Just finished paint and decals on a few hopper cars - really happy with the results
Was going to Dullcoat next however I’ve been reading and been told to take the extra step and put a gloss coat on first - to seal decals but more importantly help to hide the decal film better than just Dullcoat !
Your thoughts - Thanks
Joe S
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The gloss coat needs to go on first to bring the sheen of your paint up to the same gloss as the decal film. then decal then clear coat or dull coat for the look you want. if the paint is not as shiny as the clear part of the decal you will not be able to hide it.
@Rick Rubino posted:The gloss coat needs to go on first to bring the sheen of your paint up to the same gloss as the decal film. then decal then clear coat or dull coat for the look you want. if the paint is not as shiny as the clear part of the decal you will not be able to hide it.
Not true. The gloss coat is put on first in order to help prevent air bubbles under the decal. If you don't get all of the air out from under the decal, it will look like silver spots. The surface of flat paints are not as smooth as the surface of a gloss or satin finish paint. The smoother the surface, the easier it is to squeeze the air out from under the decal. Decal setting solution helps let the decal lay down over surface details.
Before you guys said that a gloss coat was needed, I never used a gloss coat. I decaled right over the flat paint and never had any problem hiding a decal. Of course, what brand (read thickness) the decals are make a big difference.
I've found the following steps to work best for me:
Apply gloss coat to model
Decal
Apply another coat of gloss coat
Apply dullcoat
This is on wood kits, and is a simplified description.
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