clear-coating woes

[Rylorien]

I picked up a pair of porcelain-esque doves (lots of feathering textures!) for cheap to use as color testers before I began the craziness that is a PYO piece and, since I’ve reached the point on my dragon where I want to see about antiquing, I decided to also use the doves as a clear-coat testers.

Needless to say I don’t think the clear-coating process via a Krylon matte spray-on went very well at all. Following the instructions I held the can about 10-12 inches away from the dove. Some parts seemed to end up gleaming from the thickness of the coating, other areas seemed to get entirely missed. Having never done this before, I really am not sure what went wrong and I have no real concept of how the clear-coat should appear if done properly–which is all the more reason I wanted to experiment with something other than my PYO (I’d hate to have all that hard work go to waste).

Any advice in this area would be much appreciated. Also, since the Windstone PYOs do have that depth of detail and are ‘smaller’, should I hold the can closer? Should I wear something like a latex glove and pick up the piece (I don’t want to leave fingerprints/marks)?

Thanks guys!

[JynXx]

I haven’t tried KRYLON’s matte clear coat yet, but I have used the matte black base coat and the glossy clear coat. I use latex gloves throughout the entire painting process to prevent fingerprints on the paint, but only if
I absolutely had to touch the piece. I have my space set up so that I can move around it, and adjust the height,
if need be. My experience with spray paints, is that you have to actually walk around the piece, spraying lightly and in layers, with 20 minutes between sprays. Sometimes more, if the piece has a lot of detail. I also found angling the can to get into deeper crevasses in the piece helped a LOT. Also, I don’t touch my work for at least two days after the project is finished. Just to make sure that everything is set and dried.
In the link below, you can view the piece I repainted. I had to hold it to add the details, for which, I used DecoColor liquid metallic markers.

Example of my work here, and not posted directly in the Thread as per Forum rules

↞↞≪∙ FOREVER SEEKING •↟•

• ► By Patricia Smith ◄ •
☙ "SKY BRONZE" Emperor Dragon
✾ "RAINBOW ASAGI" Moon Oriental Dragon
✾ "RAINBOW TIGER" Sun Oriental Dragon

• ► By Melody ◄ •
☙ "Test Paint #5" GB '15 PUMA
☙ #170 FANTASY GB '22 Young Qi'Lin
☙ #224 KOI GB '22 Young Qi'Lin

[StormDancer]

Ive used Krylon matte spray-on several times. I always use it outside on a day with little or no wind.
I have a cake decorating lazy susan that I use to set the piece on, that way I can turn the piece without needing to touch it and I can carry it back inside to dry easily by just leaving it sit on the lazy suzan.
I make sure the can has been well shaken then I hold the can 9-12 inches from the picee. This distance no matter the size or detailing of the piece works well for me.
I start at the top and make sweeping spays back and forth working my way to the bottom of the piece. I turn and repeat until the entire piece is covered. If I see I missed an area I will respray it right then. Once you are done you need to wait a minimum of 20 minutes to add another layer, if you are going to add one.
If I am just using the clear coat to hold in the paint I have already done so that I can antique it I will only add one layer of clear coat and I will let it dry for a full 24-48 hours before I antique anything.
If I am finishing the piece, whether a matte or gloss spray on, I will spray a layer every 20-30 minutes until I get all the layers I want on it added. I generally finish with 2-4 layers of clear coat.

Good luck!

Looking for:
"COSMIC SHIFT DRAGONS and KI-RINS" and the "OCTOPUS TANUKI TEST PAINT #1"

[Kim]

I have used Krylon Semi Gloss and I do the same as above. I put my piece on plastic or paper on a table I can walk around or a big box if I crouch down and I shake it super well before spraying. I do it outside or in a ventilated room with windows open if it’s too cold outside. Sometimes spray comes out uneven at first especially if it hasn’t been shaken enough. I usually spray a paper with a couple sweeps first to see if it’s coming out right, then start spraying back and forth in sweeping motions from top to bottom on one side. Then I move a bit and do it on the next side and go all the way around. I also sometimes point it downwards, then straight, then upwards to make sure I have gotten it in every crevice. I would say do one layer first, wait 20 min., then see how it looks and then do it again trying to catch any spots or crevices missed. Again as said above, it can take 2-4 coats to get it all covered. I would practice again on something else first. Also make sure you press it with good even pressure so it comes out smoothly. If it isn’t coating well, move it a bit closer to the piece but still keep it back a few inches so it doesn’t end up too thick in parts.

Looking for rainbow or pink & teal grab bags!

[Jennifer]

I always advise that when using a matte or semi gloss/satin clear coat, that you always start with layers of gloss clear coat first. Only the final layer should be matte, if you want a matte surface. This is due to the particles the manufacturer adds to create the matte look. If you build up layers of only matte spray, in can get cloudy and very uneven looking.

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[Prezaurian]

This is all excellent advice! I can’t add much except for one thing that I’ve had happen to me when I’ve used spray paint outside. Watch out for gnats and other bugs! I was spray painting a mailbox and gnats kept committing suicide by landing on the wet paint and sticking. Ugh!

You can check out my work on dA & Redbubble!
https://prezaurian.deviantart.com/
https://www.redbubble.com/people/prezaurian?ref=artist_title_name

[Phoegonix]

These are all reasons I switched to brush-on clear coat. I live in Oklahoma, and you can’t depend on the weather for anything. Even a nice day, the wind blows dust into the clear coat. I almost cried after a couple of things were ruined, so I opt for control now. I know a lot of people have very good results with sprays, I just don’t.

[Prezaurian]

These are all reasons I switched to brush-on clear coat. I live in Oklahoma, and you can’t depend on the weather for anything. Even a nice day, the wind blows dust into the clear coat. I almost cried after a couple of things were ruined, so I opt for control now. I know a lot of people have very good results with sprays, I just don’t.

😀 Same here! Georgia’s weather is not conducive to sprays most of the time. And I HATE waiting for perfect weather. So the control I get with brush on clear coats is a blessing.

You can check out my work on dA & Redbubble!
https://prezaurian.deviantart.com/
https://www.redbubble.com/people/prezaurian?ref=artist_title_name

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