RuneBrush
New member
After reading a few posts in recent months where people have been asking about the best matte varnish to use, I thought it would be worth posting up my results from using Daler Rowney Soluble Varnish. This is the stuff that is recommended in the ForgeWorld Masterclass book and I am exceptionally impressed with the result I achieved when spraying it through an airbrush last night. The finish was very flat and doesn't change the colour of your paint too much. The dark colours (such as brown & black) do shade down a fraction, but it is tiny and in fact make any highlights you've done pop a bit more. As you would expect in an airbrush, it's very controllable and I would say that you could selectively matte vanish components of your miniature.
One thing that is a pain is that this is spirit based, so you need to use different cleaners for your airbrush. However unlike the dry pigment of the acrylics we tend to use, the varnish doesn't clog up the needle very often.
Basic methodology I used was this.
One thing that is a pain is that this is spirit based, so you need to use different cleaners for your airbrush. However unlike the dry pigment of the acrylics we tend to use, the varnish doesn't clog up the needle very often.
Basic methodology I used was this.
- Shake the varnish, then shake it again, a bit more, now swap hands and shake it again. I shook mine for at least 5 minutes before I used it, checking the bottom to make sure that nothing has settled (and shaking it upside-down too). I had been shaking it regularly since Sunday.
- Take a *CLEAN* mixing container (I use 3.5ml small paint pots - the same tattooists use when they're inking you). Dust and hair will truly mess your effect up, moreso than it would in a paint.
- Add a decent amount of the varnish into the container. I took a cocktail stick and snipped one pointed end off and then used the new blunt end to transfer the vanish, which is actually quite runny in comparison to the stuff you use for wood.
- Now add about 1/4 the amount of varnish of white spirit to the pot and use the cocktail stick to mix *. As you'll be putting this into an airbrush, try to use Artist White Spirit, which is more pure and less smelly. You can use whatever you want to mix and if you use little 3.5ml containers, you can pop the lid on and shake them.
- Load up the airbrush at a pressure of around 30psi and spray. I found that a lower pressure didn't get the atomisation fine enough. Don't overload your model with varnish, as with when you're airbrushing, 3 or 4 thinner layers gets an overall better effect. I did find though that I had to pull further back on my airbrush than if I were using a thinner paint.
- Now I personally would leave your model at least 12 hours, however if you've applied thin enough layers the varnish will be touch dry and probably can be painted/whatever straight away.
