Sealing Decals

[Antares JS]

First, I have an Estes Mercury-Atlas that's almost finished, and I was wondering if anyone who has built it can comment on the issue of sealing the decals that go on the chrome rocket body. Clearcoat is out as that will ruin the look of the finish. I was thinking of just using micro set and micro sol, but are those okay to use on the chrome tape surface?

Second, a more general question. Does anyone have any tips in general on clearcoats and decal sealing? I keep running into problems with my paint spiderwebbing. It seems to happen more often when I paint gloss clearcoat over a gloss color, so I try to use matte colors whenever I can, but sometimes a color is only available in gloss and I find myself just crossing my fingers and hoping. To head off the most common response, yes I am making sure my clearcoat is the same paint brand as the color.

 

[kuririn]

Micro Set and Micro Sol are decal softeners to help the film conform to the surface, not sealers.
There are decal film sealers but don't know how they would affect your chrome surface.
So I don't have any advice on what to use, only what not to use.

 

[K'Tesh]

You could always test a scrap decal on a scrap piece of the chrome wrap.

As so far as non-chrome paint jobs. When I get the chance, I'll be using whatever Future Floor Wax is called these days. Your problem sound like you might be using too heavy of applications of the clear and/or the paint. Even if you use the same brand of paint and clear, you have to let it cure completely (no smell) and not apply so thick a layer of clear as to re-activate the paint under it. Light coats allowed applied over time are more likely to give you a much better finish, than fewer heavy coats will. Reading (and following) the paint's instructions carefully can help greatly.

If you do get rocket herpes, I advocate that you use a paper towel and wipe it up quickly. It'll peel up like the skin on a partially set pudding. This makes the sanding process a lot easier, as you don't have to sand though those layers when it hardens up.

With matt (or flat) finishes, the reduction in shine is caused by very small pits and bumps in the finish. When applying decals to flat finishes, this allows air to become trapped under it, and can cause "silvering". Gloss surfaces are smooth, reducing the chance of silvering.

 

[Funkworks]

I never tried a gloss clear coat yet, but I've used flat clear coats on all sorts of colors, and both water slide and vinyl decals, and I never saw any spider webs. I only use Rust-Oleum because they told me to stick with one brand.

 

[foose4string]

Use the Micro products mentioned above. Due to the age of the decals I’d coat them with the Micro liquid decal film prior and then the Micro set when applying. Use the Future floor polish to seal them on the rocket after applying. As K’Tesh implied, the floor polish is called something different now( Pledge W/ Future or some such). A semi-soft brush is required and I’d only apply it just past the edges of the decal and not the entire rocket.

 

[Antares JS]

The floor wax looks interesting. I assume you would just apply it with a brush or soft towel like you would a car wax? I do always wait at least 24 hours each between primer, color, and clear, so my problem is probably applying the clearcoat too heavily. I can definitely work on that.

 

[foose4string]

The floor wax looks interesting. I assume you would just apply it with a brush or soft towel like you would a car wax? I do always wait at least 24 hours each between primer, color, and clear, so my problem is probably applying the clearcoat too heavily. I can definitely work on that.

I would suggest a soft brush. I’ve never used a towel to apply it. It’s very viscous and runs easily. A couple of light coats is all it should need. Avoid brushing over it too many times while it’s wet. The stuff dries fairly quick but it’s self leveling and dries to a high gloss.

 

[foose4string]

 

[KILTED COWBOY]

The floor wax looks interesting. I assume you would just apply it with a brush or soft towel like you would a car wax? I do always wait at least 24 hours each between primer, color, and clear, so my problem is probably applying the clearcoat too heavily. I can definitely work on that.

Sometimes it takes a lot more than 24 hours for paint to completely cure. Just because it is dry to the touch, not a good way to tell.
Rustolium sometimes has taken close to a week to pass the smell test.
My last build I tried some Tamiya spry paint, little bitty cans and very expensive.
But worth every penny. Went on incredible Did a gloss black under a chrome plate on a Protostar.
It was dry and smell free in a few hours. But still waited till the next morning to put the chrome on.
Just not sure I can afford it on a lot of rockets. May save that trick for the special ones.

 

[David Schwantz]

When painting your clear, have you scuffed the color coat first?

 

[GlenP]

The floor wax looks interesting.

The Future/Pledge floor finish is not a wax, but acrylic based. They are different types of floor treatments.
Floor wax is natural, plant based, but acrylic is a polymer, manufactured chemical.
Confusing, because some brands even call them acrylic floor wax when they really mean acrylic floor finish wax-alternative.
Pretty commonplace to call anything you put on the floor a floor wax these days, even though most of the newer finishes are no longer actually wax-based.
Sorry for the nitpick, just want to avoid the confusion. Wax on a model rocket would not be a good thing on a hot summer launch.

Just don't ask me to go to the store to get some Shinola shoe polish, I still get confused about that.

 

[Antares JS]

Surprisingly, it turns out that the big UNITED STATES and serial number decals included with the Estes Mercury-Atlas are peel-and-stick. I realized this after dipping a decal into water three times and wondering why it wasn't sliding off. Micro set and micro sol aren't going to do anything, but I got a bottle of that pledge floor gloss and will be testing whether it can seal the decals without ruining the appearance using one of the extra decals and a piece of scrap chrome tape.

I have also tried applying gloss clearcoat lightly in multiple coats on a couple of rockets and have had success so far with it, so thanks for that tip.