RocketRoll
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Nov 11, 2015
- Messages
- 67
- Reaction score
- 40
My Estes Saturn V is all painted and ready for the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11 next year. I used Testors gloss white spray enamel and Testors gloss black and silver (bottle enamel). The decals in the kit are incredible. I wanted to clear coat it with Krylon UV-Resistant matte acrylic, but...
After reading about yellowing issues on here and all over the internet, I'm stumped about how to prevent it. This is how I understand it:
1.) Enamel paint yellows over time. Many clear coats also yellow over time.
2.) Oil-based enamels (Testors) yellow faster if kept in dark areas (so I should expose the rocket to sunlight). Water-based enamels yellow faster when exposed to sunlight (N/A for me because I didn't use these).
What is stumping me:
1.) Does the anti-yellowing aspect of the "UV-Resistant" clear coat mean that the clear coat itself resists yellowing, or that it prevents the underlying white coat from yellowing? Or both?
2.) Let's say I don't clear coat the rocket at all. I keep it in a room with "slight-to-moderate" sunlight. No smoking, cleaning with ammonia, mostly climate-controlled, etc... how long before I start seeing some yellowing? What about the decals?
Winter is fast approaching here in New England and I'm running out of painting days if I do decide to clear coat it. And after all this effort, I don't want my brand-new Saturn V to turn a nice shade of yellow by the time I launch it next year...
Any help on this?
After reading about yellowing issues on here and all over the internet, I'm stumped about how to prevent it. This is how I understand it:
1.) Enamel paint yellows over time. Many clear coats also yellow over time.
2.) Oil-based enamels (Testors) yellow faster if kept in dark areas (so I should expose the rocket to sunlight). Water-based enamels yellow faster when exposed to sunlight (N/A for me because I didn't use these).
What is stumping me:
1.) Does the anti-yellowing aspect of the "UV-Resistant" clear coat mean that the clear coat itself resists yellowing, or that it prevents the underlying white coat from yellowing? Or both?
2.) Let's say I don't clear coat the rocket at all. I keep it in a room with "slight-to-moderate" sunlight. No smoking, cleaning with ammonia, mostly climate-controlled, etc... how long before I start seeing some yellowing? What about the decals?
Winter is fast approaching here in New England and I'm running out of painting days if I do decide to clear coat it. And after all this effort, I don't want my brand-new Saturn V to turn a nice shade of yellow by the time I launch it next year...
Any help on this?