Problems with Testors Lusterless lacquer spray

No guarantees but, my guess is that if you sanded the shiney areas lightly just to scuff them and give a little texture then you may be able to recoat and get an even finish. I'm thinking that when you leveled the runs with lacquer thinner you created a smoother, slicker surface and that's why they were glossier. And as you said, the heavier wet coat probably made it glossier. I know it's more work but you could decant the clears and shoot them through your airbrush for more control.

Tony

Thanks for the suggestion Tony. 

 I called Testors and s/w Amber in their tech dept and she told me to use isopropyl alcohol to remove the lacquer coats and that it will not harm the enamel paint.  She said with the lusterless clear to shake for atleast 3 minutes and keep shaking after a few spray passes.  She said to spray 10 -12 inches from model and put on very light coats and to wait at least 20 minutes between coats.  Warming up the can in warm water will also help before spraying. 

She also said if you get the dullcote /glosscote 1 3/4 oz  bottles and mix with lacquer thinner to spray with an airbrush it would come better, be easier to do and be much more economical compared to the cans.  I actually have 6 bottles of each dullcote #1160 and glosscote #1161 along with the lacquer thinner #1159 but have not used it.  I have been using the cans first.  I may try using the bottles with the airbrush

I took her advice and was able to remove the lacquer clearcoat with the alcohol.  It took some time but almost all came off and it didn't mess up the enamel color coat.  I needed to touch up a few small spots and will now wait until tomorrow to spray a semigloss coat,  then wait 24 hours then apply the decals wait another 24 hours and spray a final lusterless coat

Definitely, shake well and when you think you've shaken it too much, shake it siome more...

If you haven't shaken it well previously, it may be that your previous usages (which have hitherto given you a flat finish) have expelled all of the matting agent (silica) from the can and what remains is the (gloss) paint/carrier, which you have been using of late, which may result in a gloss/semi-gloss finish. If this is the case, you may need to replace the can.

Been absent for a few days, I'm glad you got some help Escape068. Any time I use an aerosol can I warm it with some hot tap water and if I spray for a while and the can cools to the touch, I set it in water again. You'll have a lot more control with the airbrush. Please let us know how it turns out.

Tony

Yes,

you should have used the Glosscote 1961 for your decals. The semi gloss 1959 doesn't create (IMO) a good base for decaling and your decals might 'silver' as a result. That's *probably* the reason you went a little overboard and the semi-gloss ran a bit, because probably you didn't see it glossy enough. Even using Gloss Cote might require 2+ coats for a good decal surface. Use your SG cote for a final overall finish as you would with flat cote, never for decals or washes.

Saturday I used a mixture of Testors glosscote & dullcote 65/35 and sprayed with airbrush and it came very nice. It has a nice even shine for the decals.  After the decals have a chance to dry I will do the reverse 30/70 glosscote / dullcoat to get a satin type finish.  I will still use the testors spary cans for smaller models like tanks but for larger plane type models the airbrush is the way to go

Thanks for all the tips and advice

Scott

Can I use the hardware store lacquer thinner to thin the Testors Glosscote / Dullcote clears?  The Testors thinner is expensive and if the hardware store lacquer thinner can be used it would be even more economical then the cans. 

Also what is the ratio of lacquer thinner to clear? Currently I'm mixing 2 to 3 of thinner to clear

Thanks,

Scott

Escape068

Can I use the hardware store lacquer thinner to thin the Testors Glosscote / Dullcote clears?  The Testors thinner is expensive and if the hardware store lacquer thinner can be used it would be even more economical then the cans. 

Also what is the ratio of lacquer thinner to clear? Currently I'm mixing 2 to 3 of thinner to clear

Thanks,

Scott

I've always used ordinary lacquer thinner with Testors Glosscote & Dullcote with good results.  I use a 1:1 ratio for airbrushing.

I mix Glosscote & Dullcote for semi-gloss finishes.  I usually start out at 1:1, then adjust depending on the look I want to achieve.

As far as decaling, I've had the best results with first applying Glosscote, decaling, applying a second layer of Glosscote over the decals and then my final coat of semi-gloss, flat or whatever final finish I want to achieve. 

Mark

I'm thinking that maybe every once in a while a can will be defective in the sense that there is something wrong with the flattening agent. (bad batch? not enough of it?, settled to the bottom and hardened?, mislabeled?)

I had a can a few years ago that just would not produce a flat finish, it was more of a semigloss.  I tried the heating method and shook the heck out of it and it helped a little but not much.

I haven't had a problem since then and have used probably 10 more cans.

RedCorvette

Escape068:

Can I use the hardware store lacquer thinner to thin the Testors Glosscote / Dullcote clears?  The Testors thinner is expensive and if the hardware store lacquer thinner can be used it would be even more economical then the cans. 

Also what is the ratio of lacquer thinner to clear? Currently I'm mixing 2 to 3 of thinner to clear

Thanks,

Scott

 

I've always used ordinary lacquer thinner with Testors Glosscote & Dullcote with good results.  I use a 1:1 ratio for airbrushing.

I mix Glosscote & Dullcote for semi-gloss finishes.  I usually start out at 1:1, then adjust depending on the look I want to achieve.

As far as decaling, I've had the best results with first applying Glosscote, decaling, applying a second layer of Glosscote over the decals and then my final coat of semi-gloss, flat or whatever final finish I want to achieve. 

Mark

How much time do you let clearcoat dry between coats and also the drying time if going from gloss to dull. 

Are the drying times different  if you are just giving a second coat of the same finish compared to going from gloss to dull or vise versa.

You said after decals you give another glosscoat then the final finish coat

Thanks

Scott

Quick airbrush question

What is best way to spray the clearcoat......Gravity feed or siphon bottle feed. 

I have a Badger 360 universal so I can spray either way.  I know the dullcoat needs to be mixed frequently so I was wondering wihich way would be better to spray

Thanks,

Scott