Making some art, need help from someone who knows detailing.

[stupidstupidstudio]

Hello, so I'm an artist that is working on a new set of paintings for a show. These paintings are on a wood panel and I've been learning to lay down glitter and candy paint like they do on cars. They look great but I am having some issues with the clear coat and I need some advice from those who know more than me.

For backstory, I was making these paintings once or twice before and would use a generic art resin to give that glossy clear coat finish. It was a pain to pour and was nearly impossible to get right on a larger painting (30x30") because dust and stuff would get in the surface as it was curing, causing really distracting pimple like dots all over the top. Another problem with the resin is that it is not archival for art purposes as it yellows a lot over time.

I have had some luck this time around, finding a Liquitex acrylic permanent varnish that is supposedly archival for art (AKA it lasts a long time and doesn't ruin the art). It's just a super glossy very soft acrylic top coating that I can paint on in small, thin coats. On a painting with glitter, it takes about 5 coats to get it super smooth on the top. I add one more just because to bring it to 6 total coats. There are still some little imperfections and pimples on the surface, so I've been experimenting with sanding and polishing and have had some mixed results.

I sand with my little Ryobi handheld sander from 600 to 1000 to 2000 to 3000 and then I buff on my new porter cable orbital buffer with the 3-step 3M Perfect-It system with the matching foam pads. I wipe the painting down with dedicated microfiber cloths and water between each step. This has lead to some intriguing results. The sanding and buffing by and large does work. It looks terrible on the first sand and gets progressively better every step. By the end, it's almost as good as a fresh coat of varnish BUT there are some little remaining scratches that I can pick up when I angle it directly at a light (from every other angle they are invisible). My test canvas is mostly black so I realize that's a tough situation for detailing but my paintings all have black linework so it's fairly important.
So with all that info, here are some questions I have that you may be able to help me with:

• Is there a polishing compound that is even more fine than the 3M ultrafine machine polish to help push it another level? I have tried some Novus and Maguire stuff I had laying around the house and those both performed worse.

• Am I screwed because of how soft this varnish is? I am sure it is much softer than any car finish. This varnish is even softer than the resin I previously used as well. It scratches from just gliding a fingernail across it nonchalantly.

• Would a wax or ceramic coat potentially be a solution here? It really only shows the scratches up close on the black in direct lighting.

• How much of this is just a lack of technique? I am new to this and did notice some improvement between my first attempt and my second attempt.

• Do I need any materials that I don't have? I suspect I need an interfacing pad for my sander, potentially a better quality sander, and maybe even a softer pad for the 3M or whatever finishing step I may need?

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR TIME I REALLY NEED SOME HELP LOL

 

[dhutton01]

Hard to say without pics but my guess is you didn’t spend enough time with each step.

 

[crashtech]

If you can identify which step the scratches are from, you might be able to tell where you are going wrong. Since you are using the same orbital for each grit, it will be very difficult to tell which grit is the problem if the scratches are pigtail shaped. If the scratches are somewhat linear, they are getting there from contamination in your towels, perhaps.

 

[Big Dave]

Many years ago I did an old Trans Am hood bird on a ‘56 ford truck with silver and gold leaf, multiple pearls and paint. It got so thick that it never dried.
So to parrot Don, probably need more cure time between coatings.

 

[crashtech]

I'd have to ask the manufacterer if it's even a product that is technically polishable. Perhaps they or someone makes a final gloss topcoat that is compatible with what you are using that will buff out nicer.

 

[Chris_Hamilton]

I'd have to ask the manufacterer if it's even a product that is technically polishable. Perhaps they or someone makes a final gloss topcoat that is compatible with what you are using that will buff out nicer.

I agree. Using what sounds like a 1K acrylic clear and trying to sand and buff it isn't really a great idea. Are you spraying it on or something else? If you sprayed it on I would try doing a couple of coats, waiting a couple of days then using a wool pad and a compound designed for lacquer start buffing it. No sanding. Then apply more coats and repeat. Don't worry about sanding or adhesion between coats as the solvent in the clear will soften things sufficiently. Will take a long time though(several weeks) to get it where you want it. A 1K acrylic will buff out better that way, similar to how lacquers were buffed out years ago. If you have to sand consider using a two component urethane clear (2K) so that you can actually sand it and buff it. It will be easier and much much quicker.