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Cear coat gloss polishing


Matteo Scaledcars

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Hello modellers,

I just ordered a few things from ebay and scale model shop as well as an Aoshima aventador SV. The main things I am interested in with my order include a can of Mr super clear gloss clear coat and the tamiya polishing compound set. I am in the UK but managed to find the tamiya compounds at a reasonable but still quite expensive price. I understand that a clearcoat should be sanded to create a smooth surface and get rid of orange peel and then the compounds will buff out and remove scratches giving it a great shine. 3 questions:

1. Are the tamiya compounds the best and if not should I get some meguiars or something else?

2. Does anyone know of a good hobby store near london?

3. Can the compounds be used safetly on a 1k clear like mr super clear or is it too easy to burn through?

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Hi Matteo

 

I've used the Tamiya compounds and was very please with them. I used them over Tamiya ts13 clear so I can't comment on how they would be over Mr gloss clear. 

 

I would say the time when burnthrough is most likely is when you are sanding down the clear coat so that is when to be most aware of sanding lightly and avoiding edges.

 

I still have a few faint scratches on my car body when looking up close in a bright light so one thing I would do differently is to use microfibre cloths for polishing.

 

Best thing to do is to test the procedure out on a scrap piece if you have one.

 

Good luck!

 

Nick

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Excellent thanks. 

 

I think for the polishing I will use a couple of cloths used to clean glasses, I think they should work or maybe some old bits of T-shirt. 

 

I know Mr super clear is meant to have excellent shine and coverage but if the ts13 works well that would be nice to save some cash as Mr super clear was 8 pounds from scale model shop although it does come in a bigger can. 

 

Yes that would be a great idea to test the procedure.

 

Thanks a lot,

 

Matteo

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I've used the Tamiya compounds for years, but as they've become more difficult to get in the UK I've tried others such as Meguiars but personally find they don't work as well as Tamiya. I think as they're intended for real cars they might be designed to work better with rotary polishung tools. I recently managed to get a few tubes of Tamiya so am OK for a few more years now.

 

I only use 1K clearcoats as I spray in the house and don't want to risk anyone else's health by using 2K. I've always used Tamiya compounds on 1K. I also usually Micromesh the 1K back flat before compounding unless I manage to get a really nice, dust free clear coat out of the airbrush - something that doesn't happen very often!! So if the clear is not too dusty or orange peely I like to start with 6000 grit, then 8000 finishing with 12000 - used wet. If it's really bad I'll start with 3200 then work my way up through the grades. I then always use all three Tamiya compounds in order, despite some people saying the Finish one is just a polish. You do need to be careful of edges such as on the roof, bonnet and boot during these processes as the clear will be thinner there and easier to burn through. If it's a road car I'll then give it coat of Carnauba car polish, but I don't bother with that for competition cars.

 

HTH

 

Keith

 

Edit - as you mentioned Mr Super Clear Gloss from an aerosol, I just remembered that I actually used it instead of airbrushing the clear on this Hasegawa Ferrari 348 I'm just finishing up. The clear went on very nicely from the can (warmed up in some hot water for a few minutes first) and I then used 6, 8 and 12 thou micromesh and all three Tamiya compounds. It hasn't yet had it's final polish coat as I'm still doing some detail painting on it. Sorry about the rubbish pic, but it's pretty dark in South Wales today!

 

IMG_1750 (2)

 

 

 

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37 minutes ago, keefr22 said:

I've used the Tamiya compounds for years, but as they've become more difficult to get in the UK I've tried others such as Meguiars but personally find they don't work as well as Tamiya. I think as they're intended for real cars they might be designed to work better with rotary polishung tools. I recently managed to get a few tubes of Tamiya so am OK for a few more years now.

 

I only use 1K clearcoats as I spray in the house and don't want to risk anyone else's health by using 2K. I've always used Tamiya compounds on 1K. I also usually Micromesh the 1K back flat before compounding unless I manage to get a really nice, dust free clear coat out of the airbrush - something that doesn't happen very often!! So if the clear is not too dusty or orange peely I like to start with 6000 grit, then 8000 finishing with 12000 - used wet. If it's really bad I'll start with 3200 then work my way up through the grades. I then always use all three Tamiya compounds in order, despite some people saying the Finish one is just a polish. You do need to be careful of edges such as on the roof, bonnet and boot during these processes as the clear will be thinner there and easier to burn through. If it's a road car I'll then give it coat of Carnauba car polish, but I don't bother with that for competition cars.

