Clear coating

[Quick GMC]

I am having trouble clear coating. I get too much texture. I can sand and polish, but I'm having to start with 3200 and go all the way through the grits. If I can avoid this, it would be great.

When you guys clear coat, how much paint do you let through your airbrush? Meaning, if you have an adjustable stop, where do you set your stop, or how far back do you pull the trigger?

I have a habit of shooting close to the model, maybe 6" away at the most, but I'm afraid if I go farther away I will get even more texture. I am shooting at 18-20 PSI, any more and it seems to dry faster before it hits the model.

I'm just looking for suggestions, I know it will vary with each setup.

I have found that 18 PSI and low to medium paint opening is good for basecoat paint, but not for the clear. Do you typically go higher on pressure with clear coat vs paint?

[CJ1971]

What kind of clear are you using? Auto 2-pack?

What size A/B ( nozzle ) are you using? Using a .05mm nozzle is ideal.

Your pressure is too high, lower it to no more than 10-12psi. 6-8inches away is fine. Most people don't realize, with clear, it's ok to get texture. First 2 coats should be mist coats, 2-5 minutes apart. Follow this with a medium coat & then 1-2 full wet coats, 20mins apart. The texture will blend.

I use iwata compressor with iwata A/B & they work fine.

Cheers Cliff

[Quick GMC]

I have a Grex, I just switched to .5mm nozzle. I have Duplicolor clear (pre-thinned) and Zero (1 part). I have thinned both and sprayed un-thinned. Same problem. I did a few mist coats. Then a wet coat.

The texture did start to go away, but it was getting thick, I was worried it would be too thick.

So basically just keep doing coats until it smooths out?

I will try it on a lower setting today.

I don't have any reducer, I have been using lacquer thinner to thin the clear coats and the paint. It seems to be working fine, but not quite that smooth buttery finish. Would this make that much of a difference?

[CadillacPat]

Your psi is okay.

I usually shoot a little higher around 25 psi for Paint or Clear. That psi ensures fine atomization so you don't just pour the paint on but lay it down in fine overlapping sheets.

While it is true that if you dump on enough Clear it will flow out, it's not something to strive for.

Just overlap your passes and you'll get the wet look on your 2nd or 3rd pass.

How smooth was the Primer and Colorcoat you laid down?

CadillacPat

Edited April 15, 2013 by CadillacPat

[Quick GMC]

Primer was sanded with 1500 as well as the base coat of paint, so it was dead smooth. Practice pieces seem to be pretty good, then I choke on the actual car.

[CadillacPat]

What is Duplicolor Clear PreThinned?

CadillacPat

[Ace-Garageguy]

What is Duplicolor Clear PreThinned?

Acrylic lacquer from the auto parts store, thinned to "ready to spray" viscosity, or so it says on the can...same stuff my neighbor's grand-kid just used to "paint" his 1:1 truck in the yard. Nize, though I'm sure the clear itself is fine, correctly applied.

[Quick GMC]

Is it a crappy product? I don't know anything about clear coats

[Jantrix]

Nope the Duplicolor Clears are quite good.

[Ace-Garageguy]

Is it a crappy product? I don't know anything about clear coats

It should be fine, PROPERLY APPLIED. Duplicolor makes a line of good stuff...no reason to assume the canned, pre-thinned clear isn't good. In applying any clearcoats, viscosity, air pressure and spraying technique all contribute to making the finish.

It's sometimes difficult to gauge how wet to shoot clears, as they're...clear...so the amount of overlap between passes can be hard to see. Getting the material down wet enough to flow is essential if you don't want to be sanding and buffing for days, but too wet and it will puddle, curtain and run.

[Longbox55]

It's a good product, as Bill stated, when properly applied. I've been using it for a while, seems to spray fine for me right out of the can with no additional thinning. As Cliff pointed out, 10-12 psi works best for the Duplicolor clear.

[Quick GMC]

Thanks guys, I'll do some trial runs when I get home.

[Longbox55]

Here's a Dirty Donnie van that I've been working on. It's cleared with the Duplicolor prethinned clear, shot at 12 psi. It has been sanded with a polishing kit, then buffed with rubbing compound and waxed. The base primer was Duplicolor and the paints used were Dupliclor Perfect Match and Tamiya spray laquer.

[Quick GMC]

50+mph winds blowing walls of sand is preventing me from painting tonight. I'll follow your suggestions when I get a chance. Supposedly this wind is expected for 1-2 more days.

Here's a Dirty Donnie van that I've been working on. It's cleared with the Duplicolor prethinned clear, shot at 12 psi. It has been sanded with a polishing kit, then buffed with rubbing compound and waxed. The base primer was Duplicolor and the paints used were Dupliclor Perfect Match and Tamiya spray laquer.

What did you have to start sanding with? I don't mind the sanding, it's just when I have to start low and really put some elbow grease into is when I'm over it.

[Longbox55]

I used a Micro-mark polishing kit, started with the 3600 grit from the kit, and progressed through the grits to the final 12000.