Best “economy” clear?
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Alright, I’m looking to buy a few gallons of some cheaper clear to have around for some side work. The problem is I have never had to use anything besides a premium clear. I have used DC4000, Sikkens HS+, and DuPont 72200 a lot. I liked the results from all three, but liked how 4000 and HS+ sprayed the most. I don’t wanna spend that kind of money for a clear for the side jobs I’m doing. I’m looking for a reasonably priced clear, that sprays similar to the ones I listed above. I don’t need it to be super high quality- but I don’t want total crap. I need something with good gloss retention that will hold of a few years at least. I have read a lot about some Omni, and Matrix clears, I also see a lot of people talking about a clear that a company called SPI makes. All of these are about 150$ or less per sprayable gallon- which is about what I’m willing to spend. I’m also interested in some info about HOK clears.
Do any of you have any recommendations? Ideally, I’m looking for something that will spray similar to HS+ or 4000. I don’t have a booth for home use, so something kinda fast would be nice. I don’t tend to like super rapid clears tho, and some of my jobs will be decent sized. I can deal with is not drying SUPER fast.
I posted this BTW, not sure why I was not logged in.
The matrix AG40 is a nice clear for the money. It tacks up pretty quick even with slow hardener, but you could still do a small complete with it if you needed to. I’ve also been impressed with keytones Key Kwick. That would be best for a 1-2 panel job. drys fast and has a nice shine. I’ve abused it in my booth with no bad repercussions yet. The keystone will run you in the low $20’s per sprayable qt. the Matrix will be pushing closer to $30 RTS qt.
X2 on the Matrix AG 40. It holds a good gloss and doesn’t chip or scratch as easy as other economy clears iv used. Another cheap clear that is decent is PPG Shopline’s “HS” version JC 7200.
ive been using spi clear for atleast 10-11 years now. i have used matrix’s premium clear and one other, forget which ones but wasnt the one ding recommended. they were nice but extremely hard and brittle. i paint a ton of plastic so those didnt work for me. i have used spi on every piece that has come out of my shop. stuff is great and will last as long as any premium clear out there. i have stuff out there that i have done 10 years ago and still looks like i did it yesterday. i am not a production shop though so i cant really offer you info on how to work it into your normal workflow. i have a whole gallery of online pics i have done with the stuff if you care to view. http://www.xtremekreations.com.
Do you use SPI universal clear? or the euro clear? I here a lot of good stuff about the universal, but people say it stays soft and scratches real easy, which for the type of work im doing I don’t want. I plan on buffing the next day at the latest, so something with good gloss that isnt super slow is ideal. if I tried SPI clears the euro seems more up my alley, I think im gonna give the AG40 a shot though,
the euro is probably more for you. i do use both here. as far as the universal being soft, dont get the wrong idea. its not actually “soft” like you can forever fingernail mark it or anything like that. its not a rock hard clear though. the trick with clears is finding one the right balance. you dont want one thats rock hard because that makes them more brittle and they will chip easier, however they will scratch less. a soft clear will swirl easier but chip less. i dont feel the universal is too soft but for bodyshop work on a black car i would use euro. its just a little harder and will swirl a little less. customers dont usually understand all that and the first thing they see is swirls. both clears are great though and i would consider both to be spi’s more premium clear. to compare both of them to another clear i would say they are very close to the sikkens autoclear pc. not so much on speed but the way they spray and look. not sure if you have ever sprayed that. that is great stuff as well but expensive.
HYPERCLEAR 2 made by Crest. Production Clear . $100-120 for kit… Flows out nicely and minimal texture.
ACME Finish 1 (made by Sherwin Williams). $15 per sprayable quart. No reducer needed.
I use this for many years and have never met any problem.
Here in Europe we have the 2:1 version (2 parts clear, 1 part hardener), while in the US it’s 4:1.
(Odd isn’t it?)I think I’m gonna go with the SPI Euroclear, I keep hearing good things about SPI, and the Euroclear seems like it will fit my needs. Jim C, you do some [b]beautiful[/b] work, How long have you been air brushing for? I’m assuming you cut and polisb the stuff in your gallery, but does the Euroclear spray nice and slick? I like to cut and buff as little as possible. Most of my work is collision so as long as it comes out clean I do very little polishing. However, I do still like to have quality results, and my work to be as slick as possible with out the texture standing out too much from the OEM. I don’t plan on doing any overalls, but I will do some jobs that are up to six panels. With a slower hardener does the Euro flow good enough to get into doing a job that big, or would you be better off switching to the universal for anything more then a couple panels? If the Euro is slow enough to lay out nice on bigger jobs, id prefer to stick to one clear.
Is there a big difference in how the 2.1 VOC version sprays compared to the 3.5? I’v never used any low voc clears, but if they dry/spray pretty similar, id assume use them.
yeah give the euro a try. its not like its super expensive so if you for some reason dont feel its for you then not a huge loss. even though i dont have to where i am but i always use 2.1 clears. for some reason i like them better. the euro with slow activator will flow out great and lay out slick if you spray it slick. i do think they have a very slow act as well for overalls in mid summer. you really spray it the way you want the stuff to look. you can make it match the peel on a gm truck or flow out to match a benz. you can easily do an overall with it or even a single panel no problem. for the 2.1 euro, i dont have to but i like to reduce it maybe 10%. it doesnt dull out and really doesnt need cutting and buffing. i do however cut and buff everything that comes out of my shop. the universal buffs super easy with the euro coming in second. as for airbrushing, there are 2 of us here. i have been custom painting for maybe 15 years or so and ed 30.
Jim. which clear is actually faster when it comes to dry times between the euro/univ? SPIS tds are very vague and don’t actually list dry times. Also, how much do you usually reduce the Euro? the low voc says you can do 4:1 or 4:1:1-4:1:3 I couldnt imagine spraying a clear thats 4:1:3 unless it was super thick. I use DC4000 now, which is only 4:1
hmmm dry times. those prob arent listed because there are just so many variables there. i would say universal dries to where you can buff it faster but once they are both set up i would say the euro gets harder quicker. in my case i can package parts up to be shipped sooner when done in euro and not have to worry about packing imprinting on the clear. obviously hardeners and humidity play a role as well. you will find the universal to be prob one cat grade faster than many other clears so for instance if you currently use slow on an all over then with universal you will want the very slow. for reduction on the 2.1 clears 10-20% is fine. i have sprayed euro up to 2 parts reduction. reduction is a good way to match the peel on an oem finish. i never sprayed any of the rm clears so i dont really know how to compare. the only other clears i have sprayed in the past 6-7 years other than spi has been sikkens autoclear pc, energy pro and superior 250.
Anyone have anything to say about the ProSpray clears? I know the base is cheap, and pretty good, are the clears the same? Are the clears pretty cheap? I was looking at a few of their AMTECH clears and some appealed to me, anyone used them? Hows the quality/price?
HBBody – 496 SR, Mobihel FG HS Clear for overall painting or HS clear, MaxMeyer 0200/0300 clears as more expensive option..
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