 

HTH

 

Keith

 

Edit - as you mentioned Mr Super Clear Gloss from an aerosol, I just remembered that I actually used it instead of airbrushing the clear on this Hasegawa Ferrari 348 I'm just finishing up. The clear went on very nicely from the can (warmed up in some hot water for a few minutes first) and I then used 6, 8 and 12 thou micromesh and all three Tamiya compounds. It hasn't yet had it's final polish coat as I'm still doing some detail painting on it. Sorry about the rubbish pic, but it's pretty dark in South Wales today!

 

IMG_1750 (2)

 

 

 

Wow that really looks great. I think I have some 3000, 4000 and 12000 sponges and cloths lying around somewhere. May invest in the Alclad II micromesh set,

Thanks for the advice!

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I use Novus plastic polish for Tamiya paint and Zero 2K clear. It’s easily available on eBay, and £20 buys you enough of the coarse scratch and fine scratch remover to last a lifetime of small cars. Use it with a slightly damp old t-shirt rag or soft flannel cloth. The problem with the micro mesh sheets I find is that they all too easily pick up tiny grit particles which are way coarser than the grade, and leave swirl scratches behind. Also, each to their own, but I don’t believe it’s necessary to polish the whole car through multiple grades of abrasive or polishes and the risks of burning through edges or details are much higher if you do...

 

 

best,

M.

 

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37 minutes ago, cmatthewbacon said:

Also, each to their own,

 

Indeed, more than one way to polish a cat, err, skin a car....whatever.... :)

 

I do try and keep my micromesh pads scrupilously clean and stored in press seal bags, and I've yet to have the problem Matt mentions. Famous last words....!! 

 

Keith

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5 hours ago, cmatthewbacon said:

I use Novus plastic polish for Tamiya paint and Zero 2K clear. It’s easily available on eBay, and £20 buys you enough of the coarse scratch and fine scratch remover to last a lifetime of small cars. Use it with a slightly damp old t-shirt rag or soft flannel cloth. The problem with the micro mesh sheets I find is that they all too easily pick up tiny grit particles which are way coarser than the grade, and leave swirl scratches behind. Also, each to their own, but I don’t believe it’s necessary to polish the whole car through multiple grades of abrasive or polishes and the risks of burning through edges or details are much higher if you do...

 

 

best,

M.

 

Ok I will try out novus next.

Also I have built 5 models now on my 6th and still havent invested in an airbrush. What kind of setup would you recommend. I really like the look of the zero 2k clear.

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4 minutes ago, Matteo Scaledcars said:

airbrush. What kind of setup would you recommend

 

TBH this is probably one of the biggest 'can of worms' questions! Personally I have a 'few' working brushes. For over twenty years I used an Aztek A470 which was my only airbrush - and is still by far the easiest one to clean I've ever used. However when it wore out I bought a very expensive Iwata HP-CH hi-line and which to be honest I've hardly used as I feel it's too 'delicate' for the types of paints and solvents we use in modelling. So I then bought an Iwata Neo which I found to be very good, but when I managed to damage the needle and nozzle on it the spares were almost more than buying a new Harder and Steenbeck Ultra - which is now my go to airbrush for things like base and clear coats - it came with 0.2 and 0.4 nozzles and needles and I find the former great for more detailed work. After I sold some models at Telford one year I also invested in a H&S Evolution CR plus which I also find to be a really nice brush to use - and as it's fitted with a triple PTFE needle seal it's pretty bombproof against most of the stuff we put through them (I've also fitted the same seals to the Ultra) The H&S brushes are also much easier to clean than the Iwata's. I also have a couple of cheap Chinese ones off e-bay. I only use these for primers. Some people recommend these as 'starter brushes' as they're so cheap. The problem I think with that is the quality can be hit and miss - a good one can be great to use, a bad one could put you off airbrushing for life.

 

As to a compressor, can't really offer much advice - I've got a Revell one that's over a decade old and is probably getting close to end of life. I'm looking at probably getting a Sparmax of some description when the time comes but haven't really looked into it. I would say get one with a tank and a pressure gauge and water trap. I also want my next one to have auto shut off when the tank reaches pressure - something my current one lacks.

 

Keith

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