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alternative to klear


plimsol

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If it is the same one I tried it is best used on the lino.

Did some tests with it and was not impressed.

Can't recall what was wrong exactly but decided it was not worth risking on kits.

Unless I did something different that went wrong but as varnish it wasn't good and on a canopy it looked awful

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I still maintain that surely with the amount of interest and potential sales that exists for original Klear, why doesn't one of the hobby companies buy up the patent and start selling it again as a modelling accessory? You never know some people might even be interested in buying it as a floor polish!

Regards

Mark

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hi

If you cannot get Klear then why not just use a gloss coat, most of the paint makers have a gloss clear coat in their range and most art shops also stock a range as well.

This is the one I use and as its solvent based it is totaly impervious to any wearthering process I use.

03012011012Copy.jpg

Paul

Edited by Paul-H
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  • 4 weeks later...

Astonish appear to market two wood floor polishes. One is called Non-Slip Wood Floor Polish & the other is called Flawless Wood Floor Polish. It would be interesting to find out from the people who have had some success with Astonish, which one they use. They are both £1.99 on their own website but whilst the Flawless is 750ML the Non-Slip is 500ML. I was hoping to buy one or the other & let people know how they went.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Well I got a bottle of Astonish last week. (Home Bargains 750ml 99p). I first tried it on the bottom of a plastic biscuit box insert - see below.

5424149367_a9bc63def4_b.jpg

IMG_7846 by hamphlet, on Flickr

The surface was first sprayed with a matt acrylic & then the middle was masked off to leave unvarnished. The left hand side was airbrushed with Astonish & the right hand side was just brushed on. I've never used Klear so I can't say if Astonish is better or worse. What I would say though is it took at least 5 coats to get anything like the sheen I was hoping for. To be honest I wasn't waiting very long between coats (30 mins dried off above a radiator) & I don't know if this caused any problems. In the end I got what I would describe as a soft sheen & not a high gloss finish. To be honest, while it had taken more coats to get there, the result wasn't much different to what I had got using Humbrol's Glosscote.

Encouraged by this I thought I'd try it on the Beaufighter I'm in the middle of right now. The results were broadly similar:

5424737958_cda1f82921_b.jpg

IMG_7851 by hamphlet, on Flickr

5424737504_29cff874f0_b.jpg

IMG_7850 by hamphlet, on Flickr

The decals went on well enough though and I even tried using some brushed on (& still wet) Astonish to help them stick. It seems to have worked better than my last effort, with the surface detail showing through quite nicely. Don't worry though perfection lovers, the Micro Sol & Set are on order.

My conclusion is that while it seems to have worked to an extent in this case, I am not convinced that it would be of much use where a high gloss finish is required. As I said earlier, I have not used Klear and I think it would be useful if someone who has could try Astonish & make a proper comparison. I must also declare that I'm not an experienced airbrush user and so it cannot be discounted that my technique will have affected the end result.

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  • 4 weeks later...

Walrus

Sorry for the hold up. I did reply shortly after, at least I thought I had, but it hasn't appeared. I must have pressed the wrong knob. Anyway, it was about 4 coats to get a finish approaching anything like I was hoping for. The one thing I hadn't done was let it dry/cure properly & I felt this may have hampered the process a little. Was this why it wasn't coming out with the high gloss finish I was hoping for? I couldn't be sure, so I tried another test with the biscuit box insert. This time, rather than drying it on the radiator, I let it dry off at room temperature over a couple of days between each coat. One of the reasons for the delay in getting back has been that I am now up to 6 or 7 coats. I've lost count to be honest and yet I'm still not at the point where I'm happy with the result. I'm going to have to say that overall I'm not satisfied with Astonish. It takes so many coats to get an even reasonable finish that it's not practical for me. My feeling is that it's just too dilute to be of any use to me. It does work in the end, to an extent, but I'm sure there must be quicker and better alternatives out there.

Sorry I didn't get to test it on a canopy.

Cheers

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Guys - Both Phil Flory (Flory Models) and Jay Lavertey (Scale Aircraft Modelling) have tested the new UK formula of Klear and, although having a different smell, is less viscous and has a horrible milky colour, found it to be just as good as the old formula. I haven't tried it myself (still have 6 bottles of the original to get through [D'oh]) but the results looked pretty good to me.

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Luckily I have some in reserve too Ant

Am still skeptical of the new stuff though.

The difference is that the new Klear is made to be a general purpose product that can be used as a cleaner as well if not mistaken.

Am not sure but the whole concept of the product has changed so is no longer the tough protective polish but something that needs repeated application.

penny drops - you sell more Klear that way.

Walrus von Synykall-B'tard

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hi everyone, I am new to the forum but would like to add a comment. At the age of 60 I have just returned to Modelling after a 40 year break. All the latest ideas for modelling and especially the use of "Klear" are very new to me. In addition having been born in the east End of London, but lived in Zambia for the last 25 years, many things mentioned are impossible to buy. Klear being one of them. I have spotted on other sites, mentions of a "Mr Muscle" product said to be sold in South Africa, which is said to contain Klear, but that does not appear to exist. Anyway I searched the internet for Klear, and finally contacted Johnsons in the UK, because I found a polish that they make which was said to contain, Klear, but I could not find it on their web site. The reply I got from them was that EEC regulations required them to re-brand and re-name the rpoduct, and it is now called "Pledge Multi-surface Wax". I managed to get a friend who was visiting the UK to buy me a bottle, and received it on Saturday. I have no idea what the old Klear was like and so can not compare it, however I have already used it, and the result in my opinion is good. The word "Klear" is on the label so I can only assume this is the right product.

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madness - it there anything people wont profit on modelling wise on ebay .. glad I have a 3 stash bought years ago when it was 1.99!

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madness - it there anything people wont profit on modelling wise on ebay .. glad I have a 3 stash bought years ago when it was 1.99!

I have some cans of "air" for sale. This amazing product allows paint and Klear to dry. Simply paint or varnish your model, place into a confined space and remove the lid from the can of "Air". In no time at all your model will be dryer than it was before you used "Air". You can use more cans of "Air" to continue the drying process as required.

"Air" is available in handy 1 litre cans for £25, 5 litre drims for £70, or in bulk 25 litre canisters £250. Refill also available :)

"Air" as you tell from its name, is specially formulated for drying paint on aircraft models. For the AFV modeller we also stock "Atmosphere", and for Ship and Car models why not try "All around you".

Jonners Von Conners

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