Tamiya X-22 Clear Over Decals

[Zippi]

I have been using the Tamiya X-22 clear for some time now.  I have never sprayed it over decals before.  Anyone have any experience with this?  Does the the X-22 go over the decals with no issues?

[Rich Chernosky]

If your decals are not completely dry it will wrinkle them. About 2-3 days.   Go mist coats   (2-3) and not too heavy on  the final coat and you should be OK.  X-22 dries to touch quickly but still takes 30 days to fully cure. It is rock hard when cured and takes some effort to polish.   Its best thinned with X-20 thinner.  Best finish over metallic paints like gold and silver. 

[Dave G.]

According to Tamiyas site if you want a harder finish with their X series paints then use lacquer thinner to thin them. If you go to their web site it's down in the finer print. X 20 produces a softer finish according to them. Also to me lacquer thinner will flash X-22 off more quickly.

But over decals I tend to use Pledge or clear lacquer personally. A couple of dust coats and heat flash each then wetter coats, heat flashing those as well. But I can't imagine X-22 not working if applied right.

[Rich Chernosky]

18 hours ago, Dave G. said:

According to Tamiyas site if you want a harder finish with their X series paints then use lacquer thinner to thin them. If you go to their web site it's down in the finer print. X 20 produces a softer finish according to them. Also to me lacquer thinner will flash X-22 off more quickly.

But over decals I tend to use Pledge or clear lacquer personally. A couple of dust coats and heat flash each then wetter coats, heat flashing those as well. But I can't imagine X-22 not working if applied right.

Dave...thanks for reminding me. I do ocassionally use lacquer thinner  in my Tamiya acrylics...usually to tone down a gloss to a semi gloss or just to make them dry quicker. .  You mention heat flashing and I have never heard of that. Many times I leave my sprayed parts in front of my space heater...about a foot away. Leaving them in a warm stream of air helps them dry a lot quicker. I have one of those small ceramic heaters...several of them as a matter of fact.  I do decals in front of them as they are not too hot.  Is this what you meant by heat flashing. 

[ctruss53]

Tamiya x-22 clear will work just fine over decals, but you have to apply it very lightly. 3-4 mist coats, about 5 minutes apart. then after the last mist coat, I like to wait a little longer, like 30 minutes. Then I apply a heavier coat to smooth it out.

I actually prefer Mr Hobby High Gloss Ultra UV clear when using spray cans. Same technique applies. 3-4 mist coats, then wait a bit and apply a heavier coat.

With either product I try to wait a week before I polish the clearcoat.

[Dave G.]

4 hours ago, Rich Chernosky said:

Dave...thanks for reminding me. I do ocassionally use lacquer thinner  in my Tamiya acrylics...usually to tone down a gloss to a semi gloss or just to make them dry quicker. .  You mention heat flashing and I have never heard of that. Many times I leave my sprayed parts in front of my space heater...about a foot away. Leaving them in a warm stream of air helps them dry a lot quicker. I have one of those small ceramic heaters...several of them as a matter of fact.  I do decals in front of them as they are not too hot.  Is this what you meant by heat flashing. 

It's actually a term I learned from the lure painting and T Shirt art communities using Createx paints, Rich. They flash them off between coats with a hair dryer which is mostly what I do as well ( just on warm not real hot but any moving warm air source should do). Then at the end with garments they get heat pressed or with model parts and with just about any paint I use they get the dehydrator.  But yes, the heat flashing is the application of warm air blown over the parts between coats.

[Zippi]

Thanks for all the info fellows.