Testing clear lacquers & enamels over decals

Folks,

This is a sidebar to my Mystic build thread.

I want to have an effect where there is a metallic sheen to the entire rocket, decals included. I like using Duplicolor Metallic Clear Lacquer (comes premixed in a quart can; I spray it with a Preval aerosol sprayer as I don't have a compressor/spray gun).

Having read the occasional post suggesting that some decals are incompatible with some clear coats, I decided to do a methodical test of the various paints/decals/clears I might use, both in the current project and in future ones.

I'll use this thread to post my results. The experiments are complete but my time is limited and I may take a few days to get all the info up here.

I started by using scraps of extra BT-70 I had from the Fliskits Mystic project.

I finished this material the same way as the rocket: Rustoleum auto filler primer, sanded a bit, then topped with Valspar white spray primer (it's really an enamel, but works under lacquers in my experience). Then a coat of Rustoleum White Lacquer as the topcoat. One section has a spot of Lustrekote aluminum lacquer.

After fully dry (I think I gave it two days in a warm garage), I applied decal material from Fliskits, Estes, and Excelsior, and cut the test strip into three sections, each of which had decals from all three vendors.

Each strip gets a different clear coat treatment.

Note: for the decals, I just soaked them in warm water and applied. No soap drops, no future coating, just slide that decal on!

Here are pictures of the initial decal-on-white paint materials prior to clear coating.

Note, these were mostly scrap decals or extras. The renegade decal looks messed up but it's actually just the rough-hewn font used in the decal (it's supposed to look the way it does in these pics)





OK, done for tonight. Hope to report more tomorrow.

OK. My first test piece got a shot of Duplicolor Metallic Clear Lacquer. Gave it a good, wet coat. Because I'm testing for compatibility, I made sure the coat was fully wet and flowing... no tentative light misting sprays. If the decals stand up to this, I can be assured compatibility.

The result: no problem with any of the decals. Over on the side near the gold decal, there were a few small bubbly deformations, in an area where the white paint coat was very thing/incomplete, with the primer showing through. The primer I've been using is the Valspar white spray which seems to be a thinned-out enamel, but it works fine under all the lacquer paints I use (done maybe 10 rockets like this). It didn't seem to like the clear coming directly on it.

However, the 98% of the test area that was fully coated with the white paint gave no reaction to the metallic clear, and the decals, all of them, were fine, except for the small piece of the gold one that was over the relatively paint-bare area.

Here are some pics:





I love the pearly look that metallic gives any under-coat. I've also used it successfully on top of Rustoleum Flourescent paints.

This clear goes on nice and gives a shiny surface. In my experience, the surface isn't as physically flat (as opposed to matte flat) as some other clears, possibly because of the metal flek, but even though the surface is a bit rough it is quite glossy.

Marc

Next up was Valspar clear lacquer. Sprayed the next test strip with it, a good wet goat.

No problems of any sort. This entire test strip had no paint-thin spots... the clear lacquer went on, dried fast and was super-shiny. An hour after application, I would have had no problem launching a rocket with this stuff.

The third test strip got Rustoleum Crystal Clear Enamel.

I've used this paint a lot, and other than a tendency to give blushing in high humidity spray conditions, it has always worked for me.

It went on wet and glossy, and dried looking much the same. Not quite as physically flat as the Valspar. Of course, after an hour it still felt delicate, and even a day later I was careful not to mess it up. IT's an enamel so takes a while to cure fully.





Again, no interference with the decals.

With the primary experiments done, a couple days later I decided to take it to another level and try putting a different clear coat on top of each test strip to determine mutual compatibility between the clears.

The big test strip that had the Duplicolor metallic clear actually got to topcoats (one on each side). Half got Rustoleum Crystal Clear Enamel, and half got something I hadn't tried before: Duplicolor clear lacquer from a spray can. RESULT: The Rustoleum enamel went on as it usually does, wet and shiny and dried that way. The Duplicolor lacquer though went on and dried quite flat/matte looking. No shine at all. I've seen this from a can of Krylon clear laquer I have too, on other projects. Not sure if I'm in too high humidity and this is a blushing effect or what.

The strip previously coated with Valspar clear lacquer got Rustoleum crystal clear enamel; it went on and dried with a beautiful deep gloss.

For an interesting effort I decided to take the strip that originally had the Rusto clear enamel, and topcoated it with Duplicolor Metallic Clear Lacquer. I expected massive wrinkling and other awful effects as the lacquer interacted with the enamel, but to my shock it gave no ill effects. Beautiful, clear shine with the pearly look.

Here are some pics of all three strips together; they all look similarly shiny except the area that go the Duplicolor spraycan Clear Lacquer (the "Ren" decal).





I will need to do some more tests on things to understand why the Duplicolor spraycan clear lacquer and a similar Krylon product give these matte finishes in my hands while the Valspar product works fine for gloss.

But, the good news is that none of them gave problems with any of the decal material I tested.

MArc

Thanks, Marc, for all this detailed information. My experience with clears has been limited to Future and Rustoleum clear enamel, both of which have given me good results. But then I've been painting with enamels. Your posts about using lacquers have tempted me to try these, I just have to convince my wife that I need even more cans of spray paint in the garage!