Italian paint, apply clear coat???

Hi all, I have a few nice Italian frames and 1 is NOS.
As we all know, Italian hand painted frames are lovely and the attention to detail is 2nd to none, but it is very fragile paint and easily chips.
With this in mind, before I build up my frames I wondering if I should get them extra clear coated, especially my NOS one.
I was talking to a frame restorer and he said that clear coating the original paint makes the surface a bit harder but when it does chip it will chip larger chunks.

Also my old frames are very good condition but there a few little scuffs and having it clear coated will seal in all those chips and scuffs so may look weird.

You reckon just leave them and apply a good polish?
They won't get ridden much as they will be sunny day perfect weather rides.

Cheers

If clear coating the original paint can result in more paint coming off when it gets knocked Id leave it alone. On the older frames I think it might be a good idea to put a little clear coat over the chips as this will help prevent the rust getting hold. I use clear nail varnish for this purpose.

Blacktopdisciple":14sp2us7 said:

I use clear nail varnish for this purpose.

Click to expand...

+1

Its also good for flaky decals.

Nail varnish is also perfect for little scratches and chips, the colour range is huge so you can usually find a close match.

It dries as hard as nails

I'd just use a good wax, clear coating could just give you a load more problems.