Spraying KLEAR or VARNISH over an already KLEAR dipped canopy ?

[Lostpanther]

Hi Guys,

I have a question,

I have made my first few models and was hoping to finish my canopies as nicely as possible.
I wanted to make sure that my process is not hindering the clarity of my canopy.

First I clean and polish the canopy with a polishing stick, this seems to work really well.
Then I dip the canopy into a pot of Pledge multi-surface polish, this used to be known as ‘KLEAR’ in the UK.
It is left overnight under a box to prevent dust whilst curing.
once its ready I will then glue it to the unpainted aircraft, ‘I finish all my models with canopies closed’.
I then mask the aircraft and canopy, I use mask tape on the canopy.
I prime and base coat the aircraft.

Now… here is a crucial question.
I remove all masks, including the canopy mask, and gloss coat everything including the canopy with KLEAR gloss by airbrush.

It seems to flow nicely across the glass.
Would this process reduce clarity or quality or perhaps enhance it?
How many times could I apply gloss coat with an airbrush if the process is ok?
Could I polish the KLEAR coated canopy if at all, and how?

I would love to here your thoughts fellow modellers.

Kind Regards
Matt

[bentwaters81tfw]

Don't try to polish a Klear coated canopy. Ask me how I know. Once it's been dipped in Klear, that tends to be enough. Sometimes an aggressive masking tape might lift some of the Klear coat, but another pass of the brush soon fixes that. I flat brush Klear as it's self levelling and leaves no trace.

[LotusArenco]

3 hours ago, Lostpanther said:

I remove all masks, including the canopy mask

Once dipped in Klear and fitted/masked, I usually leave the canopy masking in place throughout the entire build.

Pulling the masking off the canopy is my usual final finishing ‘Taa Daa’ moment.

 

Mart

[Lostpanther]

Hi guys, thanks for your swift response. In hindsight i shoukd have probably removed the mask after the final varnish coat.

i was worried the varnish over the mask may make the removal less seamless.

has this ever been an issue before?

and sadly i did try to polish it l. You were absolutely right, big smudge.

thankfully i gave it anouther dusting of klear and it repaired the blemish.

regards

matt

[LotusArenco]

1 hour ago, Lostpanther said:

i was worried the varnish over the mask may make the removal less seamless.

has this ever been an issue before?

Unless you’re going absolutely mad with the thickness of your paint layers, it’s not a problem.  A layer or two of topcoat/ Klear/matt will only be a few thou in thickness.

 

If you’ll forgive the use of one of my own builds as an example:

 

Canopy dipped in Klear, fitted and masked.

 

First layer of the internal cockpit colour. A bit of a cheat to suggest the visible areas of framing when looking through the canopy to the other side.

 

Layer of primer

 

First topcoat

 

Second topcoat

 

Klear coat / decals / weathering

 

Matt coat

 

‘Taa Daa’. That’s with six layers of paint over the masking.

 

Just mind out during the weathering phase that it’s possible that a wash might seep under the masking. Not a problem with water based 'clay/sludge' washes, but may cause a problem with spirit based ones.

 

Mart