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Gauzy Glass Coat and Intermediate Agent AK Interactive There was a time when Klear/Future were about the only clear gloss varnishes that people raved about, but since the formula was changed by the manufacturers J C Johnstone in the UK, some people don't like it and some do. Stocks of the original are limited, and going for silly prices, so people look for alternatives. AK Interactive have clearly (sorry – pun unintentional) been doing just that, and have found quite an interesting liquid, which they have named Gauzy. Firstly, I have no idea where the name comes from, but Gauzy it is, and it is available in two flavours (DO NOT drink it!) with differing properties and uses. Glass Coat Gauzy Agent As the name suggests, this is for your canopies and clear parts, which are almost always over-scale, and often not of the highest clarity. The bottle is a stout polypropylene cylinder with a full-diameter screw-cap lid that is initially protected from accidental spillage by a tear-off strip moulded into the lid. It contains 100ml of gauzy, in a form that is well-suited to the shape of most canopies, with insertion an removal facilitated by the wide mouth. The liquid is quite viscous and of a milky consistency, so don't let go of the part you are dipping unless you want to spend the next 5 minutes searching for it with tweezers. The fluid becomes clear as it dries, and dipping the parts improves the clarity by flooding all the tiny imperfections in the surfaces inside and out that would otherwise scatter the light. This is due to the self-levelling properties that evens out peaks and troughs on a microscopic scale. You need to drain any large puddles or areas where its surface tension prevents gravity from evening it out, but this can be done with a lint-free paper, or kitchen roll if you're careful. Set the part on a piece of absorbent material, propped up on a cocktail stick or coffee stirrer to aid draining, and then place a clear container over it to prevent dust from adhering. When dry the canopy can be masked and painted just as normal, but if it isn't marred along the way by your ministrations, it should remain crystal clear, or at least substantially better than it was. If you make a mistake with painting and want to start again, you can re-dip your canopy to remove the Gauzy, although this will also deposit thin layers of undissolved paint into the bottle, so use it as a last resort, or decant enough for the task to avoid ruining a bottle. Also, don't fall into the trap of passing it through the Gauzy a number of times (like folks did with Klear), as it just dissolves the old layer and leaves you with a new one. Conclusion - Glass Coat Gauzy Agent Super stuff in a very useful container that also resists tipping with the attendant mess. It dries to a very strong glossy finish that does exactly what it is intended to – fools the eye into thinking the glazing is thinner than it is. You might notice in the photo that there is a little blemish at the rear of the canopy, which is down to my lack of familiarity with the medium. I left an accumulation without wicking it away, please feel free to learn from my mistakes. Intermediate Gauzy Agent I suspect that Intermediate refers to the viscosity of the fluid, as it is definitely thinner, and not quite as opaque as the canopy dipping variant. It arrives in a more standard Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) container with plastic cap and tear-off retention ring for safety during shipping that you can see in the picture above because it had been opened by then. It is suitable for application by brush or by airbrush, and I have had two successful tests that prove their assertion. Application by Brush With little/no preparation I applied the Gauzy to an old 1:72 He.111 wing (the tip), using a 3mm flat bristle W&N "One Stroke" paintbrush, which performs beautifully in case you wondered. One coat gave a sheen that would be suitable for most decaling jobs, although the sheen was a little patchy. After two coats the shine was much more regular and very glossy. Cutting back between coats would have produced a glass-like sheen I'm sure, as the sheen was already good after my slap-dash attempts. Application using an Airbrush The Gauzy can be sprayed without thinning, and goes on quickly even with the 0.2mm needle of my H&S Infinity. One coat gave a satin shine, while two surpassed the shine of the second coat by brush. The first coat was lighter than the second, which was wet, allowing the Gauzy to level itself while curing. There was a little variation in the shine that could have been due to a little accident I had while cleaning the brush, so I then gave it a third coat that went on beautifully. It really is a joy to spray. Test Notes My workshop was at about 25c at the time of the test, and I had been sanding earlier, so there was plenty of dust around, so you'll have to excuse me if there are any motes now trapped in the finish. Clean up is with water, or any acrylic airbrush cleaner (I used the Premi-Air Foaming cleaner for this test), but as with all clear coats, don't be lazy and let it sit for too long, as it will make cleaning up much more trouble. The wing was painted previously with Ultimate Primer to a matt finish, which was buffed very lightly with a piece of kitchen roll. Conclusion - Intermediate Gauzy Agent This is my new favourite clear gloss, and I'm only sorry I don't have much more of it. It dries quickly to a high shine when correctly applied, and sprays easily. There's not much more you could want from a clear gloss. Yes, I know I've pictured the canopy version in the shine test, but it's just there to show the reflectivity of the finished surface. Review sample courtesy of