Need a modeling fix idea from someone....

[angelus2000]

Here goes..

I have a whole load of EA ships that I've gotten done in recent weeks. In an attempt to add a little bit of finish to them, I tried applying a satin clear to the entire mini, using Krylon Crystal Clear Acrylic Satin.

On the minis where it worked, it turns out beautiful. Nice even coat thats just a little bit of shine without being overpowering and looks great on my dark metallic scheme.

On several of the minis and fighter flights though, it turned out crapacular bad. One hand it looks likes theres areas where I didn't spray enough, has a flat, dusty look and feel to them. On other areas it look likes it pooled up because of to thick of a coat, resulting in a smooth but very cloudy look.


Any ideas on how to fix this? Would a simple respary of those bad coats fix them? Do I have to strip back to pewter and start over( which I'm not sure I can do)? I've neve used clear coats of any kind before of the spray variety so I'm kind clueless on how to go about salvaging my paint job.

 

[Frohike]

Sounds as though you sprayed too close or too long on some, resulting in the pool effect while the grainy dusty effect can be caused by spraying too far away. When I spray I try to apply losts of very quick coats rather than cover the mini in one go.

Im not sure what to recommend to resolve though, sorry.

Hope you get it fixed - any pics?

 

[Shadow Queen]

what tempriture did you spray coud be too cold to spray.

 

[Delthos]

Not only can too hot or too cold temperatures affect primer and clear coats, but also humidity. Humidity is very bad for both spray primer and spray clear coats.

I've heard of this being a common problem with GW's clear coat, but I've never heard of it from Krylon's. Also, did you shake it well or is a very old can? The longer a can of spray paint has been setting around, the more shaking it needs.

 

[WereRogue]

All of this is good advice for the next time the OP goes to spray his minis, but doesn't do much to help him rectify the problems he's currently having.

I can't offer much, either, but maybe this will get other responders on the appropriate track.

I can say that I seem to recall reading on another message board that a carefully applied second coat of the spray should alleviate the problems. You might give it a try, ultimately, the worse that could happen would be having to strip the fig.

Good luck!

-Ken

 

[Delthos]

You are correct, that was a way to prevent it not fix it.

It depends on how the clear finish looks. If it looks like it has a dusting of white powder, it is possible to save it by making sure it is dry and giving it another coat of sealer. It's best to use a gloss coat and make sure there isn't high humidity as this is a likely cause of this dusted look. Also make sure your sealer has been well shaken. The problem is also more prevalent with dull coats than gloss coats.

If on the other hand it the finish it self is cloudy and swirly, with the defects below the surface, there isn't much you will be able to do but strip and repaint.

 

[Frankvas]

I've also heard that you can try and melt the sealer with a light bulb. Just put your mini next to one and it might even out the coat better.


Frank V.

 

[Centauri_Admiral]

You can always try a lighter second coat, that should alleviate the problems where the varnish is dusty and patchy, as you put it. You may find that once you have brought the dull areas up to scratch, the areas where the varnish has "pooled" may be less noticeable.

If a second coat to re-even it doesn't work, then I'm afraid the only other options you have are, live with it, or strip them back, repaint and be more judicious with the use of spray next time.

As other guys have said, too hot or too cold will cause problems, not shaking the can well enough will cause problems, numerous lighter coats is much better than one large coat, and also hold the can roughly 30cm away from the minis, if you hold the can too close its going to pool up.

Another tip I learnt in my GW staff days, was that if you do put too thick a coat of spray paint or varnish on, before it dries you have a few second to blow on the model and "force" the spray or varnish across a wider area while its wet.

Hope that helps.

 

[angelus2000]

Update:

A second light coat of spray solved both problems. I used a toothbrush to smooth out the dusty flat areas and resprayed turned out perfect.

For the areas that had too much, another light coat got rid of the cloudiness I had, so they turned out great too.


THanks for the help guys!!!!

 

[Taran]

I was just about to add that Krylon has a tendency to not be removable.

I always spend the extra money to get the stuff designed for miniatures. It pays off the first time you have a $50 model that needs stripped but you can't because of what you sealed it with (my brother did that to a WH40K Landraider).

You can also purchase specialty primers or sealers that are designed for higher/lower heat or humidity if you know where to look in your area.

 

[thehod]

Florida makes a hard place to spray your primer. I have had the problem of the dustyness of a model, sometimes I go over with a black paint with a brush and it helps but before I do that I go over the model with a toothbrush or a brush that is used for powdering makeup. In the very drastic case of it being way craptacular, dunk the model in some nailpolish remover and strip it.