Varnish and final steps, tips please

[epic_armies]

I am having trouble achieving a decent matt finish in my models. Yes I use matt varnish and I have tried mainly spray versions of it. I have not tried Vallejo Matt varnish because I don't know how to thin it for airbrush. It's frustrating because I seem to do an ok job during painting, only to have it destroyed once I apply my varnish. The mini's loose their contrast and it seems to me I destroy all the previous hard work when applying it, so clearly I am doing something wrong. Are there any matt varnish brands out there on spray that will do the trick?

Any good painters out there want to explain to me how to do it?

Thank you so much in advance.

 

[EpicMiniArt]

I've never had any problems with Vallejo's Matt Varnish... I normally thin it 1 to 1 with a bit of airbrush thinner and give it a couple of thin coats. Generally speaking of your varnish is drying cloudy its because its too thick

 

[Zab]

High humidity or the paint underneath was not fully cured...

http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/provick/OcGY/~3/Tm6Iq-r0Ml4/

Try their line of premium clear coats or try testors dullcote or try W&N matte coat. We have all been there at some point - stay strong.

 

[moetle]

I quit using Vallejo varnishes cause they start to yellow in the bottles over time. When I did, I used them with Vallejo airbrush thinner 50/50 at 20-25 psi. I use liquitex now cause it works well, I can buy it in 16 oz bottles cheap, and they don't yellow. I thin it the same way.

Testors dullcote works well also but its more expensive and hard to get where I am.

Be careful if you use other rattlecan types. Humidity can cause a frost effect.

Hope that helps.

 

[Splurch]

I quit using Vallejo varnishes cause they start to yellow in the bottles over time. When I did, I used them with Vallejo airbrush thinner 50/50 at 20-25 psi. I use liquitex now cause it works well, I can buy it in 16 oz bottles cheap, and they don't yellow. I thin it the same way.

Testors dullcote works well also but its more expensive and hard to get where I am.

Be careful if you use other rattlecan types. Humidity can cause a frost effect.

Hope that helps.

I stopped using Vallejo's gloss for the same reason, but did you ever encounter yellowing with their matte? I've got bottles of gloss less then a year old that are very yellow, but have matte that are over a year that are still pure white.

As for matte spray. If you're looking for actual spray cans, the only good matte I found int he past that was actually matte was from games workshop, but I think they've since changed the recipe, and their sprays seem to cloud more than anyone else (which is the main reason I stopped using them.) If you're more accepting of a low sheen/satin, testor's dullcote is highly regarded and Krylon makes a matte spray that isn't too shiny and is decently priced. If you're talking airbrush, then Vallejo is really the only one out there I have found who has a true matte coat (well, Golden does as well, but it seems to turn to a low satin with handling over time.) I've actually been able to spray Vallejo's Matte through a .33 needle without thinning, although the tip needs cleaning somewhat regularly. If you want to thin it, Liquitex makes a very good airbrush thinner that works well, and you can always try just a bit of water.

Whatever you end up with, using varnish will change the looks at least a little bit on a mini. One of the reasons why Testor's seems to be so popular is because of how it changes the look, some people really like what it does to a paint job.

Also, if you are just spraying the matte directly over the paint, try using a gloss first. Gloss coats basically don't fog so if you put a layer on that is too thick it is very unlikely you will have a problem. As a result, the matte coat you put on only has to kill the shine from the gloss coat and the mini will be fully protected. The gloss coat also makes it extremely easy to put on a matte coat that isn't too thick as it's very obvious when you've covered an area adequately.

 

[moetle]

I stopped using Vallejo's gloss for the same reason, but did you ever encounter yellowing with their matte? I've got bottles of gloss less then a year old that are very yellow, but have matte that are over a year that are still pure white.

.

I have had satin, matte, and gloss yellow out on me. I'd say it took 8 month to a year. I didn't know liquitex made an airbrush thinner. Is it similar to vallejo's? I put that s**t in everything!

 

[Splurch]

I have had satin, matte, and gloss yellow out on me. I'd say it took 8 month to a year. I didn't know liquitex made an airbrush thinner. Is it similar to vallejo's? I put that s**t in everything!

Now I'm nervous my finished stuff is going to yellow, have you ever noticed the matte yellowing after it's been sprayed? When I first noticed my gloss bottle yellow I looked at some older mini's I had sprayed but couldn't notice yellowing (despite the bottle being extremely yellow), although none were white so it's kind of hard to tell.

As for the thinner, Liquitex calls it airbrush medium for some reason (http://www.liquitex.com/airbrushmedium/.) I barely used Vallejo thinner before I discovered Liquitex, so I can't say which is better, but the Liquitex seems to be a little less opaque and is less expensive online. Ever since I started using Liquitex's thinner rather then trying to get my own mix I've had 0 issues thinning anything to go through the airbrush.