Spray max USC 2k High Gloss Clearcoat Aerosol (2 PACK)

I hope some other newbie like me will learn from my mistakes. But first: Pros: If you do it right, it comes out great and is easy Nice glossy sheen, no polishing or compounding needed Cons: Directions on can might not apply to your conditions (explained below) Learning curve involved When can gets low (but still feels like it has product) it might spit dry-spray First, the directions on the can say it is ideal to spray around 68d F, with 50% or less humidity. It then states to stay about 10" back and go slow. But it doesn't say if you are NOT spraying in 68d this doesn't apply, and you might need to get close and go fast, if it's warmer. My garage was 80d and "staying 10" back and going slow" was the exact WRONG thing to do. It resulted in "dry-spray" which means the paint starts to atomize and doesn't collect into a solid sheet on the panel, but dries in individual droplets. The result is extreme orange peel and a matte finish, instead of a glossy finish. 9hrs later I wet-sanded the clear flat, which caused some burn-through into the color paint, which then needed touching up. When I cleared the panel again, was sure to do it early in the morning when it was 69F in the garage... Well at that temp the paint stays fluid longer, so it went on like nice solid sheet, but ran and sagged after a few seconds, as now I was too close or went TOO slow for the temperature I was spraying in! ... 9hrs later wet-sanded the runs and sags until the panel was flat again. And finally I had it figured out.... cleared it in the afternoon when it was hot, but got close - about 4" - and moved fast. And THAT came out perfect. Matched the factory finish without any messing afterward. So how close you are, and how fast you move, is totally dependent on the temperature. This is "duh!" for experienced painters, but newbies usually follow what's written on the can. I wish the can would have said, "If it is not 68d but much warmer, you will need to move in closer and go faster." Also, I read many sites that said to do an initial "tack coat" (like is recommended with primer and base). You cannot 'feather' clear coat, or "apply a light tack coat." You will end up with severe orange peel. This paint has to go on in a solid sheet, where all the droplets combine or pool into one flat surface. Individual drops will each reflect the light in a different direction creating that heavy orange peel with a dull matte finish. You need a solid sheet to reflect the light evenly, to get that high gloss look. One annoyance - and maybe it was just me, but I found when the cans still had product but were low (maybe 1/4 full) I'd be in the middle of applying a second or third coat and suddenly the can would shoot aerosol with little paint for a split second, spitting dry-spray all over my previously perfect panel - which would result in me having to wait 8rs until I could wet-sand it flat and do a new coat. After that happened twice I stopped using cans once they felt like they were about 2/3rds gone. Maybe a quick spritz of a small repair area would be ok but I was clearing a fender panel in one case, and a bumper in another. Something to beware of anyway. So having done it wrong every way possible, and having to re-do it and re-buy the paint multiple times, (not to mention base when I burned through sanding the clear), I'd say that once you have the hang of using it in your particular conditions, it's great. And you might get lucky and use it right, right off the bat. But it can require 'practice' for newbies. Especially if painting a large area like a panel, vs a small area or something like a guitar. One tip I read that worked for me: After the can is activated the shelf life is about 48hrs - probably less in the heat. But if you put the left-over paint can in the fridge, it will stay a good long time (months, reportedly). I put one of my cans that was about half gone in the fridge and ordered more... when the new clear came 2 weeks later, I used the can from the fridge first by letting it warm up a couple hours in the garage. Then shook it a couple min and it was as good as a freshly activated can. And no, this isn't the can that spit. (I learned by then to not use any cans once they felt like they had about 1/4 product left.)

