Clear parts

[Levi]

Hi I am building the 1/350 USS Enterprise refit and I was wondering how do you clear coat over the transparent parts because in the past the parts just looked a little white/frosted after doing this so what would you guys recommend?

Or should I decal and topcoat every part separate and then put in the windows?

 

And also if there is someone here who also build this ship: how do you fix the issue that the pylons don't fit in the hull because I test fitted it and it didn't line up at all

[spruecutter96]

Hi, Levi. 

 

It sounds like the window decals are suffering from "silvering". This is something that happens when the decal is placed on an area which is not glossy / completely smooth. I think I'm right in saying that if the decal shrinks down on to a non-glossy area, then tiny bubbles of air tend to be trapped underneath it (this then gives the decal the patchy, white, misty appearance). 

 

It's a pain, but you need to coat any area that will be taking a decal with a clear gloss coat. It is probably easier to coat the whole of the kit, in the long run. After several days, the decal will be completely dry and you can then paint the kit with a clear matt coat, which will seal everything in place and should give some protection from the paint-colours fading due to exposure to daylight. 

 

Hope this helps. 

 

Chris.  

[Mike]

I'm reading this differently from Spruecutter, as it seems to me that you're talking about actual transparent plastic parts?  If so, coat any clear parts with Klear/Future by dipping them and wicking away the excess on kitchen towel, covering them over with a cup or something to avoid getting dust stuck in the wet varnish.  You can install them whenever you like, but if you are spraying any paint or varnish near them, always mask them over, as any gloss coat will appear frosted on clear styrene, especially if it's not a wet coat.  To recover the frosting, you could try a brush coat of Klear/Future over the clear parts, but it might not cure it, and I'm just suggesting what I'd do if I found myself in the same position. 

 

If I've got the wrong end of the stick, feel free to ignore this post

[Levi]

Yes thanks Mike I guess I will order the pre cut masking tape for the windows on this model because I am to lazy to hand cut 70 windows or so 🤣

[spruecutter96]

Whoops.... Completely mis-read the original post. Sorry about that. 

 

Chris. 

[Corsairfoxfouruncle]

11 hours ago, Mike said:

To recover the frosting, you could try a brush coat of Klear/Future over the clear parts, but it might not cure it, 

It does to a degree but not perfect, ask me how i know. 😉

[Mike]

6 hours ago, Levi said:

Yes thanks Mike I guess I will order the pre cut masking tape for the windows on this model because I am to lazy to hand cut 70 windows or so 🤣

Can't say I blame you

3 hours ago, spruecutter96 said:

Whoops.... Completely mis-read the original post. Sorry about that. 

 

Chris. 

I do that a lot

 

17 minutes ago, Corsairfoxfouruncle said:

It does to a degree but not perfect, ask me how i know. 😉

How do you know?

[Corsairfoxfouruncle]

1 hour ago, Mike said:

How do you know?

In one of my serious oops moments.  I sprayed flat coat on a model after i had placed the canopies without masking.

Edited December 30, 2018 by Corsairfoxfouruncle

[Mark Szeman]

Hey guys, Id love to hear some input on the difference between clear paints, and clear coat.  I ask because I've painted the clear parts of my Enterprise B warp nacelles with some coats of Tamiya X-23 clear blue inside and out ( pic below ).

I would hate for this beautiful clear blue to go hazy or frosted once i apply the final clear coat when im done.  Seems odd that a clear paint, and clear coat would differ so much.

 

 

Slight chipping on the edge as I didn't wait long enough before i used my usual method of doubling up masking tape sticky side out to hold it down while spraying the outside, but it makes no odds here as that wont be seen.  Other than that perfectly clear. 

[fsssh]

This is interesting to me as I never used klear because of the change in formulation debate and never having owned any of the original, which now seems to be as rare as unicorn wee.

 

My normal strategy is to try and leave clear parts out until the very end of my builds and just use fine polish. Not always possible I know, but I have bad 'canopy frosting fear' from my early days with airfix and matchbox kits, and don't talk to me about 'droopy bombs syndrome'......

 

What is the collective thinking on this right now and has anyone tried the alternatives? I have some of the Alclad stuff but have yet to try it.