Primarily Petroliana Shop Talk Forums Shop Talk Petroliana Forums General Petroliana Discussion Clear Coating

To All Sign Sellers and buyers: PLEASE STOP CLEAR COATING SIGNS!!! You are not preserving them you are ruining them!! It cannot be removed with out ruining the original paint under the dam clear coat. If you are selling signs that have been clear coated please be HONEST when you sell it, your reputation is all you have in this business. The clear coat may look great for a few years but, it will start peeling and that when the problem starts. So be up front and honest when you sell a sign if you know it has been clear coated. Clear coating is the scourge of painted metal signs in this hobby. Yes, I have been “taken” by unscrupulous and dishonest sellers, I know who you are and it will not happen again.

In my opinion sometimes it's appropriate to use clear coat. For example, outdoor neon sign cans that are rusted and shedding paint can use a flat laquer clear to avoid further degradation. I've also seen super fragile signs that need something to protect them before they are completely gone.

If you are doing chip repairs and using clear to cover up the repair without disclosing, that's not good.