Is it necessary to seal Alclad 2 with clear coat?

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.

Nathan

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

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

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.

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?  

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

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...

So do you leave decals on Alclad 2 unprotected?  

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.

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.