2k Clear polishing

Ive been using 2k clear and must say its awesome clear coat....but since this type of clear has hardener in the mix, means its harder to polish if im correct...what i mean is, following those FAQs about polishing, it dsnt realli work with 2k clear....ive tried using light- medium pressure with tamiya compund, and after doing that 5-6 times, it seems i havent polished it...
Ive then tried using hard- very hard pressure and the effect comes in....but sometimes i ruin the edges i.e take the base coat out of edges....

anyone have better methods for 2k clear, e.g using specific compunds instead of tamiyas fine...or any other tips welcome..

so far ive been able to acheive this on my ferrari 360 build...but scratched edges....=(

http://img379.imageshack.us/img379/8954/p0709081842ly1.jpg

I working with those paints, too and let the clear paint dry for a few days or a whole week. After that i sand it with 2000 and 3000 grit in several directions.
Last step is polishing with "Armor All Ultra Polish + Wax".
Take automotive products, works better than Tamiya.

i have tried automotive cutting compund, but doesnt suit the job...its coarse in a sense that it almost works like 1500 sandpaper....its fine in a sense that it can flatten orange peel eventually....but i think its easier sanding with 2000 SP and then tamiya polish(which is the onli thing i have atm).....but ive always sanded too much that the clear is gone....my base color is white which makes it harder to see...now im gonna have to do my 3rd clear spray attempt....

Why do you want to polish it at all?

My experience with 2K urethane clear is that it dries to a high gloss with no orange peel. What more do you want to achieve by compounding it?

ddms

well for me there is OP and aswell as a lot of dust. Maybe i OP isnt too visible but the dust is...Place i live is just dusty and i cant control that factor...

well for me there is OP and aswell as a lot of dust. Maybe i OP isnt too visible but the dust is...Place i live is just dusty and i cant control that factor...

Hmmm. Must be tough to be a modeler in a dusty area. I'd suggest a few things: 1) use lacquer thinner or reducer to thin the 2K a bit. Then spray your final coat pretty "wet." That should eliminate the OP. The thinner paint will dry faster, giving dust less time to settle. 2) About 15 minutes before painting, use a sprayer to "mist" the room. Let everything settle before painting the model. 3) As soon as you finish spraying the model itself, put a large cover over it.

None of these is a total solution, but they might help things a bit.

Ddms

As for polishing - I use Farecla G3 Paste and then Tamiya one. It gives good results on hard paints like automotive paints.
http://www.sailboats.co.uk/images/products/medium/750022.jpg

yea the place where i can spray paint my kits is pretty dusty...cos its in a garage and i dnt have any alternatives...that misting the area is a good idea so dust dnt fly around that much...never thought bout that...
as for the "wet" coat....exactly how wet...ive tried VERY VERY wet and the OP is minimised but since its dusty, alot of particles get clogged on the the surface...Ive tried light to medium wet and its less dusty but needs more polishing....so guess thats the trade off....
so far for thinning, i use around 10:5:3 clear coat, harderner, thinner respectively.
Anyone with a better formula for my "dusty" garage?

yea the place where i can spray paint my kits is pretty dusty...cos its in a garage and i dnt have any alternatives...that misting the area is a good idea so dust dnt fly around that much...never thought bout that...
as for the "wet" coat....exactly how wet...ive tried VERY VERY wet and the OP is minimised but since its dusty, alot of particles get clogged on the the surface...Ive tried light to medium wet and its less dusty but needs more polishing....so guess thats the trade off....
so far for thinning, i use around 10:5:3 clear coat, harderner, thinner respectively.
Anyone with a better formula for my "dusty" garage?

I find that the 'orange peel' effect can be affected by the amount of thinning.On the Hiroboy website he recommends 50ml clear, 25 ml hardener, 7.5ml thinner (10%) I find I use more thinner and it suits my airbrush so much better, goes on smoother and I get virtually no 'orange peel' effect.I usually mix mine as follows, because the quantity listed above makes far too much anyway and I end up wasting it.I find that 5ml clear, 2,5ml hardener and 2.5ml thinner works best for me.It makes a full cup on my airbrush and that full cup will finish an F1 body cowl and the wings etc.It does make it a lot thinner and it will run far easier, but it goes on so much more smoothly and flows out enough to virtually eliminate the 'orange peel' It doesn't seem to affect the coverage or the gloss level either and you still get an excellent shine and it's a tough finish as well.
As for the 'wetness' of coats I usually apply the lightish tack coat as recommended then 2-3 'wet' coats, reasonably heavy but not so heavy that they will run.You need to get the 'magic' moment wet enough so it's not dry (means more polishing work) but just before it runs (more rubbing out and re spraying work) if it runs.
I would certainly experiment with the thinning levels until you find the formula that suits your painting style and airbrush set up.However you don't want to be adding massive quantities of thinner to the mix as I'm sure this would reduce the effectiveness of the clear as a clear and you may get problems of it eating into the colour coats or destroying your decals.

