Finisher for my camo painting

[zollen]

I am planning to paint a desert tiger strips on my M4 rifle. Is it a good idea to spray a final protective coating/finisher on my paint job? What would be the best choice of finisher for both protection and consistency of reflectiveness?

[The_Original_Modifier]

A clear coat, preferably a matte finish. 2-3 coats and a week curing time. If you don't "bake" it

Mod

[ShelledPants]

Personally, I like the wear which occurs from NOT finishing a paint job, makes the gun look as used as they are.

[Mr. G36!]

Be careful about what kind of finish you use if you use one at all...don't wanna end up ruining a nice paint job by applying a nice shiny, glossy coating, ha ha!

[CDN_Stalker]

Originally Posted by ShelledPants

Personally, I like the wear which occurs from NOT finishing a paint job, makes the gun look as used as they are.

Ya, me too. I put clear coat on my M24 after painting, roughed it up with fine steel wool, looked great (and is showing wear after all those years of use. My MP5SD I put clear coat on, ended up being too shiny, didn't look right, so I roughed it up too, but it had lots of hard to reach spots and looked funny. Kinda regret clear coat on it.

[zollen]

Would you send me a link of a good after coat with *flat* effect? Most of what I found are either glossy or satin.

[The_Original_Modifier]

Both Armor Coat and Krylon have spray cans of matte finish and can be found at most hardware stores like Canadian tire or Wamlart to achieve the flat finish that you want.

Mod