Clear Coat (Krylon and Testors)

[pez5767]

I\'ve recently grown very tired of trying to find a new clear coat. I used armory clear coat for quite some time, but sadly, it\'s not available as i like it anymore. So, i surfed the forums and i hear that Testors Dull Coat is the stuff to use. However, most of my models see heavy use, and i have a few friends who swear by Krylon Crystal Clear (super gloss yuck.) because it is like armor plating your model. Now, on with my question...

If i first clear coat with Krylon Crystal Clear then follow up with Testors Dull Coat does anyone see any reason that this might not work? Should i be worried about distortion of the paint job? I\'m really looking to improve my painting skills, so consider this from both a perspective of play pieces and display pieces please.

Thanks!

 

[Ritual]

I have used a semi-gloss varnish and then Dullcoat on top of that and it was just as matte as if I had just used the Dullcoat. So, I think it should work. It will definitely be a lot less shiny than with only the Krylon.

If you apply the varnish in light coats and let it dry inbetween I don\'t think you will harm the paint job. Just be aware of humidity and temperature when you spray, because humidity or extreme temperatures can make the varnish cloudy.

 

[TaurenMoo]

How would you go about avoiding humidity?

< lives in florida -..-

 

[pez5767]

Define Extreme...

It averages 105+ degrees here for June - Aug. With little to no humidity. It\'s like an oven.

Does that qualify?

(this is what happens when you go outside in my town in the summer, you turn brown and grumpy.)

 

[generulpoleaxe]

a de humidifier would sort out the humidity within a room you were going to spray in.

 

[the Infadel]

i use krylon matte finish and it works fine. about $3 per 11 oz.(full size spray can) at wal-mart. no gloss coat necessary.

 

[Ritual]

Originally posted by pez5767
Define Extreme...

It averages 105+ degrees here for June - Aug. With little to no humidity. It\'s like an oven.

Does that qualify?

(this is what happens when you go outside in my town in the summer, you turn brown and grumpy.)

I don\'t know really. We seldom get that sort of temperature here. What could happen is that the varnish dries before it reaches the mini and you will end up with a grainy and dusty look. My advice is to test on a couple of test pieces and see what happens. At least you don\'t have problems with humidity.

 

[Roger Bunting]

On the one model I\'ve finished on my return to the hobby (a test model), I used GW ardcoat and then Testor\'s dullcote. Takes the shine off and there doesn\'t seem to be any affect on the paintjob.

 

[pez5767]

Thanks gang. I\'m going to give it a shot. Mainly i\'m just happy to feel like i have the right products here to work with.

Thanks and any other painting advice or info is appreciated.

 

[DaRat]

I use Krylon UV Resistant Gloss followed by Krylon UV Resistant Matte. Sometimes I also use the Dullcote. Seems to work pretty well.

As far as humidity goes, I\'m in a fairly humid area as well, but there are days or at least parts of the day that the humidity drops to the 60-65% range (or lower) and spray varnishing and priming becomes an option.

 

[pez5767]

Does this provide the maximum durability for play pieces, multiple coats that is?
???
If not what\'s the best option?

My reason for asking is that i\'ve heard rave reviews about Krylon\'s durability.

 

[lizcam]

Originally posted by pez5767
Define Extreme...

It averages 105+ degrees here for June - Aug. With little to no humidity. It\'s like an oven.

Does that qualify?

(this is what happens when you go outside in my town in the summer, you turn brown and grumpy.)

Sounds like you live near me. We have very little humidity but high temps. Just make sure you spray lightly and bring it back into the air conditioning asap. It\'ll work a charm.

To make it tougher hit it with a semi gloss sealer first, a couple of coats then the dull coat.

 

[pez5767]

Thanks Liz.

I\'m up in Redding... Truely a pit. Great for outdoors-iness if you like though.

I gave it a shot and i\'m very happy with the results. How does it look to you all?

 

[ktooloo]

I do three layers, similar to DaRat\'s style, but I use two layers of Krylon matte UV-resistant and then one of Dullcoat to make it pretty. I read the recipe in another thread here (this combo was from DaN I think). The original post mentioned that you may have to redo the Dullcoat every once in a great while, but I haven\'t yet.

