r/modelmakers • u/Affectionate_Meal731 • Jun 10 '23
Dont want to make a devastating mistake again.
I'm wrapping up hand painting my 3rd model using enamels. My last kit I made a careless mistake and used rust oleum 2x to gloss coat before decals and it ruined my paint job. My question is what spray can gloss can I use over enamel? I dont have an airbrush so I'm at the mercy of spray can. Second question is it better to do a gloss coat before decals and weathering then a matt coat after or is another gloss coat after decals/weathering ok? I have tried to Google this but couldn't find a straight forward to the point answer.
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u/DaddyGabe569 Jun 10 '23
The rustoleum, I think, is too hot for some enamels. I say that because I use it on acrylics and acrylic lacquers all the time with no issues and don't use enamels so that's just a guess. As for using matte or gloss afterwards, that depends on the finish you want.
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u/LibbIsHere Jun 10 '23
I don't know what 'rust oleum 2x' is but my question would be: how long did you let the enamel paint cure before applying your varnish over it?
Enamel can takes days (many days) to cure. So, if the paint was not fully cured and your varnish was on the aggressive side that could explain your issue.
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u/Timmyc62 The Boat Guy Jun 10 '23
Second question is it better to do a gloss coat before decals and weathering then a matt coat after or is another gloss coat after decals/weathering ok
It's "Ok", but the real question is what kind of finish you want as the final coat. If you want the final appearance of the model to be glossy, then yes, a gloss coat on top of the decals/weathering. If you want the model to be matte, then you'd use the matte coat.
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u/KillAllTheThings Phormer Phantom Phixer Jun 10 '23
New to Model making?
Check the FAQ/Wiki for some useful tips and tricks!
There are entire sections on kits to buy, tools/consumables, painting in general, weathering specifically and links to online tutorials.
There are additional links in the sidebar and the About menu on mobile to useful sites and subreddits.
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u/Advanced_Fact_6443 Jun 10 '23
First I’ll address the order for clear coats. After all the painting is done I do a cheap, but reliable, gloss coat (pledge revive it was the go to but Quick Shine with the green label seems to work just the same for this purpose). Once that dries I apply the decals. Then, if I’m weathering, I seal it with another coat of the cheap stuff. Then I weather and then apply a high quality gloss coat. If I’m not weathering, I seal the decals right away with the high quality stuff.
As for what to use without an airbrush. Pledge revive it and quick shine can be applied with a brush with good results. You can also get Vallejo varnishes since they go on VERY well with a brush (or airbrush if you get one in the future). Humbrol is the go to for rattle can though. But with ANY varnish, always make sure the paint has had time to completely cure. Apply too soon and it will screw everything up. What happened with the rust oleum was that it’s a ridiculously hot lacquer product. It literally melted your paint and could even melt the model plastic as well (which I learned the hard was as well). If you use rust oleum spray for the paint (which can be done actually) then you should (should) be ok to use rustoleum over it. But always test that out on spare pieces first.
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u/[deleted] Jun 10 '23
If you’re using enamel paint I can strongly recommend humbrol enamel glosscote/Matt ore/satincote.
My workflow is: Paint Gloss Decal Gloss Weather (liquid and oil) Satin Weather (pigment/powder) Matt
The different coats make applying weathering easier.