A short question about varnish

[Womble67]

Hi all I use humbrol either gloss or matt and have never had any problems

Take care

Andy

[Norm]

I have gone to hand brushing to avoid sprays - I don't really have a safe space to use a spray in.

I am using Winsor & Newton Galeria Matt.

I was putting two coast on for extra strength, but felt it gave a bit of clouding, so I dropped to 1 coat. Everything seems OK. It's not a lot of work.

Once everything is based, I just do another light stroke of varnish on the outside figures 'flanks' as this will be the part of the base that is handled the most.

[Hertsblue]

The Vallejo matt varnish is the flattest matt I've come across so far. Matt over gloss is a well-tried recipe if you don't mind the wait between coats. Matt varnish on its own sometimes reacts with the underlying paint. Having said that, I've not had any problems with the Vallejo.

[Duke Speedy of Leighton]

Liked Vallejo spray, but it is becoming difficult to find...
Trying AP at the mo. Not sure why their Matt is occasionally shiny?

[Hertsblue]

I brush mine on, Will. With 10mm it doesn't take much longer than spraying and I always manage to get a better coverage. For some makes the amount of shine seems to vary from batch to batch.

[Leman]

I concur; brushing on avoids the vagaries of the spray varnishes, and if you've put all that effort into painting in the first place it seems a shame to then take a chance on a spray that you don't fully trust.

[Techno]

Only tip I've got regarding checking spray varnishes, is that I used to spray a tiny section of a piece of newspaper before using the varnish on a figure (or figures).....
It partially soaks into, and therefore dries on the paper really, really quickly....and gives you a chance to see whether it's going to be a bit 'iffy'.

Might be of some use ?

Cheers - Phil

[Subedai]

Over the years I've tried everything...including hairspray! Acrylic varnishes are okay in their way but I found the gloss to be more eggshell even after a couple of coats.My last combination was a Poundland Gloss followed by a Daler-Rowney Soluble Matt -both oil based. The D-R Matt is the dogs nads for flatness as far as I am concerned. Nowadays, as my chaps don't really get as much as they used to I use the D-R Matt straight onto the painted figures. Can't say I've ever tried spray but if it's anything like the undercoat I'd have to go over it with a brush anyway.

[WeeWars]

At the moment, all my 10mm are getting two brushed-on coats of Vallejo matte varnish. Nice finish and no need to use gloss first. And easy to use.

www.michaelscott.name/1809/1809blogpost131.htm

Cheers, Michael

[Plasticoutsider]

As ever, thanks so much for all the replies - really useful!

[slugbalancer]

Winsor and Newton Galeria Matt varnish for me.  Two coats brushed on 24 hours apart does the job.

[chrishanley]

I also use and recommend Daler-Rowney Soluble Varnish Matt. 
Having in the past tried numerous varnishes with mixed results, I found D_R soluble Matt to be the most reliable and I have used it for years without ever having any problem.  In the winter I would recommend gently warming the bottle by popping the bottle into your pocket for about an hour (with the top screwed on tight).  The good stuff settles at the bottom of the bottle and it takes an age to shake it into suspension when it is cold.   The only down side is that you need to wash your brush out in white spirit, but that just reminds you of the old Humbrol days.
I have never tried Windsor & Newton Galeria which I am sure is very good judging by the recommendations, but do not use the W&N OIL Colour Artists' Matt Varnish, because it isn't.
Chris

[John Cook]

Barry, I've tried sprays and paint-on varnishes over the past 50 years or so, though not all the products mentioned here.  On sprays, follow the instructions and spray from about 30 cm, or 12" in old money.  Wait until the first coat is dry before applying the second.  I spray gloss first then matt, GW 'Purity Seal' or AP, boith of which give a slightly satin finsih, which I like. inches.  I've been using Vallejo gloss and matt for small jobs, 20-30 figures.  The matt is as flat as you could want.  Avoid cheap brushes and synthetic ones - they are too stiff and tend to make the varnish 'froth' a bit if you aren't careful, which can result in bubbles dried into the finished coat.  Go for Kolinsky sable which are much softer and reduce frothing to almost nothing.  On the subject of brushes, buy the best you can afford.  I have found that synthetic brushes, while comparatively cheap, do not last as long and tend to curl and split in a short time, however well you look after them.  Sable, on the other hand, last for months of hard painting.  Cheap brushes are a false economy in my experience

[Leman]

Couldn't agree more.

[SV52]

Any spray matt varnish which costs under a tenner and W&N Series 7, a cracking combination 

[Last Hussar]

I spray GW Purity Seal.  Part of why I spray is it fixes the flock on the base.

[Plasticoutsider]

I spray GW Purity Seal.  Part of why I spray is it fixes the flock on the base.

Right.  That makes sense.  Thanks!

[Hertsblue]

OK - you're now thoroughly confused by all this advice, aren't you? That's what usually happens on this forum. 

[Leman]

Amazing; the many and varied ways to achieve the same result. Like most wargamers I arrived at my preferred option through trial and error.

[cameronian]

I use gloss ARMY PAINTER, mid brown and here's why. The varnish, if applied lightly with a brush, seeps into the folds and corners of clothing obviating the need to highlight without pooling (although I do put a lighter colour over bright colours like carmine to give it a bit of lift). The 'gloss' finish on 10mm doesn't look at all bad, I think it looks better than matt in terms of brightening the table, also the very flat look of matt figures I don't think is particularly accurate. If you look from a distance at - say the Guards or the Household Cavalry or indeed The Kings Troop, you will notice that the formations seem to scintillate. Cap badges, buttons, weapons, gun barrels, even the flanks of the horses are highly reflective. When I look at masses of matt painted figures I don't see that, just a dull uniformity. On any scale bigger than 10mm I think it looks poor but on the smaller scales I think it goes very well. Very thin PVA to consolidate the flock/ballast bases works well.
Just my three ha'pence worth.