Search the Community

Hi all, I've just completed spraying 6 coats of Tamiya TS (41, coral blue) onto my Lunch Box (see pics below). FYI I waited 24 hours between each coat of paint. I understand that I should now let it "cure" for 7 days before applying stickers and clear coat? My intentions are: after curing, I will apply THESE stickers (Mystery Machine, vinyl) followed by two cans (approx 6 total coats) of TS-80 Clear Flat Spray. My understanding is that I will need plenty of clear-coat to smooth over the edges of these stickers (which are thicker than the stock Lunchbox decals provided by Tamiya). I'm also going for a matte look, which is why I opted for the TS-80, and why I will not be sanding my paintjob prior to spraying on the clear coat. Nonetheless, I'm curious to hear your tips about what to do PRE-clear coat, i.e. I recall someone suggesting washing the paint after curing with dish soap (I suppose to wash off all the paint dust? Up until now I've only used a paper towel and compressed air between each coat). In another thread, someone else wrote: What does "flash out" mean exactly? And how long is too long before the clear coat fails to "adhere chemically" to the paint? And in another thread, this user wrote: Why did this happen? And how to prevent it? Should I be concerned about the TS-80 Clear Flat Spray eating these vinyl stickers? Thanks in advance, I really appreciate everyone's feedback!