Clear-Coats And Decals

[Mad Rocketeer]

I'm building a Hi-Flyer one of my sons bought me for my birthday. I've got it almost finished, with only the decals, clear-coat, shock cord, and streamer remaining. I thought I'd give it a couple of days for the paint to get reasonably firmed up, menwhile doing the tiny bit of touch-up the paint needs, and then put on the pin-striping and decals and clear-coat it.

I painted it in the prescribed colors and pattern with Krylon, doing the black part with Fusion to make the nose work well. I have some Krylon glossy clear-coat and some UV resistant clear-coat (also Krylon, I think). I've also heard that Future floor polish is good and makes a great shine if used properly.

Do I need to clear coat it before applying the decals and pinstriping and clear-coating again over it all? Or is it better to apply the decal stuff directly to the paint first, then coat it? Also, for this bird would you suggest the Krylon, Krylon with UV block, Future, or some combination?

As a side question, would either of these clear-coating methods add anything to an Estes FireHawk (E2X, plastic nose and fins, cardboard tube, pre-colored, with decals on the tube and fins)?

 

[Stymye]

If you used gloss paint theres probably no need to clear coat first..decals work best over a slick surface.
I would suggest clear coat after the decals and pinstripe to protect them from handeling. future should work as well but can be a little messy if your not used to it.

I like to do the " sandman sniff test" to make sure the paint is cured
hold the rocket to your nose,if you can still get a whiff of paint it's not completely dry.

I'm not familiar with the uv resistant krylon but it also sounds like a good idea

I think a clear coat on the e2x rockets would make them look a little nicer because it gives the rocket a nice even gloss all over.

 

[DynaSoar]

Originally posted by Mad Rocketeer
Do I need to clear coat it before applying the decals and pinstriping and clear-coating again over it all? Or is it better to apply the decal stuff directly to the paint first, then coat it? Also, for this bird would you suggest the Krylon, Krylon with UV block, Future, or some combination?

I rarely use decals, but when I do I never use clear coat spray over them. I ruined my very first perfect decal job, on a Black Brant (a LOT of decal) when the clear coat made the decals cloudy. I only use Future over decals now.

There's no reason to clear coat before decals, but I doubt it would hurt either. It would be good to clear coat over pin striping if it's tape.

 

[Mad Rocketeer]

Is clear coat spray or Future better over tape?

The paint I used is not all glossy. The Fusion black (used on the nose and part of the fins) is glossy, but the gray (used on the rest of each fin) and the red (used on the body tube) is not. The decals go on the body tube, as I recall, and the pinstripe tape goes on the fins right along the junction of the glossy black and non-glossy gray paints. Clear coat spraying would give me a universally glossy surface to stick the decals too, if that matters.

How best to get a good sharp corner in the tape? It's 1/32" wide, as I remember, but it comes to a forward-pointing V on the fin. I'd like to make that point sharp. I'm thinking that cutting the angle ahead of time might mean a lot of handling, which could make it peel up, but cutting it while it's on the fin means a chance of cutting into the paint. The tape and a glossy coat over it might conceal that well enough. My thought is to lay the tape on, overlapping the trailing fin edge and cutting it sharp with scissors before laying the last of it down at the point of the V. Then, I'd trim off the extra at the tail. Might work.

The sniff test sounds good. I'll bet it takes a week to cure all the way. Is it best to let it fully cure before adding decals and clear stuff? Is it better to let it cure indoors, in the garage (where I have it now), or in the attic (where it will get hotter)?

Does Future ever yellow? Would UV protection in a clear coat keep the decals from yellowing? How best to apply Future without messing stuff up from inexperience with it? Would UV resistant clear coat spraying over Future add anything?

 

[Stymye]

you could future or clear coat it first than do the decal/pinstripes
than future or clear after that ,, mabey clearcoat , apply decals than future.

I preferr to cut the stripes/tape on the rocket with a sharp blade and a light touch

let the rocket dry wherever , if it's cold it may take a little longer
in the house would be the best place.after it can be handled

I do not think future yellows,my theory is that certain paints will yellow beneath it faster than others.
you can apply the future with a foam brush or a small rag

I would not recommend spraying anything over the future

it the future coat gets messed up you can remove and apply more just by using more future or alcohol

 

[Mad Rocketeer]

Does the Future need to be put on thinly ot thickly? Do I need to thin the liquid with anything to get it spread on neatly?

