck number decal on each air cleaner canister, 35) 

-steering column

- sleeper steps

-air cleaner brackets

-bottom of interior bucket

-firewall 

-visor

 

[Bainford]

There is certainly no problem with masking and clear coating just the decals. If I was going to clear over the decals, I would avoid the masking and just clear over the entire body after the decals were installed. Less work, less chance of screw-ups, and the overall look will probably be better (no masking ridge at the mask line). As for all the smaller body-coloured parts, there is no reason to not clear coat them, except perhaps to save a bit of work. If the paint is shiny, it probably won't change their appearance much.

[SfanGoch]

Don't indulge this guy. This is Plumcrazy Preston using another identity.

 

[Ace-Garageguy]

46 minutes ago, SfanGoch said:

Don't indulge this guy. This is Plumcrazy Preston using another identity.

    "Surely you jest, sir!!"

Edited April 7, 2022 by Ace-Garageguy

[BringHomeTheBacon]

1 hour ago, Bainford said:

There is certainly no problem with masking and clear coating just the decals. If I was going to clear over the decals, I would avoid the masking and just clear over the entire body after the decals were installed. Less work, less chance of screw-ups, and the overall look will probably be better (no masking ridge at the mask line). As for all the smaller body-coloured parts, there is no reason to not clear coat them, except perhaps to save a bit of work. If the paint is shiny, it probably won't change their appearance much.

Very well. I will probably just clear everything in body color to top it all off. Thank you, sir. 

[SfanGoch]

29 minutes ago, Ace-Garageguy said:

"Surely you jest, sir!!"

I'm being absolutely Frank from Hackensack, formerly of SW Oklahoma.

[Fat Brian]

First, test a scrap piece of decal film with the clear you want to use. I had a body ruined when I tried to clear over decals and the clear beaded up on the decals like water on a freshly waxed car.

Second, once you know you're decals and clear play nice together clear everything. Some clear coats, specifically Testors but others as well, can color shift a bit over time. If you only clear some parts there's a possibility that in a year or two the cleared and not cleared parts will be a slightly different color.

[BringHomeTheBacon]

I had in mind to paint a plastic spoon. Use one of my spare decals, I've got a bunch, then hit it with clear to do the test. Applied decals would cure at least a week before clear spray. Testors Glosscote and Dullcote is what I have in bottles. Did you cure your decals long enough before the clear? My decals vendor states:

• Once the model is completely dry, it's recommended to give the entire model a uniform finish of clear coat. Any commercial model paint clear finish will work as long as it's compatible with the paint on your model.

https://highballgraphics.com/index.php/using-our-decals

 

Testors top coats should be compatible with Testors/Pactra/Model Masters enamels. No? I've heard decals should be "primed" with a mist coat then clear can be laid down heavier later. 

Edited April 8, 2022 by BringHomeTheBacon

[peteski]

This is going to be a fun thread.  If this is Mr. (Plum) Crazy again, then I think has 3 accounts set up here at this point. This is totally not Kosher on the forum.  But I'll be watching.

[BringHomeTheBacon]

One of the tricky things about clear coating a whole body is uniform coverage. I will be spraying clear over an already gloss base paint body. I don't want to miss spots that the human eye can't detect. 

[SfanGoch]

When did you decide to move from Hackensack? Didn't like White Manna sliders?

[BringHomeTheBacon]

Never mind.

[SfanGoch]

14 hours ago, BringHomeTheBacon said:

I don't want to miss spots that the human eye can't detect. 

??????

 

[av405]

Zoinks!

[Ace-Garageguy]

4 hours ago, SfanGoch said:

??????

Perhaps a 3D-printed scanning electron microscope would be in order for identifying those pesky "spots that the human eye can't detect"?

Coming soon to a desktop near you...

[Sandboarder]

[BringHomeTheBacon]

12 hours ago, SfanGoch said:

??????

 

You see clear paint is invisible. Very hard for my eyes to see where it was laid down over an already glossy base coat. But I could be mistaken. I have never clear coated before. How can YOUR eyes tell where clear is being laid down over the body while spraying? Don't want to miss some parts or spray too heavy in other parts. I would be nice to have a robotic model sprayer like they do cars at the assembly line. 

Edited April 9, 2022 by BringHomeTheBacon

[SfanGoch]

1 hour ago, BringHomeTheBacon said:

Very hard for my eyes to see where it was laid down over an already glossy base coat.

I've never had that problem.

[Sandboarder]

1 hour ago, BringHomeTheBacon said:

I have never clear coated before. How can YOUR eyes tell where clear is being laid down over the body while spraying? Don't want to miss some parts or spray too heavy in other parts.  

When your applying the gloss it is very easy to see where you have covered or missed as it’ll look wet or dry. Any mist or overspray looks dry and dull so you put a coat over those areas and they look wet and dry glossy.

 

I have glossed over decals. Nothing special was done. Paint model in chosen colours. Apply decal, waiting a little longer then normal to dry and then apply the clear coat exactly the same way I applied the base colour. No issues with decals, no missed spots.

 

Please don’t ignore advice and be stubborn like PlumCrazyPreston. Even if it’s not what you want to hear, take all advice on board. 

[SfanGoch]

1 hour ago, Sandboarder said:

Please don’t ignore advice and be stubborn like PlumCrazyPreston.

Who do you think you're replying to?

[Sandboarder]

27 minutes ago, SfanGoch said:

Who do you think you're replying to?

New user name, new attitude? Benefit of the doubt that the same mistakes won’t be made. 

[SfanGoch]

36 minutes ago, Sandboarder said:

Benefit of the doubt that the same mistakes won’t be made. 

Einstein said, "The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result." It's a matter of the same shtick regurgitated by the same person using three different registered accounts yet nobody picks up on it. The same mistakes are being made by anyone replying with the same wasted advice which they posted in the other identical thread authored by the very same person using a different account. You're getting your chain yanked. Either you, in the general context, don't get it; or, you don't mind.

[Xingu]

This will be last warning many of you will get. Trolling is against the rules here. Don't get mad and say how you are mistreated and singled out when you get put on moderation and/or banned for 30 days. You are not judge and jury, if you have concerns bring them up with a moderator.

[Fat Brian]

8 hours ago, BringHomeTheBacon said:

You see clear paint is invisible. Very hard for my eyes to see where it was laid down over an already glossy base coat. But I could be mistaken. I have never clear coated before. How can YOUR eyes tell where clear is being laid down over the body while spraying? Don't want to miss some parts or spray too heavy in other parts. I would be nice to have a robotic model sprayer like they do cars at the assembly line. 

There will be a pebbly texture to areas that need more clear. Once everything has a nice smoothe surface again you're done. Work in light coats because it's easy to put too much on and get a run since it is a little more difficult to gage the depth of the layer since it's clear.

[NOBLNG]

For anyone researching this in the future….Mr. Hobby UV Cut clear is NOT to be used over decals.