*Accident* Clear coat on my windows!

[daVinci]

Hey all first post, many thanks to everyone here- from the tutorials to the completed projects, my skills and view of the hobby are better than ever!

Anywho I'm just finishing up my first model car (yes... first ever- I'm 22 in a week and long story short I just decided I needed a hobby and jumped irght in, lovin' every minute of it. So I was getting ready to put the clear coat on the body of my 08 Bullitt Mustang, affixed mirrors, got the psoiler attached, etc and then did the deed and laid down a lovely gloss coat.

Immediately after I sprayed, to my disappointment, I realized my silly error- I had stupidly put it in the side windows and headlight covers- so now they're all kinds of glossy/foggy from the paint. I know it's not too horrible... it just looks terrible and I can't stop kicking myself for such a simple mistake.

I was wondering (praying really) if just dipping a Q-tip in paint thinner and giving the clear parts a good rub-down would remove (at least most) of the clear coat? If there's any other solutions I'm all ears, but I figure that will probably do the trick- just wanna know if there's any easier way or hidden problems- thank you!

[scummy]

G,day mate , i've done this and i'm afraid the glass is finished .Your going to have to get clear styrene and cut new windows , sorry .

[daVinci]

Aaaah balls! I didn't want to think that was an option but it was my fear... Honestly I don't think it looks too terrible, (not enough to motivate me to get new parts at least...) it kind of gives the glass a slightly frosted or foggy look h I actually kind of like on the headlights at least- I do wish you could see the lights a bit more but even on the backside windows it gives it a "different" look to say the least.

Well thanks anyways, I definitely will remember this lesson in the future, that's for sure!

[randx0]

If you are able to remove the clear parts you can polish them back to clear using a polishing kit or you can try a finger nail polishing block it has like six different colors each a different grit .you start with the coarsest grit and work your way through to the finest grit you can follow it up with some model car wax or novus plastic polish. also the parts you describe are relatively flat parts that could be duplicated by tracing them onto a piece of cardstock then using that as a template using just about any clear plastic (packaging,waterbottle,plastic sheet from local hobby store.)an additional pointer use white glue for your clear parts . hope this helps

[LDO]

Or go to the "Wanted" section of this site and let people know you need some more "glass". I'll bet it works out. Lots of friendly builders here. Maybe someone bought one of those to get a cool engine for a street rod.

[Howard Cohen]

I have removed old paint and clear from glass just by dipping them in Super Clean, then polishing them with Treatment Model Wax. Of course, this means you have to take the model apart

[highway]

OOPS!!! I see you have already gotten some good suggestions from making/getting new glass, trying to strip the glass, or polishing the clear with polishing cloths, but I have another possible solution. I would say either get some Tamiya Clear Smoke paint (X-19 in the bottles, I think) or go to the local auto parts store and pick up some window tint film and tint the side windows and headlights.

[charlie8575]

Try toothpaste and a Q-tip. I was able to bring back the window unit on a 1960 Valiant using that method. It does take a while, and you have to be very careful to keep it applied evening (a problem because toothpaste tends to dry some, but it'll be worth it. Afterwards, if you haven't fully assembled the car, immerse the body in warm, soapy water, and VERY gently clean it, and then allow it to air-dry. Here's a picture of what I ended up with. The clear part that attaches to the roof will give you a pretty good idea of what I started with.

If you have assembled the car, take a soft, damp cloth and very gently wipe the polished areas down, allow to air-dry.

If disassembly becomes necessary, I'd use an X-Acto chisel blade for the #1 (small) handle. That would probably be the most successful for getting in and breaking the bond.

Good luck, and remember, even after doing this for about thirty years, I'm still learning new things, too. This is all a giant learning curve.

Charlie Larkin

Edited July 7, 2010 by charlie8575

[MikeMc]

just order replacement pieces from Revell. have your instruction sheet handy for the part numbers and you should have them within a week.

Dave

Listen to Dave...quick , easy, and say hi to Angie!!!

1/800/833/3570

[59-Desoto]

I keep a can of Braso on hand it makes a great all round polish for glass and even rubbing out paint work. Just one more product you may want to keep in mind.

[Scalper]

Or tint the windows with a clear smoke color.

[daVinci]

Thanks for all the replies gang, much appreciated! In the future I'll definitely just skip this whole dilemma by remembering not to clear coat anything clear plastic haha- duh!

I decided to leave the windows as is cause, as I said, they don't really look to horrible to me and since I was 99% done, this being my first model and all- I went ahead as per the plan and she came out just fine IMO. I'll try and post some pictures ASAP- the glass in question is pretty much opaque so I'm not sure how the tinted/smokey window effect would come off- just a darker cloudiness which would probably look worse in my eyes- I do plan on doing some window tinting in the future so thanks for the tips!

Peace n love, thanks again

(side note- is it just me or is the fit for the body on the completed chassis for the 08 Bullitt Mustang ridiculously tight? Requiring a bit of prying and general mandhandling... not to mention tradin' quite a bit of paint on the edges and wheel wells... first one's the hardest I guess