Bottle Cap Clear Coat for Crafts?

Question

I'm trying to put an image on a bottle cap and apply a clear coat to protect the image and i would like it to be smooth and professional....

What product would I use?

I've found that Clear spray paint is too thin, i'd like something thicker.

Please Help!

Answer 1

Modge Podge

Answer 2

You don't say what material the image is made on but most would be fine with any type of clear sealer (as long as the color is permanent--see below).

Sprays aren't very reliable or controllable (though a light coat of clear acrylic spray used first can be good if the colorants used for the image aren't already waterproof).  

So some possibilities would be:

...a polyurethane, Gloss version (sold at hardware stores for sealing bare woods)

...a 2-part epoxy resin (not polyester resin) like Envirotex Lite or Ultra Glo... even 2-part epoxy glues can be used

The following would also be fine but more scratchable than the those above, so not quite as good if the surface will get a lot of abrasion:

...a permanent white glue (like Elmers GlueAll) thinned 3-4 to 1 with water (or a decoupage medium like Royal Coat or ModPodge)

...a clear acrylic medium (Gloss)...usually mixed into acrylic craft paints

...dimensional glues (like Triple Thick, etc.)

...clear embossing powders, like UTEE, Ultra Thick Embossing Enamel (must melt the powder in place though, or dip in hot melted powder)

P.S. When doing multiple coats of any of those for greater thickness, always make sure the previous coat has dried (or cured) before adding another coat.

HTH,

Diane B.