Clearcoat for pedals, recomendation??

[snoof]

What brands do you guys use??  I need to find a good glossy clearcoat/lacquer...  Spray or brush on, any opinions??

[GREEN FUZ]

Not so much a hijack as a joining you on the trail for a bit. Hope you don`t mind.

The stuff I`ve been using is manufactured by Plastikote and basically the finish seems a bit, for want of a better word, 'soft'. Any recommendations for a 'tougher' finish. The other issue is that it just seems to splurge out in gobs as opposed to a nice spray although that could be down to climatic conditions i.e too cold.

[mojotron]

Check this out:

http://www.diystompboxes.com/smfforum/index.php?topic=59876.0

[snoof]

what's the auto lacquer referred to in that thread??  do you know a specific manufacture/product name??

[mojotron]

what's the auto lacquer referred to in that thread??  do you know a specific manufacture/product name??

I was refering to the Plastikote laquer you find at WalMart... It's not the same stuff you finish guitars with.

[GREEN FUZ]

Check this out:

http://www.diystompboxes.com/smfforum/index.php?topic=59876.0

I saw that thread before. The finish looks good. Would you say it`s hard wearing? I guess it would need to be seeing as it`s meant for floors. I just need to find a UK equivalent now.

[markm]

I've had pretty good luck with Rustoleum Crystal Clear.
Alot of paints need extra time to really cure and harden up.
.......available at many fine retailers!   

[soulsonic]

+1 to the Rustoleum Crystal Clear!
The only problem I've had with it is when I go crazy and put way too much on there... then it kinda stays "soft" forever. But if you're smart about not overdoing it, the Rustoleum stuff is awesome.

[markm]

+1 to the Rustoleum Crystal Clear!
The only problem I've had with it is when I go crazy and put way too much on there... then it kinda stays "soft" forever. But if you're smart about not overdoing it, the Rustoleum stuff is awesome.

Yeah, I've been there before too!   
One thing I have yet to finish is my Saffross Comp project which was painted with Imron.....supposed to be hard as nails.
We'll see.
Another one I haven't finished. 

[snoof]

sweet guys, thanks for the recomendations.  I'll def look into the Plastikote, and Rustoleum...

[mojotron]

Check this out:

http://www.diystompboxes.com/smfforum/index.php?topic=59876.0

I saw that thread before. The finish looks good. Would you say it`s hard wearing? I guess it would need to be seeing as it`s meant for floors. I just need to find a UK equivalent now.

I would not say it's as hard as other clear coat finishes, but it wears for a long time, seems to do well with normal wear and it is very easy to fix without removing any components or spraying. I accepted that no clear coat is really going to do the job completely - so Future seems like a good way to go to protect the paint if you keep adding some to the edges every month or so.

[jeff g]

A word of caution about clearcoats.  The Rustoleum clearcoat I've used on a few recent pedals seemed to dissolve / fade the decals (waterslide decals from Smallbear).

I can't recall the actual name of the Rustoleum clear coat I used, and I might have been a little heavy handed with the spray, but I've never had this happen with automotive clear coat (over various paints - automotive and krylon)

[mojotron]

A word of caution about clearcoats.  The Rustoleum clearcoat I've used on a few recent pedals seemed to dissolve / fade the decals (waterslide decals from Smallbear).

I can't recall the actual name of the Rustoleum clear coat I used, and I might have been a little heavy handed with the spray, but I've never had this happen with automotive clear coat (over various paints - automotive and krylon)

I have noticed that when I went with a heavy coat, using a number of different kinds of clearcoats. A few light coats has done a better job for me.

The one exception to this was Minwax poly urethane. That stuff is very kind to decals, though not as tough as lacquer. The big downside of poly urethane is that it is not very conducive to baking - some people bake finishes to allow the surface to fill with paint more as well as quicken the drying time - but poly urethane will turn brown at 150 degrees.

[$uperpuma]

if you shoot the decal with a few thin coats of acid free clear (found in the art department of  WAL-MArt, etc) it withstands the rustoleum stuff once you get it on the box...

or check out the "box in a day" over at http://www.beavisaudio.com

[soulsonic]

I like the look of the dissolved decals. It's like they've become one with the finish and makes them look less like decals IMO.
It gives a very "artsy" look and an extremely deep 3-D gloss when you go way overboard with the Rustoleum Crystal Clear. I love it, it looks like a mirror. And when you do this, the decals melt like crazy, but so what.... as long as the toner doesn't run too bad, I think it looks cool.... almost like the labels are "swimming" in the finish.

Check out this amp I did, it should show what I'm talking about. The finish is Rustoleum Industrial Grade Safety Red with waterslide decals and several thick coats of the Crystal Clear.

Look at that crazy deep gloss! It took forever for the finish to harden up enough to be able to build the rest of the amp. I really wish there was a way I could get these same results without having to put crazy thick coats on it, but it just doesn't look right with a thin layer. I think I may be able to get similar results with the gloss they use on powdercoat finishes, but that remains to be seen.... I've never seen a powdercoat match the depth of a good enamel.