wrenchbender Posted July 5, 2012 Share Posted July 5, 2012 Hi all, I've been reading all the how to paint postings that I can find but I have a bit of a different scenario. I want to clear coat over my decals but was wondering just what the steps are in doing so. 1. Prime the car 2. Wet sand the primer coats 3. Then mist coats followed by the heavy coats of the base Paint/Color. Now here's where I have questions? 4. (A) Do I sand the base coat then polish then apply the decals and clear? ( or do I skip the sanding part and the polish and go straight to decals then Clear? Reason I'm asking is what happens if you find a dust spec in the base coat. I would normally sand it down to get rid of it then polish it out. But I don't think I want to lay down decals on a polished surface that I'm going to clear coat because I wouldn't think you want to put clear paint on a wax or polished surface. The clear wouldn't be compatable with the wax or polish is that true? So if there's a dull suface from sanding will the clear make that same dull surface dissappear? Help! Ferren Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Modelmartin Posted July 5, 2012 Share Posted July 5, 2012 Nothing wrong with decalling over a polished surface. Make sure you clean it well with soap and water. Do NOT wax it. Decals and clear go over a polished surface just fine. I actually only go to about 3600 or 4000 grit on the polishing kit before I decal and clear. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Kucaba Posted July 6, 2012 Share Posted July 6, 2012 Please, no heavy coats. You do have to lay down a wet coat,but do that by getting in close with the can and moving it very quickly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ace-Garageguy Posted July 6, 2012 Share Posted July 6, 2012 1) In general, a polished surface is not the same as a waxed surface. POLISH, in the CORRECT usage of the term, is a very mild abrasive that brings up the shine and should leave no residue. WAX, on the other hand, is an additive coating that makes a "fake" shine on the surface, and interferes with anything sticking to it. Some POLISHES contain additives, like silicones or wax, that will interfere with clear coats or decals adhering. TEST FIRST on a scrap body, plastic spoon, etc, BEFORE you try anything new on a model, no matter how much "expert" advice you get. 2) If you have to sand trash or orange peel out of a basecoat, if it's METALLIC paint (it has little sparklies in it) you HAVE to respray any area you sand before clearing it. Sanding metallic paints WILL make a visible dieturbance in the way the flakes reflect light, and the clear won't fix it, it will just seal it in. 3) If you're using a SOLID color (no little sparklies) then yes, clearing will, in MOST cases, make the dull surface from sanding shiny again. NOTE: You REALLY NEED TO TEST YOUR PAINT, CLEAR and DECALS on a spare body or at least the backs of plastic spoons. There can be MANY MANY different combinations of paints, and some decals will wrinkle up when paint hits them, some won't. TEST before you do anytning on your nice model!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wrenchbender Posted July 6, 2012 Author Share Posted July 6, 2012 Martin/Michael/William, Thank you all very much for taking the time out to respond with your great comments. Your advice has been noted and I will use it as I experiment (with my fingers crossed) with the different processes you all have mentioned. Again I Thank you all! Ferren Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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