Safe clearcoat for decals

DeltaVee · Post by **DeltaVee** » Tue Jun 30, 2009 9:34 pm

I plan to paint a basecoat of Floquil railroad color, then gloss, then apply panel decals, then seal the decals in some clear coat, then shoot a second lighter weathering layer of Floquil paint over the decals. What will preserve my decals? That Floquil thinner's pretty nasty stuff. Yes, I know I'm setting myself up for trouble. Hence, my preference for advice based on experience over speculation. Thanks.

TREKKRIFFIC · Post by **TREKKRIFFIC** » Wed Jul 01, 2009 10:03 am

Future works well. Krylon gloss acrylic in a rattle can is good too. I always seal the decals with the same coating as I have underneath them.

DeltaVee · Post by **DeltaVee** » Wed Jul 01, 2009 3:51 pm

Thanks. I never dreamed good ol' water soluable Future could withstand Floquil thinner.

TREKKRIFFIC · Post by **TREKKRIFFIC** » Wed Jul 01, 2009 4:21 pm

DeltaVee wrote:Thanks. I never dreamed good ol' water soluable Future could withstand Floquil thinner.

Is the Floquil thinner lacquer based ? If so, I'd be careful. If you are airbrushing it I'd apply it in light coats.

DeltaVee · Post by **DeltaVee** » Wed Jul 01, 2009 9:28 pm

Thanks, yep, I'm going to do it as lightly as I can. In the end, I know it's a suicide mission.

TREKKRIFFIC · Post by **TREKKRIFFIC** » Thu Jul 02, 2009 10:00 am

You should be fine. Before I discovered Future, I used gloss lacquer in a rattle can under and over decals and never had an issue with it. Just be sure they're good and dry before spraying.

DeltaVee · Post by **DeltaVee** » Thu Mar 18, 2010 9:36 pm

I'm back with a variation on the same theme. I want to clearcoat my decals with Future, then apply a wash of Floquil paint thinned with Floquil thinner. THEN, I want to wipe any wash that hasn't settled into the crevaces. Will the Future survive? Not sure why I keep doing this except Floquil goes down so well over resin - or anything else for that matter. Thanks for any insights.

Joseph Osborn · Post by **Joseph Osborn** » Thu Mar 18, 2010 10:11 pm

DeltaVee wrote:I'm back with a variation on the same theme. I want to clearcoat my decals with Future, then apply a wash of Floquil paint thinned with Floquil thinner. THEN, I want to wipe any wash that hasn't settled into the crevaces. Will the Future survive? Not sure why I keep doing this except Floquil goes down so well over resin - or anything else for that matter. Thanks for any insights.

I think you're pushing your luck with this venture. When you spray lacquer through an airbrush, it flashes off almost immediately as it hits the model surface, so it's usually safe for application over a fully cured enamel or acrylic. Using a cotton bud or cloth to wipe wet lacquer thinner on the surface of a model may be asking for trouble, since it'll have time to start softening the paint underneath it. Maybe it's time to discover the wonders of oil washes? They are very easy to use over a dried Future coat and mineral spirits is much friendlier than lacquer thinner. Drying time is much longer with oils vs. lacquers, of course, but that's part of their beauty when doing washes. You have plenty of time to get the exactly where you want them.

DeltaVee · Post by **DeltaVee** » Fri Mar 19, 2010 8:12 am

Thanks Joseph,
I may try a test off the model first, being hard-headed. I've always wanted to try oils. I have no problem with acrylics. I wanted to stick with Floquil just because I wanted to darken slightly the mix I'm using for my base cloat for a subtle effect. I flunked Color Wheel in kindergarten, so I'm afraid I'd get lost going off and trying to duplicate my base coat with other colors in another brand. Even so, is there a brand of oils you recommend that would have a nice range of greens and grays? Or... isn't there some acryline line of paints parallel to Floquil?