When to clear?

[JayC]

I have been reading a lot in this forum but haven't come across this kind of topic.

Eventually I am going to build the Polar Lights 1965 Dodge Coronet 500. I hate the color on it and will have to strip it off. It doesn't have the chrome pieces that some other models have. They are painted on as you can see.

I plan on using DupliColor primer, paint, and clear. I'm thinking of just spraying the primer out of the can and then airbrush the color. Will airbrushing the primer give me a better overall result?

Anyway, this is what I have been wondering. The "chrome" will have to be painted on (probably with Testors enamel and a detail brush). Should I prime, paint, and clear the DupliColor, then paint on the chrome (and maybe another clear coat afterwards)? Or should I paint the chrome on before clearing? I assume DupliColor clear would be a spray to, so should I just rattle can it or decant and airbrush?

I read I should wait a week before clearing to let the paint finish gassing. Should I wait to paint an enamel over a lacquer?

[Brendan]

There's no real advantage in airbrushing on the primer. The only time I do it is if I have a lot of very tight spaces. As for the chrome and since it's an enamel, it is not compatible with Duplicolor Clearcoat since it is a lacquer based paint. The Clearcoat will just wrinkle or have the enamel bleed all over the rest of the car. The thing to do is to prime, paint, clearcoat and then paint on the chrome. Or you can just bare metal foil which you can put on a clearcoat.

[JayC]

So you're saying it will be ok to paint enamel on top of the lacquer clear?

Thanks for the bare metal foil suggestion. I saw "BMF" mentioned but wasn't sure what it meant. I'm really liking that idea! I read where people have had success with plain old aluminum foil. Some of the pictures I saw sure look good! I never cared for the painted on chrome look, so learning about foil is really cool. Even though the PL Coronet model may not be the best one around, it is turning into one heck of a test bed from what I have been reading here! I sure am eager to finish rounding up my supplies and actually start on it.

[Brendan]

Yes.

I'm personally not a big fan of enamels. I prefer to use bare metal foil on trim like that. I find it easier in the long run. If you have an air brush, you could try a product called Alclad. Alclad comes in a bunch of metal shades. But for trim, I would just stick with the bare metal foil.