Double Gloss Coat

[McG]

I’ve seen on YouTube a few Japanese car modeller’s applying what can only be described as a double gloss coat.

 

Their process seems to be:

 

1. apply multiple gloss layers as normal.

2. flat it back with 3000 grit or higher up to 10-12000 grit.

3. apply more multiple gloss layers.

3. flat these back and then polish to a high  shine using compounds. 
 

What is the benefit of the second gloss coating after polishing?

 

Does it offer a higher shine?

 

Mark

[krow113]

Prolly just offers some confidence that you wont go through the first gloss coat into the color coat during the rigorous polishing method.

[colin]

Probably not getting a higher sheen but more likely trying to get a more glass like finish with no orange peel. Also putting more coats on helps then avoid burning through to the underlying paint

[Anteater]

More down to the quality of the coats rather than the quantity, I would have thought. 

[Spiny]

The problem )to my way of thinking anyway) is that it's a bit of a balancing act. Too many coats can make the paint look too thick and gloopy, although the shine may be out of this world. Too few and you burn through as mentioned above. It's about getting that happy medium with a good shine, but without the paint looking too thick. If the builders in those videos find that's the best way for them to achieve that balance then that's great. If you can managed to get the shine you want without double-layering then nothing wrong with that either - it's all about what works for you.

 

But to answer the question, I don't really know what the benefit is of a second coat - as Anteater said above (sounding much like my old English teacher!) it's quality over quantity that counts.

[Schwarz-Brot]

Gloss, decals, gloss is also quite common. Maybe this is what they are doing?

[McG]

Thanks all,

 

I hadn’t considered decalling or burn through as potential reasons for doing this.

 

Mark

[Troy Smith]

14 hours ago, McG said:

What is the benefit of the second gloss coating after polishing?

 

Does it offer a higher shine?

 

Can't answer your initial question, but ages ago this was posted,  which maybe of interest if you are interested in car models finish.  

 

[Alan R]

In a lot of videos I've seen posted on YouTube, they often sand-back using 3000 or higher to eliminate the few dust bunnies that get through, they then polish it to a high sheen with polishing compounds. I haven't seen further top coats added after that,

I agree about the danger of too thick gloss coat. It becomes 'toy-like' and you seem to lose a lot of the more delicate details under this unrealistically thick layer of glass. 

 

Cheers,

Alan.

Edited December 1, 2021 by Alan R
Typo

[gamblor916]

Multiple thin coats helps get rid of stepping with decals and different paint colours. More important with race cars and bikes with complex schemes.