Lacquer Clear coat - HELP!

Hi, Archer!

A couple of "theories":
1. Creationism and evolution are considered OOPS! Wrong theories!

1. Sounds like your clear coat can could have been near empty. You might have had sufficient air pressure, but the volume of clear left over was not enough, and you got a "sputter" instead of a constant volume of material. I had a similar problem with clear coating my son's V-1 Fieseler. The can was almost empty, and I got a mottled texture.

2. Check the valve opening on your spray can to make sure the opening is not restricted in any way.

3. The surface of your model may have been "dirty". If the kit has been sitting in the open for a month, it's hard to tell what contaminants, including dust, it could have picked up. In addition, repeated handling with bare hands can transfer skin oils to the surface, causing an uneven texture to your clearcoat.

Short of stripping the paint, you might try sanding with 600 or better paper to see if you can even out the finish a bit. If you are set on using rattle cans (nothing wrong with that), I would suggest getting a new can and spraying an old kit or piece of plastic to check performance; then when you're satisfied, re-shoot your F-16.

This is just a SWAG on my part....Hope you can find some of this helpful.

Merry Christmas!
Gip Winecoff

Gip - thanks for the thoughts!!!

1. Yeah, my wife is convinced that the ... ya hadda get me going on that one, didn't ya :D

1. Yup, the mist and second coats were dregs from and old can, and the heavy coat was from a new one.

2. Nope the openning looked clean.

3. Pretty careful about that, the surface was clean to start with, but the air brushed flats do have a very rough texture. Actully never touched those areas, that much, and the model when not being used was alway covered with a lint free cloth.

I was thinking of the 600 w/d thing, but am concerned about doing more harm than good. The kit has raised panel lines, and it could either help or hurt. Do you think additional coats before sanding would help, giving me a thicker base to sand?

Really wanted to get this one finished this year, As I asid, I don't get a lot of modeling time, so I like to get them right,

Thanks for the advice, and Merry Christmas, right back at ya

Archer out.

Personnally, I would refrain from spraying over a problem; in my experience, it simply makes the problem bigger. A gentle sanding over the mottled areas may provide just enough texture change so you can reshoot and get an even coverage, without affecting the panel lines, or the underlying color coat....

Gip Winecoff

Why did you use the airbrush for the colors and a can for the clear?
Just curious. It is much better to shoot it with a few coats of Future, let it cure for 48 hours and then give it a coat of MM Acryl flat clear or Polyscale flat.

I would try light sanding it as Gip said and see if you can bring the shine back enough to get the decals to adhere well. Then give it a flat clear coat.

Mike

Mike -

I only use MM Acryls from the airbrush, just got spoiled with the water clean up, been using the same air brush for over 20 years. Usually get some pretty good results, and don't have to deal with any nasty solvents, !!! Ditto on the Future, I use it on canopies, windows, etc, just never had the nerve to try it through the a/b. Yes, I know it's water based and cleans up with Windex! The Lacquer has always worked well in the past.

Mike.Gip -

So, if I use the 600 w/d (wet of course), get the decals to lie flat (no pun intended), and then hit it with Dull Coat, the Dull coat should get rid of the cloudiness left from the sand paper?

Sorry, guys, really don't have the time to model. like I used too, and the thought of lossing a few months work, really doesn't sit too well.

Thanks again!

Archer out.

QUOTE: Originally posted by Archer Mike.Gip - So, if I use the 600 w/d (wet of course), get the decals to lie flat (no pun intended), and then hit it with Dull Coat, the Dull coat should get rid of the cloudiness left from the sand paper?

It might and it might not, I can't guarantee it will.

Why not pick a spot on the bottom and sand it lightly with 600 or 800 grit wet.
Then buff it with a cloth, apply a decal, let it sit overnight (48 hours would be even better) and then give it a shot of MM Acryl flat. If it looks good then go and do the entire model that way.

Mike

Mike -
Sounds like a plan! But i'll have to be on the top, the bottom came out perfect!!!

Much, thanks - again!!!

Archer out.