Questions re sequences and clear coating

Thanks E Baker.  That's the information I'm looking for.  Concise and to the point.   I'll give it a try.  Thanks also to all who replied.  

BlackSheepTwoOneFour

Prime before painting first!!!

 

Prime before painting first!!!

That's it. It's important to put the decals on a really smooth surface. Some decals are more forgiving than others. I used to put down decals on any kind of finish, with mixed results. Better to be safe than sorry.

I like to use Future acrylic floor finish for the coat over the decals. One reason being that I weather with oil paint highly diluted in odorless turpentine. Acrylic is impervious to it, some other finishes like lacquer might not always be.

Do not quote me in any of this because I have yet to actually try it for myself, but this is the general sequence I have heard works well, and will be trying myself:

-general assembly, filling/sanding, and having dust carefully washed off.

-paint (preferably useing a gloss paint as decals stick to a gloss surface better, and are less likely to silver. if you use a flat paint, it is generaly recomended to then spray a gloss clear coat over it. if you use a gloss paint from the get-go, you can skip this step)

-decal (you can use whatever setting solution you like; I am cheap however, and dont use any.)

-spray a final clear cote (this does two things; a- it is the finish you want(gloss, satin, flat, etc.) and it also helps seal the decals on, so that if they did not adhere well, the final coat will help to seal them on.

Not sure if this will help you or not, but it is the order I have heard works well, and I trust it enough to be willing to try it for myself.