Decals.Polish or clear coat?

[rickd13]

Hi guys, I'm really new to this hobby in regards to how most everyone on here does things these days. I'm starting to get a little frustrated. I'm a bit of a perfectionist, and I'm really disheartened after seeing some of the pictures of the cars on this forum compared to the way my projects are going. I'm blown away at how amazing the cars looked and at how good you guys are at this. I need some advice on two issues. First, I have a '70 Dodge Challenger in which all of the body paint is completed (panther pink colored lacquer). I already applied the decals because I planned on clear coating over them. I lightly sanded the body of the car with a 4,000 grit sand paper. The finish looks a little dull now in some spots. Is that okay or did I not use a fine enough grit sand paper? Will that dullness go away with the clear coat or will it show through the clear? If I clear coat, what grit sand paper should I use in between coats? If I decide not to clear coat now (I'm afraid of screwing up the clear coat and ruining the whole paint job) how do you polish the car without ruining the decals? My second issue is on a '71 Hemi 'Cuda. I would like some ideas on how to attack the the fender (shark like) vents, the tiny little words hemi 'cuda on the air scoop, and the 'cuda emblem by the tail light on the back bumper. I already have two coats of paint on the body (white lacquer). The air scoop and back tail light area are a semi-gloss black. I would really appreciate your thoughts. I love the forum. It has really been helpful even though my head is spinning trying to get things right.

Edited March 7, 2011 by rickd13

[Guest]

I would not clear coat the decals. Most muscle car graphics were more of a satin look, so clear coating your decals would give them too much gloss. I would use BMF on the fender vents, with a black wash inside them. If you clearcoat, the dullness of the color coat should go away, but you can polish the clear with a polkshing kit if you desire, but most factory stock paint jobs were not extremely glossy anyway. Hope this helps a bit.

[rickd13]

I would not clear coat the decals. Most muscle car graphics were more of a satin look, so clear coating your decals would give them too much gloss. I would use BMF on the fender vents, with a black wash inside them. If you clearcoat, the dullness of the color coat should go away, but you can polish the clear with a polkshing kit if you desire, but most factory stock paint jobs were not extremely glossy anyway. Hope this helps a bit.

How do you polish the car without ruining the decals? And what about the little 'cuda emblems. Thanks for your suggestions.

Edited March 7, 2011 by rickd13

[LoneWolf15]

Rick ,

The Final Detail Wax will not hurt your decals as long as they have been applied properly . As for the ' Cuda emblems , Check with Keith Marks decals and see if he makes the decals for this particular car . I sand off the badge emblems and use Keith's decals in their place . It makes a big diffrence .

Donn Yost

[Guest]

You will not be able to use a polishing kit over the decals, just the wax that Donn mentioned. As for the badges, you can dry brush with testors Silver Chrome paint to highlight them if you do not have decals.

[rickd13]

Rick ,

The Final Detail Wax will not hurt your decals as long as they have been applied properly . As for the ' Cuda emblems , Check with Keith Marks decals and see if he makes the decals for this particular car . I sand off the badge emblems and use Keith's decals in their place . It makes a big diffrence .

Donn Yost

What is the process I should use to wax the car then? As the car stands now, it has two coats of primer and three coats of panther pink lacquer on it. The decals have been applied. I gave it a light wet sanding with a 4,000 grit sand paper. It looks a little dull in some spots. Did I use too rough a grit paper or will waxing the car brig back the luster? Could I try to polish the car around the decals or should I just wax it? What is the process of waxing the car? Should I wax or polish the car before or after I do Bare Metal Foil? (I'm guessing after). I'm sorry for all of the questions, but I've tried to do searches on these topics but the search engine on this forum hasn't been very helpful. Thanks for all the help guys.

Edited March 8, 2011 by rickd13

[The Creative Explorer]

In your case, I would clearcoat the car. If you start fiddling with polishing around the decals, your finish will be uneven. This is just a moment for learning.

It is not a 'mistake', but you will know now the right order for next time. For myself; I always clearcoat over the decals, but that has to do, to give it a custom-look.

[LoneWolf15]

Rick ,

Here are the steps ..... After the car has been painted and has flashed out , then it can be wet sanded and polished out with Novus 2 . Next , you apply your bare metal foil . After you finish the foiling , you are going to have fingerprints , these are easily waxed out .

