Clear coat of flat stripe

-
dust

dust

B5PistolGrip.com
Joined
Sep 12, 2006
Messages
392
Reaction score
0
Location
US
Would applying a clear coat over a flat black Duster stripe make the stripe glossy? How can I prevent this if so?
 
Yes, if you used a glossy clearcoat it would have that finish. If you used a satin or flat finsh clearcoat it would have those finishes.


Chuck
 
You'll want to do a top/clear coat to provide protection, and make it easier to clean. If you want it to have a matte finish, add a de-glosser/flattening agent to the clear, and it will end up flat black.
 
So, if I have a glossy body color/clear; my only option to keep the flat strip flat is to apply it after the clear?
 
dust said:
So, if I have a glossy body color/clear; my only option to keep the flat strip flat is to apply it after the clear?
Click to expand...

You are correct. Talk to cudaspaz about the clear coat.... he has been there done that. My stripe is on the outside the paint and is flat black ... I of course put my stripe on after I bought the car which was already painted. My painter I use will not paint over a decal.... he just will not do it no matter what. I don't know why it would seem it would be protected that way.

Oh make sure you let the clear flash out before the stripe goes on... at least a month.
 
mullinax95 said:
My painter I use will not paint over a decal.... he just will not do it no matter what. I don't know why it would seem it would be protected that way.
Click to expand...

I would say the reason he won't do it is that the clear is likely to crack after awhile.
I have a couple of Shelby Dakotas and the hood stripe won't last over a couple of years on those due to the engine heat. After replacing the first one and needing another after a couple of years I got the bright idea to clear over it to preserve it. I sanded the whole hood with 600, put a new decal on, shot a couple of coats of clear, sanded it again to get rid of the edge, and shot a couple more coats of clear. It was BEAUTIFUL ! It looked great until I noticed something funny when the weather turned cold. Turns out the clear was cracking on the decal and it eventually came off in big sheets. Great idea but didn't turn out as planned.
Dallas
 
MOBodyman said:
I would say the reason he won't do it is that the clear is likely to crack after awhile.
I have a couple of Shelby Dakotas and the hood stripe won't last over a couple of years on those due to the engine heat. After replacing the first one and needing another after a couple of years I got the bright idea to clear over it to preserve it. I sanded the whole hood with 600, put a new decal on, shot a couple of coats of clear, sanded it again to get rid of the edge, and shot a couple more coats of clear. It was BEAUTIFUL ! It looked great until I noticed something funny when the weather turned cold. Turns out the clear was cracking on the decal and it eventually came off in big sheets. Great idea but didn't turn out as planned.
Dallas
Click to expand...
That sucked.
That would definitely be a good reason not to clear over them. lol
 
MOBodyman said:
I would say the reason he won't do it is that the clear is likely to crack after awhile.
I have a couple of Shelby Dakotas and the hood stripe won't last over a couple of years on those due to the engine heat. After replacing the first one and needing another after a couple of years I got the bright idea to clear over it to preserve it. I sanded the whole hood with 600, put a new decal on, shot a couple of coats of clear, sanded it again to get rid of the edge, and shot a couple more coats of clear. It was BEAUTIFUL ! It looked great until I noticed something funny when the weather turned cold. Turns out the clear was cracking on the decal and it eventually came off in big sheets. Great idea but didn't turn out as planned.
Dallas
Click to expand...

While I like tips that work, I also like to know what has been tried and does not work. #-o Thanks for sharing.
 
Aren't decals normally made out of vinyl? I wouldn't clear over one. You can lay out your stripe with fine line and spray black basecoat and then clear it with a flattened clear. Most paint lines have a flattening agent that you can add to the clear and they give you percentages to add to get flat, 10% gloss, 50% gloss etc. it's not hard, though you'll always have a paint line.
 
So, how do I protect a flat decal if you can't clear over it? Frequent waxing?
 
dust said:
So, how do I protect a flat decal if you can't clear over it? Frequent waxing?
Click to expand...

I don't wax mine simply because I don't want wax to build up around the edges of the stripe. That would be a night mare. I don't even attempt to wax the paint in that area.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
-

Back
Top