Since the Future might need to be re-applied, would it be a good idea to clear coat over the decals and Future over the clear coat in order to have a seled base under the Future? Maybe the UV resistant clear coat?

 

[r1dermon]

i use the testors clear coat over the e2x rockets. makes them look nice. i used it on my eliminator(recently lost) and it looked a lot better than when it came out of the box.

 

[laseradam]

I had wondered if you could paint over future also. Since nobody here knew if you could do it , I tried it. Primer will stick over future but when I tried to spray the color coat, it wrinkled and lifted worse than I had ever seen before.

 

[DynaSoar]

Originally posted by Mad Rocketeer
Does the Future need to be put on thinly ot thickly? Do I need to thin the liquid with anything to get it spread on neatly?

Since the Future might need to be re-applied, would it be a good idea to clear coat over the decals and Future over the clear coat in order to have a seled base under the Future? Maybe the UV resistant clear coat?

Put it on thin or it will run. USe several coats if you want.

You could put clear coat first. I do on striping, but never on water slide decals.

I've never seen any reason to be concerned about UV protection.

 

[DynaSoar]

Originally posted by laseradam
I had wondered if you could paint over future also. Since nobody here knew if you could do it , I tried it. Primer will stick over future but when I tried to spray the color coat, it wrinkled and lifted worse than I had ever seen before.

Never paint over Future. Sooner or later it'll wear out and your paint job will be ruined.

 

[Mad Rocketeer]

I'm not really worried about UV either. I've never protected a rocket against it or noticed any problems from it. My only thought on it was that UV is probably responsible, at least in part, for yellowing paint. Also, it's fun to experiment with new ideas and materials.

 

[scottluther1369]

Can you print decals using Inject printers? i received some decal paper stating I could but the results were not very good. Even putting a coat down afterward. I thought I could download from Jimz's site and print on decal paper. Looks like crap. But it was my first attempts : )

 

[BobH48]

Originally posted by scottluther1369
Can you print decals using Inject printers? i received some decal paper stating I could but the results were not very good. Even putting a coat down afterward. I thought I could download from Jimz's site and print on decal paper. Looks like crap. But it was my first attempts : )

I print all my decals on on inkjet printer. After you download the decal scans, you have to clean them up before you can use them.

You need to make all the background white, which will be clear on an inkjet. I usually then recolor each decal to make them consistent. This will take some time. Afterwards, you can scale them to any size you want. I just use MS Paint for this.

They will need several coats of clear to seal them. I use Krylon Crystal Clear with ok results, others swear by Microscale Liquid Decal Film.

The decals on these were printed on my inkjet.

 

[Micromeister]

Inkjet decals are generally fine as long as you don't need White or metallics (gold or silver). I've had good results with both inkjet and laser papers from Micro-Mark. Both clear and white precoated papers. One thing you will notice over time between dryink (alps) real decals (SilkScreened) and inkjet decals is in the blues. all inkjet blues will tend to the purple size. also NO printer Alps, laser, inkjet or what ever can produce decent orange or browns color decals, they will be on the reddish side.
Be very careful with your purchase of printer decal making papers. All are not equal, I purchased some what I though would be good papers for waterslide decals .ocm.. a disaster at best ever single sheet of the 50 sheet order was creased or cracked , corners damaged and pieces torn. The packing was awful, allowing all the damage in shippment. Micro-Marks papers are possibly the most expensive per sheet I've found but every single sheet is consistant quality, comes packaged to prevent bending and damage. Well worth the few cents extra per page.

Clear coating of decals, one must understand what your dealing with if you overcoat with a Clear spray can. With the excetion of one (krylon workable fixatif) all spary can clear coats are Lacquer based products. with acetone or other every aggresive thinners which will crinkle your decal in a heartbeat if we aren't careful. It's better to use a Matte clear or dull coat which flash off (disapate the volatile thinners) quickly, allowing the decal media to reset before crinkleing, one single heavy coat will ruin a set of printed decals in seconds. I've found two light coats of any dull coat or matte clear will not harm the decals but will protect them from water and allow oversparying of gloss clear. Krylon #1301 will run or ruin your inkjet or Alps printed decals if your not vary, vary careful!
Try the Workable fixatif which is formulated for use over charcoal, pastels and artwork, I have yet to ruin a set of decal with this material.
Micro decal clear this really the best brush on self leveling material I've ever used second only to Naz-Dar clear decal silkscreen ink which is only available in Quarts and gallons
Hope this helps.