Clear Coat Gloss Cracking The Paint?

[AceAndroid]

Hello everyone! I am new to this forum AND to modeling. I've been working off of various online tutorials and using my own judgement. The latter is probably why I've got myself into this current predicament!


I have made a S.E.5a and have base coated it with normal spray paint+primer and have used Testors acrylics to paint in details. It looked great!


To prepare for putting on the waterslide decals my kit came with, I sprayed it with a clear gloss (normal spray paint again) several weeks after painting it. I noticed that the gloss looked a little spotty when I sprayed it on, but I am okay with that. However, I noticed on my second coat of the gloss that the base coat underneath (the spray paint) seems to be cracking or peeling up in certain places as if it is reacting poorly to the gloss.










First, I would really like to know why this happened. It was fairly cold outside when I sprayed the gloss (probably 45-50 degrees Fahrenheit). Do you think that is what caused the paints to not play along? Or is there something else going on? I don't know much about paints at all.


I should really like to fix this if possible. Can I safely sand down the places where it is cracking? Does anyone have any advice to regain my nice clean finish?


Thank you so much!

 

[takeslousyphotos]

What clear coat did you use? Was it acrylic?


........ also you need to clear coat it within 48 hours tops or leave it to cook off for at least a month...... otherwise you will get crazing.

 

[Adrian "Marvel" Reynolds]

I'm no expert but I have seen others mention about paint coats been fully dried ( cured ) before varnish is applied, this is what looks like may have happened?


As for fixing you could try very high grade micro mesh but I think you may nave to strip it done and start over


Adrian

 

[takeslousyphotos]

...... and welcome to the forum.

 

[AceAndroid]

Thanks for the quick responses, everyone!


takeslousyphotos, the base paint I used is Rust-oleum Ultra Cover Paint+Primer. I assume it is acrylic. The gloss was Krylon Crystal Clear Acrylic/Gloss. Oh, you have to gloss coat it that quickly? Yikes. I waited a couple months, probably. Why does the gloss need to go on within 48 hours?


Ah, it sounds like the paint can't be fully dried/set when you apply the gloss. Is that what you are saying, Ade Close Enough? That might definitely might be the problem, then. Dang, my other plane was primed (I'm leaving it the color of the primer) probably in August. I guess it is too late to gloss coat that one now?


Well, I'm glad I joined this forum before I also ruined my lovely Stearman PT-17!

 

[takeslousyphotos]

If it was done in August that should be fine.........I guess you are using a rattle can? Spraying outside is fine. But you need to do it on a dry day, any moisture in the air will affect it. If it is a bit chilly. A couple of things that'll help........ Warm the paint. Stand the can in some hot not boiling water for 10 minutes. Use a jug or a bowl. Then give it a good shake......... Spray a coat then bring it straight indoors. Warming the paint helps it mix........ This is especially important if you spray a Matt coat. It helps the Mica mix well, and stops the "spotting" you sometimes get.

 

[AceAndroid]

Yes, I am using a rattle can. Thanks so much for the tips! The cold of the air and the paint is probably part of why this happened, so I'll be sure to warm the paint up next time.


Maybe I'll just go ahead and add the waterslides to the ruined plane. I really don't want to re-paint it. The cracking is a battle trophy. In an intense battle, the pilot made his enemy spill his soda and it ruined the paint on his fuselage. He keeps it like that as a trophy.


Now hopefully I don't mess up the decals and the weathering/wash. Hmm, can I ask a question about the acrylic wash on this thread? I was told that I can just water down my Testors acrylics with water and use that mix to add dimension to the rivets etc. And this needs to happen over a gloss coat (which I guess I sort of have). Is there anything else I need to know about washes/weathering?

 

[takeslousyphotos]

Yes.... just mix it 50/50....... but use a slightly darker shade..........


You could always let those raised lumpy bits go off properly hard then flat them down a bit...... and highlight them with your wash.

 

[AceAndroid]

Oh yeah, that's a good idea. It'll look like I meant to have that happen!

 

[Adrian "Marvel" Reynolds]

I have to be honest I work mainly in acrylics and usually spray the colours on a nite and then the varnish the following day, I've never had any issues doing it like this and never heard of any 48 hour rule?


To be clear I had heard that people sometimes apply the gloss coat before the paint has gone off and so it its still "hot" when the gloss is applied and so leaves a cracked appearance. I can't conform this as it's never happened to me.


Adrian

 

[AceAndroid]

Oh I see, that makes more sense.


Today I am going to be putting on the decals on the gloss coat I have. In a video tutorial I watched, it suggested putting another gloss coat over the decals, then moving on to the weathering. After all that, a matte finish is applied. Since I already had issues with the spray gloss, would it be okay to use a brush-on gloss/varnish instead to protect the decals? I did not use it originally because I thought the brush strokes would show up. Does anyone here use brush-on varnish?


Also, will all these coats of finishes greatly reduce the detail of the kit? I've already noticed the little half-circle raised portion shown in my first image is not half as sharp as it used to be. :\ How does one avoid that?

 

[dubster72]

I too have not heard of the 48 hour rule that Peter mentioned. I usually leave paint a minimum of 48 hours before applying a gloss coat.


Sometimes it's just Sods Law that causes a reaction between 2 different products. Put it down to experience


Most gloss varnishes in the UK are self-levelling, so brushmarks aren't a problem. I prefer to brush it on as you have more control & it saves cleaning out the airbrush!


Thin gloss coats shouldn't lose any detail. If that's what you're finding, then you might be going too heavy on the application.

 

[AceAndroid]

Cool. I'll give a brush-on a try, since I'm a bit wary of trying that particular spray gloss again. I'm actually in the US, but I am sure I can find some decent self-leveling varnishes.


And yeah, I think I might have gone a bit too heavy on the spray application. :\ Another lesson learned!


Thanks for the tips!