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Hi Rick, Well, you certainly don't need the clear coat with hardened acrylic enamel (AE). A decent application of that paint alone will give a good gloss. There can be a little better "depth" appearance with a few coats of clear on top but I have found that the difference is not dramatic enough to be worth the effort. I have used a clear on top of a single stage urethane to improve the appearance of high quality vinyl cut decals. That tends to blend the sharp edges into the surrounding paint and give a general better appearance, more like they were actually painted on, IMO. I think the same would hold true for a clear over hardened AE...say three coats of it. There is absolutely no reason that a clear, if selected and applied properly (meaning manufacturer's recommendations), would orange peel over the hardened AE any more than it would over any other paint. You should also stick with the same manufacturer for all products. That's the best way to assure a satisfactory product. You will want to use a hardener in AE because of the better properties of the paint film, especially chemical resistance and ease of repair of any boo-boos. The hardener really doesn't "act" like a clear coat, although there are some hardeners that are promoted as "high gloss". The problem that I have with clear coats over anything, single stage or base/clear is that light scratches show up as white against the color background. I have a black truck with a nice factory base/clear finish with a few scratches that look terrible, showing as white on black. I also have a tractor that I used a clear on (for the decal appearance) with some scratches that show white on orange. Think about that before you go with a clear coat if it is going to be on a working tractor and you are not going with a base/clear system where clear is a requirement. I would suggest you have your painter use a two part epoxy primer over that rust converter. Futhermore, it has been my own experience with rust "converters" that they do not necessarily produce a nice smooth surface, especially if brushed on. If there is ANY hint of brush strokes or sandscratches (or anything else that is eneven), you should consider a primer-surfacer on top of the epoxy for your sheetmetal. This should preferably be a two part urethane product, carefully sanded with nothing coarser than 400 grit. It will obviously add to the cost but may be necessary to get a nice glossy finish.  Rod
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