Crazy Clear Coat Questions! (with pictures!)

[Life of Brian]

H'okay, so, I'm finally done sanding/painting/sanding some more/painting some more on my ZN-40 SNES portable, and now I'm to a very important part - protecting my beautiful paint job. I know I need a good clear coat to protect this beauty from my sweaty sweaty hands, but what type of clear coat should I go with? My first SNESp (linky linky) suffered because I was so happy I had actually finished a fully functional portable that I did not A) wait anywhere near long enough for the paint to cure and B) apply any sort of clear overcoat. Luckily this didn't affect the thing too bad since the plastic underneath was already black, but if you see it in person you can really tell that the paint job is messed up, smudged, and wearing off. In the pictures you can see it around the d-pad and on the back.

What clear coat do you guys think I would get the best protection from, and what types do you have personal experience with? I've tried the Krylon clear matte finish on stuff before, but is there something else I should try?

Oh, and to make this post interesting for everyone else, here's a couple of pics of the case so far:



Dust! Ack! The bane of picky painters everywhere! Check out my bondo job That's perf board bondoed into place, by the way.


I am so ready to get this stupid case done so I can start wiring! That's the fun part...

[whistler]

go to your local autobody supply store. depending on where you live there should be many around. and if you dont know where one is, walk into any autobody shop and ask. they will tell you. automotive products are some of the best on the market. clears that you find there are urethane based. which means incredible depth and incredible strength. most will be a two part clear that you spray with a gun but some will be a spray bomb type. i work in one of these stores and we have a product called, UPOL. its made in the UK but used all over the world. they have a clear in spray bomb format that is urethane. it WILL stand up to everything you can throw at it lol. hope that helps. also you should check out the paints they sell for plastics there. you'd be amazed what they have.

[Life of Brian]

Thanks for the advice. I'm curious as to what G-force used on the PlayMad...

[Life of Brian]

So nobody uses a clear overcoat or everybody agrees with whistler? Amazing, 100% agreement from every member of the forums. That's fascinating.

[G-force]

Your sarcasm practically dripped in that last post

First of all: WOAH. Nice case! I very much like the way you did the L and R buttons. Great job!

If you used good paint on there, and put enough coats on, you don't need a clear coat IMO. I havent had any trouble with paint wearing down, but I put a good 3-5 light coats on, with light sanding inbetween. I have tried putting clear coats on before, and it usually makes the paint look crummier and it scratches off easier than the paint does, thus making it pointless.
On the PlayMad (which I ended up not getting fully paid for ) I just used some fast drying Krylon paint, and it worked wonderfully, tough stuff.

[bacteria]

Case looks lovely!

[khaag]

I'm curious as to what that mysterious "U" shaped object is in the first picture.

[schmellyfart]

Its the cart slot.

[Life of Brian]

Its the cart slot.

Yup! It has aluminum sides which are currently covered with masking tape. That'll be removed once I'm done painting. Notice the screw holes on the back of the case? That's how it'll be attached when I'm done. I already have the cartridge slot halfway wired up so it won't be long! (with the exception of me being gone on vacation until July 7)

I apologize about whoring for comments, I just wanted opinions. Thanks for the compliments!