Quote:

Quote:


anyone testing with clears over this paint yet?
the rustoleum clear only comes in spray cans right?



Rustoleum makes an Industrial clear available in gallons only. Some folks here have bought the Industrial clear but haven't reported any results yet, other than how dark it looks in the can.

On the rattle can clear, I tried several different combinations of paint while trying to produce a faux chrome finish for a nose grill I was working on.

Rustoleum rattle can clear will work with Rustoleum "metal" hobby paint - the result is a very bright clearcoat metalic silver. Its not bright enough to simulate chrome, but may be too bright for an entire car. It does lay down nice, though.

Applying the rattlecan clear to rustoleum aluminum and chrome finishes just caused them to darken considerably - gunmetal-ish. In my experience this finish did not last long (I was sanding it off the next day!)

Rustoleum puts "Do not use with Rustoleum Automotive Paints" right on the label of the rattlecan clear.

It also says to apply the clear 10 minutes after the last layer of color, but I had trouble with elephant skin and outgassing bubbles if I didn't let the metal paint properly cure.

It took me three weeks to paint those stupid grills, mostly because of the experimentation and "distance to the paint perfection" effect Marq describes.

Heaven help me when I paint the car...



I don't think there's a clear that won't do that to any "chrome-like" or silver paint, and if you don't cover it, it will rub off. I would say Alsa Corp stuff is probably the best bet. But, it's pricey, and I've read/heard that the rattle can stuff might require some practice -- you want a continuous wet coat to get that shine.

Rustoleum/Tremclad have an "indoor" metallic finish that supposedly won't rub off...but...it's indoor, and I wouldn't subject anything but maybe some interior trim pieces to it...

The only one I've seen hold up to finger prints and produce a shine so far is Dupli Color's high-heat. The stuff for exhaust manifolds and such, up around 1200° I believe. I've had decent success with that as it is, without clear.

But as far as everything else out there that claims to be "chrome" or metallic, or aluminum - meh, aside from the Alsa Corp stuff (which I haven't tried) ... it's all.... blech...