Clear coat for diecast boxes?

[elshiftos]

Can anyone recommend a clear coat that sticks well on a bare diecast (hammond) box, preferably available in the UK?
The box in question will of course be lightly sanded and all traces of grease removed with isopropyl.

I have used a couple of different types of clear coat on bare diecast in the past, but over time they tend to crack and develop white patches, and that's without any serious punishment!

TIA

[John Lyons]

A light coat of Lacquer will work. Not bullet proof but....nothing is.
Clear powder coating with hold up the best.

[Quackzed]

I used clear gloss enamel spray paint for a bare hammond aluminum box. good adhesion and pretty tough,dries fast- though it can be brittle... but the box has held up well. (ew) .
laquer is also a good candidate. but if you go laquer, be sure to have a dust free spot to let it cure as it is sticky and takes a fair amount of time to fully cure.laquer is slightly less fool-proof but if done right has greater depth and gloss.

[Hides-His-Eyes]

I use clear enamel and have had cracking before. Part of it might be practice though, for me at least!

[merlinb]

Ordinary spray lacquer usually goes misty when sprayed on bare metal. The only proper UK product I know of is Plastikote Metal Protekt 1300



http://www.diy.com/diy/jsp/bq/nav.jsp?action=detail&fh_secondid=9254153&fh_view_size=10&fh_location=//catalog01/en_GB&fh_search=metal+protekt&fh_eds=%C3%9F&fh_refview=search&ts=1294913654546&isSearch=true

[deadastronaut]

ive used car laquer....then bake....hard as nails....its quite good..

make sure its out of any drafts...otherwise you get 'blooming' white pearly effect patches..also warm the box a little..

leave it on a radiator for a bit.. then spray....not roasting though!...

[robmdall]

Yup, usually best practice to preheat a substrate before painting - not too hot, just 10 or so degrees (F) over room temp.

[elshiftos]

Thanks all.
I'm finishing a couple of pedals a the moment - one will get RS Components clear and the other Plastikote.

Will report back with results 

[23]

envirotex 2part resin pour on the top and tilt for coverage.....theres a thread around here about it somewhere guys got a good pic of the end result

[Toney]

Darron recommended auto wheel clear coat. Should be ok going straight onto metal and pretty hardy.
I have used regular auto clear coat on many occasions without issue.
The trick is to have an excellently prepped and cleaned surface.
Aluminium starts oxidizing again as soon as it's sanded and exposed to the air. A final buff with steel wool and clean with meths or similar is the way to go.
As always; light, even coats with proper drying time between each.

[merlinb]

I am interested in using Envirotex resin too. There appears to be only one UK dealer, which will no doubt make it expensive:
http://www.clarke-coatings.co.uk/envirotex.html

[darron]

bit slow to jump in, but as tony said you can get polyurethane that's designed to be chip resistant and sprayed directly onto aluminium car wheels.

[merlinb]

bit slow to jump in, but as tony said you can get polyurethane that's designed to be chip resistant and sprayed directly onto aluminium car wheels.

It's all very well saying you can get it in Aus or the US, but where is it available in the UK? It's much harder to buy chemical products over the counter here than in Aus and US. All the stuff I can find is designed to be sprayed on painted wheels, not bare metal.

[darron]

bit slow to jump in, but as tony said you can get polyurethane that's designed to be chip resistant and sprayed directly onto aluminium car wheels.

It's all very well saying you can get it in Aus or the US, but where is it available in the UK? It's much harder to buy chemical products over the counter here than in Aus and US. All the stuff I can find is designed to be sprayed on painted wheels, not bare metal.

sorry. i suppose i interpreted the question as what type of paint to use, not where to find it specifically. i would have thought if you went into any big paint shop they should surely have it, but i guess i could be wrong.

[Hides-His-Eyes]

Big paint shop?


I know of no such place!

You can get enamel paints or acrylic paints, in spray cans, that's pretty much it

Does clear epoxy work? Like the kinds you find in two little tubes?

[mr clack]

Big paint shop?


I know of no such place!

You can get enamel paints or acrylic paints, in spray cans, that's pretty much it

Does clear epoxy work? Like the kinds you find in two little tubes?

Hey!

I am in the UK

Nope not epoxy glue resins (like araldite) its too thick and it will be really bubbly and uneven
For a resin you need a thin(ish) epoxy so it wont trap bubbles. You will need to test stuff out, it doesn't necessarily need to be a resin that is specifically intended for coating but it helps. It does however have to state on the packet or datasheet that it can be used in thin coats as many resins have minimum thickness limits. If using an epoxy resin you will need to wear a mask.

here are some places I know you can get epoxies in the UK, I have not tried them all out.

http://www.modelshop.co.uk/product/Resin_clear_Smooth-on_Crystal_202_CR10019
http://www.smooth-on.com/tb/files/CRYSTAL_CLEAR_200_TB.pdf

I have not tried this one but it looks good, it says 'casts in thin sections' and can be post cured by heating it to make it dry faster. Might work, probably should ask smooth-on about it.  This is a london shop

http://www.google.co.uk/products?hl=en&client=safari&rls=en&q=crystal++resin&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wf
Seen this stuff around, it is an epoxy but I am not sure if it will work, good thing is it is in some art shops on the high street and it comes in quite small affordable quantities so easy to try out.

http://tiranti.com/product.asp?Content=Epoxy+Resin+%2D+Glosscoat+%281kg+pack%29+%2D+Other+Resins+%2D+Casting&Product=1445
I use this sometimes, problem with it is that it is slightly yellow (not visible really thin) and it comes in a kilo only for £30+

http://www.google.co.uk/products?client=safari&rls=en&q=damp+seal+g4&oe=UTF-8&redir_esc=&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&hl=en&tab=wf
I am starting to experiment with this, its air curing polyurethane for sealing garage floors, I heard there is a colourless UV proof version by bonda but I havnt found it in a shop.

And the end of the day I stay clear of epoxy because it takes so long to cure 24 hours hard and soft for a few days when done thin. If you imagine that makes it a nightmare for sanding in between layers - days of waiting.