Ladies and gentlement, I request your collective wisdom.
I’m in the painting process of a P-51 in NMF. I used Mission Models Duraluminum(MMM-005) as the metallic. I then tried to use Alclad Aquagloss as the gloss coat so I can start decaling. The problem I ran into was that the Aquagloss crazed and cracked.
Looking for a solution, I took a piece of styrene card. I primed it with my usual Grey Stynylrez then painted it with Mission Models Duraluminum (MMM-005). I then tried a bunch of different combos of Vallejo Acrylic Gloss Clear, Mission Models Gloss Clear, and Aquagloss. I tried spraying it light, I tried spraying it heavy, I tried spraying it medium. Every time, it crazed and cracked. It’s like the gloss coat shrank as it dried, but wasn’t actually adhering to the metallic paint underneath.
Therefore, the question I pose to everyone. How in the world am I suppose to clearcoat this? What is the secret? I’m clearly missing something.
Don’t know if it will work the same with the Mission Models metallic paint, but I have been using Intermediate Gauzy Agent Shine Enhancer by AK Interactive when I want to clearcoat over Alclad lacquers. I haven’t been using it for very long, but so far I haven’t had any issues with it.
That’s strange that MM clear would cause a problem with MM paint.When I had a question,they responded pretty fast.Try contacting them tomorrow,maybe they have some thoughts.
I did last night actually and they responded within 15 minutes. They gave me some stuff to try. The two points they mentioned is that I may not have let my paint completely dry and I might have been going down to heavy with the Aquagloss.
They thing is I’ve never had a problem with the way I use Aquagloss on regular color coats. And the plane I’m working on the metallic had a couple days to dry after I was working on painting the invasion stripes and the OD topside of the craft. Neither of which showed the crazing.
Thanks for this, I may have to try it. However, I’m reticent to try something new if the first 3 products did the same thing. I feel it’s a process or technique issue, not a product issue.
Yup. I definitely understand your thinking on this. I just haven’t found anything that works well over a metallic coat, and the Gauzy Agent finally did. It could be cure time like the MM reps told you though. I’m just going from my experience with Alclad lacquers, and those cure in minutes.
You could try Tamiya X-22 clear thinned with Mr Levelling Thinner, this has worked for me after encountering a similar problem with base coat “bubbling”. Give it a try on a test mule, you will be happily supprised.
This is something I have experienced along with a dulling of the metallic. Years ago the only way i could overcoat Testors Chrome Silver was to use Pactra clear in a spritz Perfume Bottle. Remember those little bottles with the little air bag on them? That was then. Now I just go with tried and proven systems Like using say. Rusteoleum colors with Rustoleum clear coat. Tamiya colors with Tamiya Clear. Some of the others I haven’t tried and have no desire to do so. Paint already costs too much as it is!
I’m starting to think that my bottle of duraluminum had gone bad. what was happening was when I sprayed it, I’d lay dish a nice light, but wet coat, just as you’re supposed to, but once it’d cure for a couple days, you could drop regular old water on it and the paint coat would dissolve.
now if I had that problem, and then I tried to gloss coat, I’d reactivate the paint, it’d be re-drying with the clear over top of it, and it’d crack the clear, I’m gonna get a new bottle of duraluminum and see what happens
Since you’re at the point of repainting anyway, you might consider trying a different brand of paint. Alclad makes Duraluminum and so does MRP. Those both are ready to shoot, straight out of the bottle. The only thing that made those difficult to clearcoat was that the clearcoats usually had a tendancy to alter the metallic sheen, but never had any of them crack. I was reading the instructions on the Mission Models Duraluminum on their web-site, and all the stuff you have to mix with it is insane. This isn’t the first time I have seen someone talking about Mission Models paint where the possibility of it having gone bad has been mentioned. I can’t wrap my brain around how a model paint goes bad, but it seems to be one of the drawbacks to using water-based acrylics.
It’s a given. Did you know that even the old Testors Enamels in the square bottles can go bad? Well, that same applies to ANY water or Alcohol based Acrylic. High Temperatures and Severely low ones can destroy the Bond between the Pigment and Carrier. “Pigment-A substance giving a color to a mix of natural or manufactured colorants.”
"Carrier- A manufactured or natural base from which paints are made .It can be any numerous natural or chemical Compounds. Both can be severely affected by environments where stored, Or, other outside influence such as U.V.Light!
Note: It’s been My experience with Metallic coatings to let them Gas out for a full week Before tryng to clearcoat. AND it’s always best to use the Mfgrs. recommended Gloss or Semi-Gloss Clear-Coat. The ONLY one I have not run into problems with here is " Rub-N-Buff" This clearcoats easily after about two weeks of gassing out( If that’s the right terminology referring to their product)
It’s been my experience that even Testors metallics change color slightly or Yellow depending on the clear you use. I once coated a model Car for a club newsletter with Future and it glossed up beautifully. I cleaned it with Ammonia not to long ago and It had turned five or six degrees toward the yellow spectrum, looked like Dull Gold instead of Brushed Silver paint!
Now! For clear-Coating Bare Metal Foil or other material other than Paint. I find The Gloss Craft Clears, In Hi-Gloss or Semi-Gloss from Craftint Acrylics line works great!
I was trying to stay with water based acrylics. On the whole mission models paints have been exceptionally pleasant to shoot. They go down really easy for me, they resist tip dry, and they don’t spider that badly for me.
Compare that to the Vallejo model air I was using when I first taught myself to airbrush some 5 years ago and it’s night and day.
Oh yeah. I hear ya. I tried Vallejo Model Air once, and I’ll never go back to that. I thought it was terrible paint. Hopefully the new bottle of Mission works out for you.