Gloss before Decals On Plastic?

[Dseter]

Hi folks- do you guys have an opinion on glossing a plastic nose before applying water slide decals? I usually decal first then apply clear gloss to seal but thought I would ask anyway. I also use that micro sol solution on my decals which works great, thanks- Dave

[AfterBurners]

Most gloss afterwards because it protects the details and any decal edges are easily "leveled" to give it that smooth look.

[Dseter]

Most gloss afterwards because it protects the details and any decal edges are easily "leveled" to give it that smooth look.

Yeah that's what I've always done also. I was thinking here that I could protect the paint job on my cone a bit and also give myself some "surface" for fine wet sanding on the spots of the cone where my decals will go.

[AfterBurners]

Well you can just wet sand your whole rocket and apply the decals and then shoot the gloss. I've done that before it turned out really nice. The decals looked like they blended perfectly into the paint. No edges/seams to be seen. I think that would be the best option for that clear glossy mirror finish.

[Dseter]

Well you can just wet sand your whole rocket and apply the decals and then shoot the gloss. I've done that before it turned out really nice. The decals looked like they blended perfectly into the paint. No edges/seams to be seen. I think that would be the best option for that clear glossy mirror finish.

Yeah, That's what I've done with my plastic static models in the past. I've got one of those kits for polishing plastic models as well as clear plastic so I have a lot of grit options. I'll hopefully be slapping on decals tomorrow if I can get over the deadly plague I've had the last 10 days, arrrrrg.

[hornet driver]

For me , decals over a glossy surface works best. A glossy paint is fine it does'nt need to be cleared. Let the decals set a day or so and clearcoat with gloss or dullcoat as wanted. I only use micro sol if I have some surface detail I need the decals to lay down on ---- the decals are thick---or the paint has some orange peel.

[kjohnson]

If your basecoat is dull, putting a decal on it can lead to silvering as air trapped in the microscopic bumps in the surface will make a space so the decal isn't sitting on the surface. Gloss coats are smoother, so you tend to have better results using water slides on glossy surfaces.

kj