You can't look at photos to determine anything and certainly has no bearing on why I know what I do. The only reason I posted a pic was to illustrate the gloss, but maybe that was a mistake.

I don't want to get into a debate. I know what I'm saying is right.
People can either believe me or not. It's just like everthing else I agrue with people over here about.

Mac is right that this has gone off topic. If you want to continue a debate about whether clearcoat was used or not, count me out. I gave you the real answer take it or leave it. I'm sure you'll leave it.

Gino, I gave you the answer you mean.

Tonight you claimed No OT helmet was clear coated. Already someone who has handled the PA stunt with numerous evidence said it was clear coated. And IMO that color does match the Hero.

Anyway..Seeing as I started something, it's a pity to leave you out but perhaps I will continue this thread seperatley to demonstrate to others.

Sorry for the OT Mac.

Honestly, I have no clue about the paint finish - whether it was clear coated or just buffed up gloss paint. Either can give a very shiny surface depending on the paint and polishing agent used.

When painting mine I'll probably use clear coat - not because it's right or wrong, but because it's easier to get the desired look that way than by polishing, for me.

Guys,

We're often making our individual attempts at reverse engineering "the look" based on screen captures, especially the new HD ones that have surfaced just this last year. In reality, we are only as accurate as the number of details we were able to match. Every now and then someone notices something in the same screen captures that nobody has noticed before. In other words, if we become myopic to a fraction of all the details, we miss what the full picture is telling us.

The polished look without clear coat is awesome. Adding a clear coat also creates gloss. Do we have enough information here to tell the difference in depth of the gloss versus observable surface texture?

Thanks

Wouldn't there be a difference between the deeper gloss created by a clear coat and a more shallow gloss without the clearcoat?

The left in the picture is very likely to be screen-used ESB, one would assume, asince Irwin is trying to kiss him! There isa great deal of reflectivity. The depth of the room is definitely captured there. You do see a bit of orange peeling which might indicate the level of finish of the paint as well as the fuzziness of the reflection as compared with the Jeff helmet (right).

The right is one of GINO's pictures that has been darkened down to mimic the lighting of the photograph behind it. I also blurred GINO's pic because the ESB was unfortunately not uber sharp. The Jeff helmet, right, also simialrly captures the reflection of the room. It seems there is a bit more resolution to that reflection.

So even blurred down, the Jeff helmet's reflection appears much sharper due to how fine it's been polished down. You even still see some of the ultrafine polish scratches. The ESB finish still has a high degree of reflectivity despite its orange peeling.

Does this give resident paint experts more info to go on?

Still not sure what this orange peeling effect is. Could you please explain?

Also... the original in that picture... you can get that look both with clear coat and with buffing only - most car painters use both clear coat and buffing, but that is to get that extra high shine and depth to the paint.

GINOs former Jeff helmet was buffed way too much, imo, making it almost a mirror shine, whereas it should be shiny, but still kinda rough. At least how I see it.

I'm not sure it can be established from pictures which way was used. That unfortunately rests with inside information and from people having handled the original props and as far as I have heard there is sound evidence to support both claims so far, so no conclusive fact as to which was used or whether both was used or what.

LOL... I found the explanation for orange peel... silly me... and here I'd thought it was to do with discoloration. D'OH!

Just for everyone's benefit though, as I understand it, an orange peel is a dimpled texture. Paint that is sprayed hits the helmet in the form of droplets. The droplet sizes depend on the nozzle size and pressure; too much pressure or too little pressure would create the surface dimpling that has been nicknamed "orange peeling".

I think people may be confusing clear coat with gel coat.
Gino is right on this score for sure.

I don't understand. Please explain.

Gel coat is a surface finish for fiberglass parts - usually boats - whereas clear coat is a matt, semi gloss or gloss transparent top layer you spray on top of paint to seal it.

HAL,

Not sure what comes across as confusing. Gel coat is material used in the FG casting process. It's typically based on epoxy or poly-resin, but they're applied to moulds in a liquid state.

We're talking paint here. A clear coat typically adds gloss to a base coat or a paint job.

So to muddy the waters even more, here is an Angrywookie dome that T-VIRUS had painted way back when we just began researching paint finishes.





To the right is the AW, and this is basically a single-stage paint application using an automotive spray gun with a No. 4 or 5 nozzle. The paint was Centauri enamel paint. There's no gloss coat here, nor is there any polish on it. That is strictly the gloss of the paint itself. If you wetsanded and hand polished it, it has the potential of looking like the ESB shot which looks glossier and more even. You'd be reducing the orange peel texture to get a more even and flatter surface.

The orange peeling texture on the ESB seems a bit finer, and on the domecap itself the texture seems much, much finer than the AW. This could either indicate the way it's sprayed or could also indicate that some handwork was done to the paint before a theoretical clear coat.

Unfortunately, based on the above and previous shots, it's hard to conclude ither way. The glossy look can be achieved through hand polishing (as done in GINO's former helmet) and it can be done though a half-assed polish to the black paint but with a gloss coat added.

However, we can deduce from the orange peeling in the ESB that the paint was applied by a propellant (i.e. spray, be it a spray gun or a spray can) versus being hand painted.

ROTJ screenshots may be lot clearer in this regard.

what i mean is the gloss of any 'production' dome would have been inherent from its gel coat not a clear coating after the fact.

and any dulling would be due to re-painting or dustgrease applied during production (or camera filtration).