I wish I could give 10 stars for this stuff! I literally made a mess of my vehicle trying to fix small things. When I purchased it used last year I didn't notice some discoloration on the front bumper, so I bought a bra. I didn't take the bra off when I washed my vehicle so I didn't notice until a lady backed into me in a parking lot that the bra had damaged the paint on my hood when I took it to the body shop for repair. The insurance company didn't want to pay for the entire area because of prior damage. The guy at the shop kept saying that he would just take the money and do something else with it since it wasn't enough to repair my hood and bumper!😳 He figured since I had a bra on it it wouldn't matter. I was so upset because I didn't plan on keeping the bra on forever. My plan was to eventually get my bumper fixed now It's my bumper and hood and the lady had pushed my bumper out some. After waiting on the money my insurance company would give me towards the repair I was trying to figure out what to do. Like I said I had made a mess, right. Well, I also had issues in my rear bumper because I was trying to back up with my trailer hitched. I am new to this trailer thing... Well my back bumper was pushed out some because of that incident which would have cost $1,500.00 to fix. I had spoke with my insurance company about all of this and I hadn't filed a report on the trailer incident and wasn't sure I wanted too because of it affecting my rate. It wasn't major damage just minor. But my trying to fix a little spot with Duplicolor made a small paint defect into a large. My husband and youngest daugther laughed at me. They said you don't paint your car with spray paint! Of course I just sprayed it on and had no clue about preparing your vehicle to be painted. Silly me was even trying to be cheep and used the wrong color that I KNEW was wrong because I had found cans of similar color at Dirt Cheap for $2.00 a can. There was nothing wrong with the paint other than one of them was for a GM charcoal gray and the other was for a Toyota Plantation gray; my vehicle is Toyota Magnetic Metallic gray. They were close but not right. I had bought the cans for a camper project so I had about 20 cans. Well, when I first thought about how I was going to fix my paint issues I thought about that paint!😂 Bad idea! A mess! More laughs from my husband and daugther... Thank God for UTube! I went to body piant school!😂 It rained and was cold for weeks and I have a carport not a garage. I know my neighbors thought I was crazy because before the rain started i was literally sandmg down and priming my car in my carport driveway because I knew the rain was coming and I wanted to be able to pull it in the carport when it started. People check out the prices of items before you buy them on here. I love Amazon. Buy from them all the time and usually my first place to go when looking for certain things such as this paint. Well, I can tell you I didn't like the Duplicolor clear coat from my experience with my back bumper. It was a runny mess! I actually ended up buying all the Duplicolor of my color in Alabama! 😂 Well, this was my first time and like I said the weather was a mess even with me buying plastic and covering my entire carport and putting three heaters in my carport. I also had blankets on the inside out the carport behind the plastic. I had to fix a few areas a few times with my wet sanding. Of course I had to go to "grit" school also!😂 Anyway, researching this clearcoat and wanting to make my husband and daughters and all my neighbors laughs into amazement I decided I would purchase this clear coat. A lot more expensive but what people had to say about it and the images I had seen I had to go with this one. I was so nervious because like I said the weather had not been forgivening in my area. Well, after sitting at home working on this thing for two weeks the day came for me to apply my clearcoat. My oldest daugther had been saying during the process, "are you going for a Matt look or a glossy look?" She was looking at my metallic paint that looked very dull. There were times I applied it because of the weather the metallic would just sit on top of the paint!😩 When I wet s no it of course that would come off. I had saw videos where it turned glossy after the clear coat applied. I had used a Duplicolor clear coat bumper paint on my bumper and it had got fry paint so I was not pleased with it either. I repaired the areaa Dan decided to order two more cans of this because I wanted to use it on my bumper as well. I had spent over hundred dollars with buying materials such as pads, sandpaper, towels, primer, filler, primer and filler, base paint, buffer, paint thinner, grease and wax remover, tack rags, compound, finishing glaze, and such and I didn't want to spent anymore money. I was broke. Well, I was nervous because this product has two parts, one which is a hardener. You have to use it within 48 hours of activating the two part system and to my amazement this product was the best thing about this experience! Just flawless! I have a few paint defects to fix and to do my compounding and polishing but other than that I am al,out done. I will post pics after I am complete. I posted all this to say, it can be done but it's not easy... Know what you are getting into when thinking about painting your vehicle but if you chose to take on the challenge. Use this clearcoat! It's amazing and nothing like the cheaper brand spray paints you find. Duplicolor is excellent in the base coat, if you use the CORRECT color!😂 But clearcoat, go with 2K!

This clearcoat does not mess around. It works super well. Here are some tips: 1. USE A RESPIRATOR. This shit is toxic and dries super quick. You do *not* want it in your lungs. 2. Shake it like you mean it. I let the product sit for an hour between coats and didn't shake it - immediately noticed the difference. (Went on "wetter", took longer to dry.) 3. Use multiple *THIN* layers. They dry faster, so you can get your item coated quicker. 4. The can says to use within 48 hrs, but I was able to use it up to 72 hrs after activating. I did notice some quality degradation, but it still worked overall. Over all, I would say this clear coat is awesome. Truly automotive quality in a can. It's a bit expensive - but when you realize what you're getting there's pretty clear value for the money.

The Spray Max USC 2K High Gloss Clearcoat is hands down the best clearcoat you can get in an aerosol can. I’ve used it on several automotive and DIY projects over the years, and it never disappoints. The finish is smooth, deep, and professional-looking with a high-gloss shine that truly lasts. What sets it apart is the two-part formula—it gives you that durable, chemical-resistant finish you’d expect from a professional spray gun setup, but in a convenient can. It sprays evenly, dries quickly, and hardens into a rock-solid clear that can be wet-sanded and buffed just like a shop job. This stuff has become a staple in my garage. I’ve purchased it multiple times over the years because nothing else in a can comes close. If you want showroom-quality results without a compressor or gun, this is the clearcoat to go with.

I absolutely love this product! It saved my vehicle's paint from damage caused by a bra I used to cover some discoloration on the front bumper. I accidentally left the bra on during washes, only realizing the harm done when I needed repairs after a minor accident. Highly recommend for flawless paint protection!