Ive managed to polish the body to a shine that i can clearly see my self in it...but there a fine fine scratch marks left be using compounds and polishing waxes....whats the best method to reduce or even remove these scratch marks...ive tried liquid wax and buffing but it doesn't do a real good job...

Finer polish.

Try Meguiar's Scratch X.
I have used that on all my latest builds, and it works beautifully.
I use a polishing kit, and then after the final grit, I just buff out the light scratches with the Scratch X.

there are quite a few reasons for fine scratches on paint.

i) not fine enough polishing medium
ii) too much pressure
iii) paint is not ready for polishing
iv) cloth used is not "clean" enough

it's really up to you to try and identify the problem.
In most cases, changing the type of cloth you use and making sure it isn't too clogged up with medium and paint while you polish will be the first thing to try.

I think it mite be that i apply too much pressure....but with light pressure the shine doesnt come up...
and 1 more question...
ppl say apply polish, and buf in circular motion and let dry to white glaze....
HOW important is letting dry to white glaze...because most of the time i just rub until i cant see the polish anymore...and i dnt wait b4 wiping with clean cloth...

I have the following tools and materials for polishing...anyone would help me rank them from most coarse to most fine...

2000 sandpaper
Kitten cutting compound
Turtle liquid Wax
Turtle swirl remover
Kitten Cream polish with carnuaba wax
Colgate Gold Toothpaste
Tamiya Compund- Fine

I have the following tools and materials for polishing...anyone would help me rank them from most coarse to most fine...

2000 sandpaper
Kitten cutting compound
Turtle liquid Wax
Turtle swirl remover
Kitten Cream polish with carnuaba wax
Colgate Gold Toothpaste
Tamiya Compound- Fine

2000 sandpaper
Colgate Gold Toothpaste
Tamiya Compound- Fine
Kitten cutting compound
I cann't really speak for alll of those waxes but ill try
Turtle swirl remover
Turtle liquid Wax
Kitten Cream polish with carnuaba wax

If this pertains to car bodies i usually try to get the best paint finish i can, then ill use micro mesh polishing cloths then use a compound and then the last detail wax. Sometimes you can skip using a compound.

Get yourself 2 kits and you will be polishing to perfection every time with no problem:

This one:http://www.hiroboy.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=1974

This one:http://www.hiroboy.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=1053

Start with the Micromesh and finish with the Finishers compounds.

I would also recommend the Tamiya compounds and the Mr Compound range.

http://www.hiroboy.com/catalog/advanced_search_result.php?keywords=Mr+Compound&x=12&y=10

I've just started to use the Mr Compound stuff and it is really good especially the superfine 8000, great at removing the smaller scratches you describe.Also get yourself the right type of cloth.It can make a big difference.I use a microfibre type available at any good car accessory store.

Remember that almost anything meant for 1:1 cars is going to be a lot more abrasive than anything meant for scale models. That Tamiya compound is an outstanding product especially used in conjunction with the coarse compound and then the finish or some other wax.

Kitten offers this warning about their cutting compound:
Caution: Not to be used on paintwork in good condition, or on newer cars with metallic paint or clear coat finishes.

So, you can imagine what that stuff would do to a model.

Steve Noble's recommendations are sound. I'd go that route.

cheers guys...looks like i just need to try a few more compounds first...

Tamiya Fine is very fine, and will polish to a bright shine. Tamiya Finish will give you an even higher gloss.

If there's something that will make a "Finished" finish even glossier, I'd sure like to know what it is, 'cause I'm gonna paint my 250 TR black!

[But my all-time favorite is Tamiya Coarse, because a) it's not coarse, and b) magically removes OP without leaving a scratch pattern.]

