Question on finishing / clear coat 3d printed lightsaber hilts

[Crimsonxtusk]

Hey guys, I want to ask if anyone here on this forum has any experience in printing, painting and finishing 3D lightsaber hilts? I am almost complete on the building of my first 3D lightsaber hilt and I spent a day or two weathering and painting and I'm just ready to seal My lightsaber. I wanted to ask suggestions on what the best type of finish of clearcoat works best on your lightsabers? Matte, Satin, semi-gloss, gloss? I know with any type of clearcoat it will dull the metallic effect of paint to various degrees I just wanted to ask the Forum in your opinion what works best for you. Please let me know if you have any input I'll leave a few pictures of my saber kit below thank you and I look forward to your reply.

 

[BastianEstrella]

Hey, I´ve used Tamiya Clear coat in gloss, it does dull it to some degree but i think its worth it to protect the paint.

 

[genZOD]

After the clear coat has fully cured I’ve had pretty good luck cutting & buffing the finish to a high shine. I end with 2000 grit paper & then polish. It doesn’t hold up next to real metal, but it’s pretty close. I’m working with different metal leaf & rub products for my next build. That should look more metallic. I hope. Anyway, I attached pictures of the products I used & the end result.

Good luck, looking forward to seeing finished pictures.

 

[Benjo]

It all depends on what you're looking for.
In my opinion, metallic laquer and gloss waterbase clear coat work fine, it's all about shine when you want a metallic render. it requires lot and lot of sanding but it worth it. In my opinion. Mat varnish looks not good at all, your prop will look fake with it . Satin can be a good option but as I've said before, it's all about shine when you want a metallic render.
The thing is, you will need a flawless surface, if not a glossy varnish will accentuate every asperities on your prop/

On that print, I've used Alclad polished aluminium and alclad glossy clear coat. It 's a little darker than what I wanted (I've used a high gloss black as a basecoat) but I was pretty happy with the result.

Graphite powder is a good option if you want to have a darker metallic finish, but it works much better with a glossy basecoat.

As far as I know, you need gloss for a convincing metallic finish.