Wet sand/ buff/ vs clear coat?

[Nicholas]

Ok as the title implies, when I paint my models, I use MCW enamels, the paint job always comes out very shiny, needing no clear coat, but often times I get a little dust/ debris in the paint  or mild orange peel so I need to wet sand it out, my issue is that after I wet sand it  I buff/polish the paint, but what seems to happen is I always get a slight haze and the paint never looks as good as I shot it and didn’t touch it after? I use the novice #2 polish, and sometimes I used to tamiya fine polish, then follow it with Maguires, scratch X, and then a wax coat, but it never looks like when I freshly painted it and never touched it I guess my question is what the heck am I doing wrong, also my second part of this question is can I clean the wax and re-clearcoat it and if I can what can I use to get all the wax off it before I clearcoat it so I don’t get fish eyes? Thanks for all suggestions.

[Bainford]

That a curious problem. I have yet to use MCW paints, so can't comment specifically on them. But I have chimed in here just to say that I seldom use a clearcoat unless the specific job requires it for one reason or another, and have not incurred this problem. This is true whether I paint with acrylic, lacquer, or enamel. I cut the paint with 3600, 4000, or 6000 Micro Mesh pads, depending on how good the paint is to begin with, then polish with finer Micro Mesh pads, Tamiya polishing compounds (usually just Fine and Finish), and finish off with Tamiya wax. I wonder if the problem is specific to MCW enamels.

Repainting after waxing could be tricky. It may depend on what type of wax was used. Tamiya wax seems pretty forgiving. I have not tried to paint over a waxed surface, but I have glued to it with no problems. With enamel paint you may be able to wipe the body down with alcohol (but don't try that with lacquer or acrylic) though can't say for sure it will be effective at removing the wax. It may be difficult to ensure all traces of wax have been removed, even with a good wax remover. It may be worth painting a spoon and giving it the same treatment as the car body including wax, then try to remove the wax and repaint.

Just spit ballin' here.

[Nicholas]

thanks for the reply,i dont think its specific to mcw paints,as it used to happen to testors lacquers,that i used to use,i agree removing the wax seems tricky and i probably dont want to chance it,so I'll probably leave it be.

[TNT]

I have used polishing pads then clear coat then polish that down then wax. But that really comes looking like a show car finish. Wet sanding with the pads and a drop of dish soap  then waxing gives a nice shine and doesn't look thick. 

As to waxing then re painting i just did that on revells 29 model a. It was a duplicolor green. Waxed it seen a bad spot. I used alcohol pads to scrub and wipe down the body. Then cleaned all panel lines and alcohol pad again. Resprayed it and looks good. Already waxed it again. But do this at your own risk. ?

[bobss396]

I have been using the MM Extreme Lacquers lately and their clear is quite good. So good, I'll lay down a final coat and not touch it from there. I can do this with the Tamiya TS line too. 

[SpeedShift]

On 5/29/2024 at 4:56 AM, Nicholas said:

Ok as the title implies, when I paint my models, I use MCW enamels, the paint job always comes out very shiny, needing no clear coat, but often times I get a little dust/ debris in the paint  or mild orange peel so I need to wet sand it out, my issue is that after I wet sand it  I buff/polish the paint, but what seems to happen is I always get a slight haze and the paint never looks as good as I shot it and didn’t touch it after? I use the novice #2 polish, and sometimes I used to tamiya fine polish, then follow it with Maguires, scratch X, and then a wax coat, but it never looks like when I freshly painted it and never touched it I guess my question is what the heck am I doing wrong, also my second part of this question is can I clean the wax and re-clearcoat it and if I can what can I use to get all the wax off it before I clearcoat it so I don’t get fish eyes? Thanks for all suggestions.

"I buff/polish the paint, but what seems to happen is I always get a slight haze and the paint never looks as good as I shot it "

The same thing happens to me when I wet sand and polish after airbrush/painting with Testors bottle enamel thinned with lacquer thinner, so it's not a problem with MCW enamel paint.

The glossy sheen after first spraying the lacquer thinned Testors enamel is the best glossy finish I've ever achieved. Beautiful.

But dealing with that one dust speck while waiting for enamel to dry and cure results in the same setback you mentioned, - no amount of polishing

(I use all the same things you do Novus 2 and 1, Tamiya fine and finish etc.) brings back that first glossy sheen.

I was hoping trying MCW enamel with their enamel hardener would speed the dry/cure time to avoid dust and that part seems to work well.

It sets up quicker to avoid dust. That part works ok.

But trying to get a glossy finish using MCW's clear gloss has not been pleasant to say the least.

I'm tearing my hair out now using MCW enamel clear gloss on a project right now (see my posts here):

I'm trying to get a nice gloss on the MCW enamel - but it is the worst finish I've ever had painting.

I'm hoping to find some kind of clear gloss to work with MCW's fast drying enamel with hardener to get that same glossy sheen I got using Testors enamel with lacquer thinner.

 

 

 

 

Edited June 7, 2024 by SpeedShift

[Nicholas]

I did some research on my problem,looking back thru scale auto mags I read that auto motive polishes/treatments could be bad on a non cleared enamel paint surface,something about how it re acts to enamel based paint opposed to a lacquer based paint,so what I have been doing lately is that after I paint it and it flashes out,if there is no gunk/dust and it does not need to be wet sanded/polished,I just leave it be,the finish with the hardner added is very hard/glossy..if I need to wet sand,I do so,then go right to the MCW clear/hardner and clear coat...if dust gets on that, then I can wet sand it out and polish/buff with auto based products and the paint shines like hell,no more dulling down/hazy/foggy look.