S C Johnson Klear Facts and Myths

[Mark Huber]

A few years ago, I was told that I just had to get a bottle of this stuff. So I did, and I paid through the nose on eBay, probably because the original product had been discontinued and other sharp folks were capitalizing on product myths; that Klear would provide brilliant luster, clear coat better than anything else on the market, cure the common cold and bring us world peace.

Klear is good, but it isn't the best product available, and price adjusted it's well.. I guess that depends on whether price comes into the equation when you purchase supplies and tools, etc.   Oh, and it doesn't bring world peace, although if you inhale enough Klear, you won't care if you have a cold.

Here's video sure to rile some folks.

I hear the guy is now in hiding now as a group of scratchbuilders on 4chan have issued a Fatwah declaring that he is to be terminated with extreme prejudice.

[Martin Field]

Good grief,talk about hang it out. Why take 5 minutes when you can listen to your own voice for 15. He had nothing extra to add to what has always been pretty bloody obvious!

I managed to get the last bottle in Tesco's for the normal price. Brushed a coat on a model I'd painted from a rattle can a week before and decalled the day before. Came back to it the next day and the Klear was as wet as when I'd put it on. Came back the next day and it was still wet, but getting sticky and that's how it stayed for ever more until I threw the model out months later in disgust. The decals had started to wrinkle and the paint had been softened. It all came off on my fingers after the months I'd left it.

I was so outraged by the muck, I put in on ebay almost as a prank and was astonished to get just what this rambling goon said, £20 for it. Sent it off and forgot about it. I then tested Vallejo clear gloss from an airbrush and it did the job beautifully, despite the mysteriously milky appearance initially. But I also asked at my local auto paint supplier and he offered me a litre of Akrifan by Lechler for that same 20 quid. I bought that and have used it ever since. It can be a little "hot" on some home made decals, but if you dust the first coat it's wonderful stuff. Dries like glass in minutes and makes me utterly ashamed of myself to have been taken in by the Klear hype....floor polish indeed, tut,tut Akrifan is airbrush ready one shot, but not suitable for external use.

Martin

[Phil Kalbfell]

Some people swear by this product, I sweat at it.
Tried it once, never again Managed to clear it off and used a real clear finish.
It’s a short term floor finish.

[EM]

I have used this stuff on and off for years. There have been no problems but it has its limitations. It is quite useful, as the video suggests, for brushing or dipping clear components like windscreens or headlamp covers that are not in pristine condition, filling minor abrasions nicely.

While it can be used as an easy, self leveling final coat, it does not provide robust protection of the underlying surface, particularly decals, against the wear and tear of handling in competition. This brings me to the function that I find most valuable.

Wherever possible I use airbrushed lacquers rather than acrylic rattle cans for finishing. One of the products routinely associated with these products is 2 part (catalyzed) clear urethane finishes. This stuff offers a beautiful gloss and is very,very tough and protective. It is also typically very "hot" and, even with misting, is liable to destroy many decals. I have found that a coat of Klear, applied only to the (well dried) decals and allowed to dry overnight, is very effective in protecting the decals from the catalyzed final coat which, incidentally, adheres very well to the protected area.

EM