Is it necessary to seal Alclad 2 with clear coat?

The non high shine ones do not require a sealer. Alclad recommends to seal the high shine finishes when using decal setting solutions. I on the other hand, I have not sealed the high shine ones and even used Solvaset which is very strong and nothing happened to the Alclad finish. I just made certain the paints sat curing for at least 2-3 days prior to applying the decals. It's an over abundance of caution but rather be safe than sorry.

I do not seal any of the Alclads.  I find a gloss sealer does make a subtle change in the sheen, and I don't like it.  I have had no problems with leaving them unsealed, and have some models that are maybe a decade or more old, with no problems.

So do you leave decals on Alclad 2 unprotected?  

The Gunze Mr. Metal colors are buffable, meaning they are meant to be polished to a high shine, therefore, will always leave a residue, and arent' able to be masked over. They aren't good for overall coverage. I use them for separate parts such as exhaust, gun barrels, oleo struts, etc...

Chrisk-k

So do you leave decals on Alclad 2 unprotected?  

You can if you want to. I have done just that in several builds.

Thanks all for the replies. Unfortunately my local hobby shop doesn't carry Alclad anymore. Guess I'm stuck with Gaianotes Silver.

I'm building a Tamiya car kit, and I want the grille and bumper to shine. I've googled around and it seems that most people recommend an enamel glossy black coat, followed by the metal paint. I currently airbrush with acrylics only(Gunze Aqueous and Vallejo), do I need to buy an enamel gloss black or could I just use acrylic gloss black? The Gaianotes silver is a lacquer based paint.

If I buy an enamel gloss black, do I need to buy separate thinner as well? Can I use isopropyl alcohol as thinner?

Chrisk-k

So do you leave decals on Alclad 2 unprotected?  

Yes.  The Alclad finish is so smooth that adhesion of the decals is excellent.  You may possibly notice the edge, but I am willing to risk that to eliminate risk of altering sheen of Alclad.  I have never had a decal lift on any of my Alclad-finished subjects.

redryder

Thanks all for the replies. Unfortunately my local hobby shop doesn't carry Alclad anymore. Guess I'm stuck with Gaianotes Silver.

I'm building a Tamiya car kit, and I want the grille and bumper to shine. I've googled around and it seems that most people recommend an enamel glossy black coat, followed by the metal paint. I currently airbrush with acrylics only(Gunze Aqueous and Vallejo), do I need to buy an enamel gloss black or could I just use acrylic gloss black? The Gaianotes silver is a lacquer based paint.

If I buy an enamel gloss black, do I need to buy separate thinner as well? Can I use isopropyl alcohol as thinner?

Use a lacquer gloss black, and clean up with lacquer thinner. Don't use enamels under lacquers

Nathan

I use Testors gloss black enamel (small bottle) under the Alclad high shine paints.

I think the normal prohibition of not using lacquers over enamels does not seem to apply to Alclad.  I also use Alclad over Testors gloss black enamel, and have never had a problem.  I have also used it successfully over acrylic.