So, after what has seems like an eternity, I finally put clear over the colours. Now I have the paint gun working well (at the right pressure), I can wet out the surface easily and avoid runs (for the most part). Those crazy little black bugs like brightness, so of course they land right on the white where they're easy to see! When this dries I'll block the lines and surfaces again, then apply the final coat of clear ready to cut and buff. I'm still making some time consuming mistakes, but learning something new every day and overall pretty darn happy!