Colors turning glossy

Hendarion

Member
Hiho.

Some colors of mine are about 20 years old by now and start to be glossy whenever painted in a covering layer. Is there some nice trick to get them matt again? Or will maybe spraying the mini with a matt varnish get rid of the problem (I don't use vanish, since some of my friends did and it turned out silk matt which is way too glossy in my opinion - but a friend will soon give me a lesson for real matt varnishing)?

Greetings

PS: talking about citadel acrylics
 

Aliengod3

Active member
I have the same problem with some of the P3 colors I have. Matte Varnish will work and you could try matte medium but I think the varnish is better. Just do a bit of research to make sure you find a good varnish. I use Testors Dull Cote and I have had no problems with it acting in a way that would make me pull my hair out.
 

doyme

New member
W&N matte medium works wonders for me on this. I got the issue painting my last CMON posted mini (you can see the lights glaring from the shaded red areas due to a glossy finish). So I use a mix of 2(water):1(W&N matte medium) plus a dash of flow improver (maybe 15:1) and add one drop of that instead of water to start the dilution of my paints (if I need them more dilute I add just pure water from then on). I think that's solved it for me.
 

Wyrmypops

New member
Could first try giving them reeeeally good shake and a stir. I'm no chemist, but reckon some of that emerging glossyness could be down to a seperation of the various agents inside a pot of paint.
Then again, a lot of the old GW paints I used had that glossyness straight out of the bottle, so maybe they were just crap. :p

Varnishing is a worthy effort in and of itself. That it can bring a change in texture is a brucie bonus. Tends to be that glossy = strong while matt = weak in regards to protection, so the middling satin effect had a foot in both camps. A bit like a halberd with a musket attachment, it's not great at either job.
It ain't uncommon to cover with a gloss coat for the strength of protection, then a matt coat for the texture it grants a mini.
Testors Dull cote does seem to be the one I hear mentioned the most. Picked up a small spray-can of it myself, but ain't ised it yet.
 

Dragonsreach

Super Moderator
Staff member
You could try Vallejo Matt Medium mixed into the paint. I use it 1:1 without any problem.

Testors Dullcoate is my Weapon of Choice when it comes to Varnishes, a quick spray and I'm good to go.
 

Einion

New member
If you want to try an additive (assuming mixing the bejesus out of the 'em doesn't help) then Tamiya Flat Base, X-21, is very good. Many artists' matt mediums out there are worth trying too.

In terms of overcoats, which I avoid myself too, then Dullcote is the king.

Einion
 
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