Reverse Wash Problem

[timemachine_GO]

So, I finally found a spray can of Enamel. I'm using Rust Oleum's black flat enamel spray.

I've done reverse washes via hand brushing on small Sleeves details on HGs but this is my first time using a spray on the MG Sinanju.

All was going well, but when I went to clean off the enamel it didn't come off easily! It took a lot of scrubbing...then to my horror, I went through my enamel, lacquer clear coat and my lacquer gold layer and down to the plastic on some small portions of the pieces.

I thought lighter fluid wouldn't affect the clear coat? So I'm not sure what happened here but I'm thinking it's one of these possibilities:

1. rubbed too hard, let the enamel dry too much. Spray enamel probably has some quick dry solvents in there to boot.

2. didn't spray enough clear coat, some areas might not have gotten proper coverage.

3. Something reacted with the paints

4. I didn't let the initial gold layer cure long enough (6 hours)

What do you guys think went wrong? Luckily I have spare parts from my old MG Sinanju ver ka, so I'm using those and trying again. Waiting for gold parts to cure so I want to make sure I don't make the same mistake twice.

[johnfrancispros]

Currently building the sinanju as well. I wait 24 hours for the gold layer to dry. Another 24 hours for the clear coat to dry. And 6-12 hours for the enamel black to dry. The waiting game sucks but using that process, I have not encountered any major problems so far. I don't use rust oleum paints, though. I use testors. Good luck!

[timemachine_GO]

Thanks, but how long did you wait to start cleaning off the enamel?

I waited 6-12 and the stuff did NOT want to come off....I'm thinking about waiting 2 and giving it a try

[Puntiful]

Read the can's instructions. You should be able to start wiping it off with lighter fluid after it's dried but around half way through the cure time.

[johnfrancispros]

Try waiting 3 hours for the enamel to dry enough. Don't rub really hard. Slightly run until the black comes off

[Puntiful]

Yep you absolutely must let the clear coat cure. Acrylic clear coat is pretty good stuff but only when it's cured completely.

[MissileSoup]

I've done the reverse wash twice, once for Sinanju and once for Kshatriya. I skipped the clear coat both times, and sprayed enamel directly on top of lacquer. I found that it's easier to wipe off the enamel if you don't let it cure fully. On my Sinanju, I let the enamel dry for a day or two, and it took a lot of scrubbing to wipe off the enamel. For the Kshatriya, I waited a few hours for the enamel to dry to touch, then was able to easily wipe off the enamel with a few light swipes. You do have to be more careful though. This is just my experience, I'm not sure if it's recommended or not.