"Invisible" Clear Coat Spray Paint?

[Blue Leader]

Hello there. I have a question about clear coat spray paint, which I need for a few props I'm working on. I was wondering if anyone knew of a brand that sold an "invisible" (not sure what else to call it) clear coat? I can only find clear coats that are gloss, semi-glass, satin or flat, but many of my props have various areas of gloss, semi-gloss and/or flat and I need them to stay that way. Obviously, a gloss or semi-gloss clear coat adds a glossy sheen to any flat/matte areas on the props, but the flat clear coats I've found dull out glossiness, which would ruin the parts of my props that are glossy. Is there such a thing as clear coat that wont add a glossy sheen but also wont dull a glossy paint?

I could have sworn I had a can like this before but I think I might have gotten rid of it after it was empty and I can't remember the brand for the life of me...

 

[ultraman]

i don't know if there is such a thing....like you said....matte finish will take the gloss out and gloss will screw up the matte finish...unless you got a can of each and masked off all the parts....which would take for ever.

i do however like this stuff:


not sure how it will react over gloss...i'm guessing it would bring it down a bit....all you could do is try things out.

 

[robn1]

No such thing. Clear coats are just like paint without color. It can only be one sheen or another. Like ultraman suggested, the only option is to mask off the various parts and use clears with the desired sheen for each part.

 

[Odin82]

This stuff might be worth a shot. I've used it in the past in Ireland, and was always disappointed that the finish was just too clear/ invisible. Maybe my past problems will be your gains! For the price, it's worth a test!

http://www.cheapjoes.com/montana-varnish-spray-matte.html


But as the others say, best to mask off the glossy bits.

 

[LoneWanderer]

Krylon is great stuff, both matte and gloss I've used and they are great products especially on plastic which is saying a lot.

 

[Blue Leader]

Hmm, I guess I'll just have to check things out, then. Thanks all.

I have a can of the Krylon matte spray paint, It seems like it dulls out gloss but I can't remember how much. I know that I used to have another can of clear coat that seemed to work just fine... I'm pretty sure it was a matte but it didn't seem to take away too much of the gloss. I used the heck out of it for previous props. But I just can't remember what brand it was for the life of me. I do remember it had a twist cap... Maybe it was Valspar as they seem to have those kind of caps, but that doesn't entirely sound right... Hmm...

 

[yaris]

Invisible clear coat?.....you mean a matt clear coat. All paint is by nature glossy, they add a 'deadner' to kill the gloss.

The big problem is that a matt clear coat has no pigment and has an agent that kills the premise of the finish.

Matt clear coats, the good ones are not cheap, the cheap ones are s.h.i.t.

To clarify for others who don't get it..

Gloss is the default of all paint, most reflective.
Semi gloss (satin) is half gloss
Low sheen is usually half satin again
Matt and Flat are totally no gloss, no shine, non reflective.

You can't take the 'gloss' out of paint, you have to ad something to kill/retard the gloss level.