Ddms

I do all my model finishing using automotive products, since i detail my own car and have a bunch and i save some money this way, i first fine wet sand, then use 3m rubbing compound, then meguiers polish follow by a cleaner wax, has been working very well for me. Then again you need to have some experience with these products before you apply it to car models.

I think it mite be that i apply too much pressure....but with light pressure the shine doesnt come up...
and 1 more question...
ppl say apply polish, and buf in circular motion and let dry to white glaze....
HOW important is letting dry to white glaze...because most of the time i just rub until i cant see the polish anymore...and i dnt wait b4 wiping with clean cloth...

letting dry to a white haze applys to waxes mostly, for compounds and polishes you don't have to.

for scratches what cloth are you using? and what type of compound? for finer polishes i use microfiber and never really had a problem, and you want to move to a finer and finer compound as you go on to get a shine. Just remember to keep the cloth and the surface clean when you do this.

I've tried both, and I still prefer the dedicated modeling products for models, despite the higher cost. I've found that most automotive polishes - even Meguiar's Scratch-X - leave a fine scratch pattern that's visible on a model when the light is just right.

Ddms

I moved onto microfibre cloths....and they are much softer...but ive noticed theres a significant price different between microfibres...i see some in the automotive section of my stores selling for around 20-25 AUD, thats around 15USD...ive managed to purchase a cheaper 5$AUD one in my supermarket....
so what you guys suggest? the cheaps or the expensives?

hmmm ok...u mite have noticed my various posts about different polishing asepcts.....trying to gather up info to improve myself....
since im using 2k clear....i have to raise another question....

so ive clear coated and its ready to polish...and i must admit that it needs to be sanded before polish because theres minor dust and minor OP....so i used 2000grit sandpaper and wet sanded the body......after this step, it leaves it in a dull matte finish...so then i grab some automotive cutting compound to smooth out the surface further...after that its still matte....then i go for cream polish or tamiya fine compound and start buffing...and repeating this step around 5-6 times...the surface is starting to recover the gloss but i evetually get to a point that seems im "stuck" with the half glossy half matte finish....
I can manage to get it to high gloss if i apply super heavy pressure with the tamiya compound...but this leaves MEGA scratch marks...which is unremovable even with swirl removers and wax....

what is best to produce a gloss finish with minimal scratch marks after sanding...

After I sand and polish my models, I always use some TAMIYA wax and this gives a very nice shine. I must say that I'm using the Mr Hobby clear at this moment, so I don't know if this works with the 2K

hmmm ok...u mite have noticed my various posts about different polishing asepcts.....trying to gather up info to improve myself....
since im using 2k clear....i have to raise another question....

so ive clear coated and its ready to polish...and i must admit that it needs to be sanded before polish because theres minor dust and minor OP....so i used 2000grit sandpaper and wet sanded the body......after this step, it leaves it in a dull matte finish...so then i grab some automotive cutting compound to smooth out the surface further...after that its still matte....then i go for cream polish or tamiya fine compound and start buffing...and repeating this step around 5-6 times...the surface is starting to recover the gloss but i evetually get to a point that seems im "stuck" with the half glossy half matte finish....
I can manage to get it to high gloss if i apply super heavy pressure with the tamiya compound...but this leaves MEGA scratch marks...which is unremovable even with swirl removers and wax....

what is best to produce a gloss finish with minimal scratch marks after sanding...

I think maybe the problem lies in the 2000 paper you are using.For me it's too rough to start with.Are the surface defects bad enough to warrant the use of 2000 or could you go with some finer paper instead? If it's just minor dust and minimal orange peel texture I think you could use some Micromesh 6000 or 8000 to rectify it.Or maybe don't sand it at all and go straight to the compound.You can remove orange peel by using just compound and not sanding at all.

Considering you have factors that adversely affect how it works for you, I'd suggest you quit bothering w/2K clear and use a clear that can be buffed out easily. 2K works if you have a clean painting environment where you don't have to buff it out. If you don't get it smooth it's a complete PITA to buff out. As you are finding out. If you want to reshoot it you have to add a component so it blends to itself like a lacquer. If not it looks like crap. It's all very toxic.

2K is great for 1:1 cars, it's strong because it needs to hold up to environmental conditions models don't have to worry about. With my success w/Tamiya and Gunze clears, I don't have any reason in the world to use 2K clear.