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Klear is a water - based acrylic floor polish coating that was developed by SC Johnson Wax Co. And we can get some serious use out of this household product too... |
| So you've rummaged in the cupboard under the sink and found a bottle. What can you use it for? Klear can be used to seal the base coat of paint ready for decals to be added. If you put extra coats of Klear over your decals the carrier film can be made to disappear, and the markings will seem to be painted on. And it can also help to add fine panel lines ans oil stains. |
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This is what you are looking for - in the UK at least. I've had my bottle for a few years now, so the label may be a little different - Klear is very economical to use :-) It goes by a number of different names in different countries, such as Future in the US, Super Shine in Australia, and Pronto Wax in the Netherlands. Whatever the name it's the same product and it has the same wonderful features too. If you add a few
drops of Tamiya flat base into Klear it can then be used as a matt varnish
- in fact by varying the amount of Tamiya flat base anything from Satin
to a dead matt finish can be created. A ratio of 7:1 Klear to Tamiya is
a good basis to start experimenting with. Klear can be coloured blue or green with food dye to make tinted sun visors for car windscreens. Tinted red it can be used to colour the lenses for Infra red searchlights. The UV lights and dazzlers on modern armour are also possible with good references. |
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However - Klear is
not perfect, it does have a very few vices. If you dip anything in Klear it may pool around the bottom edges, so you will need to sit it on a piece of kitchen towel or similar to wick away any surplus. |
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Klear dries so fast it can leave residue in the bristles of even the best brushes - this can be cleaned up with a little isopropyl alcohol, which can be bought quite cheaply from a lot of chemists - provided you are over eighteen of course. Be prepared to be asked why you want it, and also to be told you can't drink it :-) |
| But, that's the bad news over with. Back to the good news again! It can be either brushed or sprayed, straight from the bottle without any thinning needed, but as it dries so fast care needs to be taken with an airbrush. If it should gum up your airbrush an ammonia based liquid cleaner will shift it, but be careful of any neoprene or plastic washers in the nozzle. You can buy ammonia at chemists and it will do the job, but it will smell - you'll realise what it smells of after just one whiff believe me ! |
| Klear is best brushed on with a large soft brush, and it may take some practice to get to a finish you like. But it is worth it's weight in gold in my humble opinion… |
| A typical session
might go like this: Spray or brush a base coat on your built model. Add
some oil stains on the engine deck with some well-thinned Tamiya black or
panzer grey. And I mean well thinned - start off with 70% water! Then Brush
or spray a coat of Klear on. Next get some more of your thinned Tamiya mix. Dripping this into the panel lines will pop out the detail, as the water will wick the paint into the crevices and evaporate - leaving a tint behind. If it's not enough try it again, the effect can ge built up until you are happy with the result. Add decals now - they will sit on the glassy smooth surface with no trouble. Once dry another coat of Klear will seal them in and help to loose the decal film. Next drybrushing, and finally a mix of Tamiya flat and Klear will give the matt, satin or semi-gloss final coat you want to complete a superb model. Ok
- it won't get to be done in an evening - really it needs a day between
coats to ensure that everything is properly dried out. But it's worth
trying - go on, you know you want to :-) |
| If you are having difficulties finding Klear's European or American equivalents try here for Matt Swan's Complete Future article which has alternative names and shops selling it in different countries. |