Clear coat over Rustoleum paint?

[volvelociraptor]

I'm in the planning stages of a budget Partsquire, and for the finish I was thinking Rustoleum Blue Cosmos. Would Oxford's nitro clear coat stick onto it? Polyurethane? Would it even need clear coat?
Thanks.​

 

[eallen]

Give the rustoleum a good amount of dry time and scuff sand with 400 grit before spraying the clear and you should be fine.

 

[Nicko_Lps]

Would it even need clear coat?

That is up to you on the visual part, when we talk about the durability part im sure rustoleum is more durable from any polyurethane clear coats, maybe even acrylic polyurethane.

 

[uriah1]

Someone here recommended. this

Zinsser Bull’s Eye 1-2-3 Water-based aerosol​

.

 

[Boreas]

On my model rocket projects I use Rustoleum clear coats over a Rustoleum primer and Rustoleum color base. All hardware store stuff. First couple clear sprays should be LIGHT mist coats. I also warm the cans to get a stronger spray pattern.

 

[Sea Devil]

The SDS for Blue Cosmos lists several components that suggest that it may be lacquer-compatible, but also says it contains xylene and toluene. I'd call that a hybrid or a lacquer enamel. It may well be compatible with other brands and finish types, but I think I'd stick with the same brand if clear-coating. Rust-Oleum calls it a "topcoat," though, so I'd definitely try it with no clear coat first and see how it looks. Color-shift finishes typically are like metallics; they have opaque particles suspended in a clear base. If there's enough clear in the mix and the texture of the particles can't be seen or felt, you can stop there. I have no idea how it might respond to buffing.

 

[Dismalhead]

I'd just do Rustoleum clear over that.

 

[dougstrum]

When using rattle cans it's best not to mix brands~

 

[Sea Devil]

Even within brands, there can be issues. Mixing acrylic and nitro will never pose a problem as long as the solvents are compatible, but combining catalyzed and uncatalyzed lacquers might.

 

[4pickupguy]

Isn’t Rustoleum an oil based paint?

 

[Sea Devil]

As I said above, it seems to be a weird hybrid of sorts. I'd have to buy some, smell it, and try various solvents to know just what it really is. That's why I wouldn't use another product from another manufacturer over it and expect them to be compatible.

 

[volvelociraptor]

Yeah, I suppose I should have thought to just use their clearcoat. Thanks everyone, I'll plug those into the spreadsheet.​

 

[stratisfied]

Use the 3-part shade shift paint system … black primer, color coat and clearcoat … all the same brand. You never can tell about compatibility between brands. I did a similar system by Duplicolor and it came out really well.

 

[preactor]

I did Rustoleum 2x and 2x clear gloss. Takes a while for both to harden. I got a light imprint from my gig bag.

 

[SuburbanMe]

@preactor Your Strat looks good! I'm currently in the process of refinishing my own strat and found your post whilst looking for info regarding blistering when clear coating.

I'm using the 2x Acrylic Enamel Automotive spray from Rustoleum. I used the 2x Acrylic enamel Auto spray for colour, but am worried about blistering when using the clear coat due to things I've read online.

Did you have any issues with blistering at all? How long did you wait between spraying the colour as opposed to the clear?
How many coats of colour before hitting it with clear?

Just to clarify, the Colour and Clear gloss are the 2x Acrylic Enamel Auto paint (Attached Pictures).