Sorry if this is slightly off topic or as been covered elsewhere, but does gloss coat form a harder/more protective \"shell\" or is a good matte spray that hard to find?

 

[pez5767]

Amen ktooloo!

Really i suppose what ktooloo is asking, is at the heart of what i\'m asking... does gloss coat make a \'harder\' finish than matte? Does anyone know? Anyone... anyone?
???

 

[airhead]

gloss coat is harder than matt. Get a bottle of DulCoat brush on. Let it settle. See the goop in the bottom? That is the flattening agent. If you get it separately, it is a very slimey goopy thing that you mix with the paint.

Gloss generally has a higher abrasion resistance than the matt for a given brand and product. Ureathanes are generally the hardest.

 

[J2FcM]

KtooLoo; put up some F\'ing photos!!! I wanna see what the OC Painters have, and you\'re the only one here I know right now... where do you shop around here....

Also - SO the consensus is: MAXIMUM PROTECTION = a gloss coat followed by a dull cote.

is there a BEST of either product?
Which method (paint vs spray) offers least chance to damage paint job?

 

[ktooloo]

@ J2FcM - I still don\'t have a camera : / though there are rumors of a bonus check from work later this month. If it turns out to be true, I will have one fairly soon.

For type of sealant... I\'ve used three (Ral Partha back in the day, GW and Krylon) and Krylon is my fave. I\'ve never tried brush on, but here in coastal SoCal, we rarely have to worry about weather conditions affecting paint work. Yea us!!! : )

As for shopping... it depends on how much you like to drive. : ) I prefer Brookhurst Hobbies in general. they do 20% off of any GW boxed item (including Foundation paints boxed set). They have an amazing selection of Reaper stuff and they\'re the only store locally that carries Infinity (that I can find). We also have a GW store at the Block up in Orange and the LA Battle bunker is in OC as well (Westminster), but they do carrry some direct sales \"only\" items and some Forge World models (they can order FW stuff for you and you don\'t have to pay shipping). I have been told that Comic Quest (in Lake Forrest I think, sorry I coun\'t find their website) is good for 40K but it\'s retail prices and I\'ve never been there.

For art type supplies.... Right across the street from the \'Bunker is Art Supply Warehouse which is not a warehouse but has great prices on Series 7\'s and good prices on everything else. You could shop at Sterling Art Supply , but being only a couple of blocks from UCI, they are more expensive and the employees are a bit snobby.

 

[Tinweasel]

Gloss sealer forms a solid barrier - that\'s how it gets a gloss shine, because it\'s a solid uninterrupted non-porous finish that reflects a maximum amount of light while still being transparent. So far as protectivity goes, gloss coat is where it\'s at.

Matte finishes on the other hand, are essentially a broken surface - they give something a matte appearance by having a distorted, refractive seal with lots of gaps and imperfections microscopically. In short: better appearance-wise but not as good as a gloss varnish protection-wise.


What most folks on here are talking about is a happy medium - a coat or two of gloss for maximum hardness and protection and a thin coat or two of matte sealer to take away the shininess of the underlying coats.

One advantage of this two-coat system, especially if you plan on using your figures for gaming, is that when you start noticing a shine on well-used corners and edges, you know to go back and hit the figure up again with matte sealer.


I\'ve never tried Krylon sealer before, but I can definitely say that a moderate coat of Testor\'s Gloss Cote smooths out your paintjob and gives a fairly solid layer of protection and two thin coats of Testor\'s DullCote are the ultimate in smooth matte finish. I\'ve had figures drop onto edges of desks and from 3-4\' heights without even a scratch or chip... not that I\'m recommending being careless with well-painted figures by any stretch. (Actually, one figure in particular was a Golden Demon entry that eventually won an honorable mention in Chicago - scared the living crap out of me when he fell! The horns bent and the staff twisted a bit but there wasn\'t a blemish on the paint at all and he was easily bent back into shape without a hitch.)

 

[airhead]

Originally posted by ktooloo
@ J2FcM - I still don\'t have a camera : /

I just picked up a 3.2 mp camera for less than $20 on ebay - including shipping. Just take your time, read all the details and bid on Tuesday afternoon

You don\'t have to have a 5mp super camera ( I have one of those too, but it is long discontinued and the new model has more bells & whistles but does not take any better picture.