Once you have the body looking like a mirror , you can now apply your decals. To maintain the model's appearance afterward , you can either use The Detail Wax or Novus 1. Apply either of the two with small squares of soft 100% cotton t shirt .

The t shirt squares are what you should be using when doing your initial polishing out after your wet sanding has been completed . This will help you avoid scratching the freshly polished paint surface.

Hope this helps !

Donn Yost

[rickd13]

In your case, I would clearcoat the car. If you start fiddling with polishing around the decals, your finish will be uneven. This is just a moment for learning.

It is not a 'mistake', but you will know now the right order for next time. For myself; I always clearcoat over the decals, but that has to do, to give it a custom-look.

Will the clear coat take away the dull spots I talked about? Did I use too rough a grit sand paper? Is there anything I should do or know before I clear coat it?

[rickd13]

Rick ,

Here are the steps ..... After the car has been painted and has flashed out , then it can be wet sanded and polished out with Novus 2 . Next , you apply your bare metal foil . After you finish the foiling , you are going to have fingerprints , these are easily waxed out .

Once you have the body looking like a mirror , you can now apply your decals. To maintain the model's appearance afterward , you can either use The Detail Wax or Novus 1. Apply either of the two with small squares of soft 100% cotton t shirt .

The t shirt squares are what you should be using when doing your initial polishing out after your wet sanding has been completed . This will help you avoid scratching the freshly polished paint surface.

Hope this helps !

Donn Yost

What do you suggest that I do with the car the way it is now? Should I just wax it? If that is the case, will the dull spots I talked about go away or do I have to do something before waxing it to get rid of the dullness first? Should I do foil before I wax it or will waxing it after disturb the foil? I can remove the decals because I have an extra set. Is that what you would do? If that is what you suggest, how do you remove the decals without ruining the paint? Sorry for all the questions , but my head is spinning. Thanks for the help. Thank you to everyone for your advice and suggestions.

Edited March 8, 2011 by rickd13

[LoneWolf15]

What do you suggest that I do with the car the way it is now? Should I just wax it? If that is the case, will the dull spots I talked about go away or do I have to do something before waxing it to get rid of the dullness first? Should I do foil before I wax it or will waxing it after disturb the foil? I can remove the decals because I have an extra set. Is that what you would do? If that is what you suggest, how do you remove the decals without ruining the paint? Sorry for all the questions , but my head is spinning. Thanks for the help. Thank you to everyone for your advice and suggestions.

You can remove the decals with a folded over piece of scotch tape. Finish polishing out the car up to 12000 under cold running water . You do not have to rub hard with the polishing cloth , stay away from your high spots and edges ! .

After this is completed , rub the body out with Novus 2 and follow it up with The Detail Wax .Again ! You do not have to rub hard , the shine will eventually come through . It will look like a pink mirror when you are finished !

Bare Metal foil your trim. Lightly go back over the car with your wax again to remove any finger prints . If there is any glue residue left from the foiling , a little bit of Novus 2 will take it right off . Now you can apply your decals ! Trick to all of this is patience , just take your time !

Everybody has to learn about this sometime , never be afraid to ask questions . Modeling is a consistent and ongoing education ! If all else fails on this project , you learned a valuable lesson from this experience . Lady Trial n Error is a cruel mistress , thats why the older guys should always help out ! I've slept with her for too many years not to know this ! Good Luck !

Donn Yost

Lone Wolf Custom Painting

[rickd13]

You can remove the decals with a folded over piece of scotch tape. Finish polishing out the car up to 12000 under cold running water . You do not have to rub hard with the polishing cloth , stay away from your high spots and edges ! .

After this is completed , rub the body out with Novus 2 and follow it up with The Detail Wax .Again ! You do not have to rub hard , the shine will eventually come through . It will look like a pink mirror when you are finished !

Bare Metal foil your trim. Lightly go back over the car with your wax again to remove any finger prints . If there is any glue residue left from the foiling , a little bit of Novus 2 will take it right off . Now you can apply your decals ! Trick to all of this is patience , just take your time !

Everybody has to learn about this sometime , never be afraid to ask questions . Modeling is a consistent and ongoing education ! If all else fails on this project , you learned a valuable lesson from this experience . Lady Trial n Error is a cruel mistress , thats why the older guys should always help out ! I've slept with her for too many years not to know this ! Good Luck !

Donn Yost

Lone Wolf Custom Painting

Thank you. I'll give it a try.