Varnish for GD

[Quayleman]

Hi everyone I\'ve finally decided to post something up here after many years of watching.
Anyway with the OZ GD coming up I was wondering if I should varnish my entry and if so should i use a gloss or matt varnish?
It\'s going to be the first time I\'ve enterd so I\'m not entirely sure on what to do.
Thanks heaps

 

[Ritual]

If you decide to varnish (which might be a good idea since you need to transport the entry and it may be handled by the judges) I\'d suggest using a matte one. You have no control over the lighting conditions at the event and unwanted glares from a clear varnish can affect the impression of your paintjob negatively. If you can get Testor\'s Dullcoat where you\'re at I strongly recommend that. It is the mattest varnish I\'ve ever used.

 

[Quayleman]

Thanks for that. Unforunatly I can\'t find Testors around here but I\'ll test out any matt varnish I can get, before i do the deed.

 

[MPJ]

If your expecting lots of handling then might I suggest coating with a gloss first then a matt. Gloss varnishes are stronger and protect better. Matt is for the look.

 

[faulkns]

If you can\'t get testors try Windsor & Newton bottles.

I little brush on now as you have more control and they are acrylic and washable.

I agree that you should give it a thin gloss for protection and dull down with a matt

 

[krom1415]

If you cant get Testors, which is by far the best try Humbrol, but I would use the satin first then the matt, and dont use the spray!!!!!!!!!! brush it on.

This is if your using GW type acrylic paints, always do a trail on an old mini, as if you get a reaction, it could mess up your mini. Good luck

 

[Ritual]

I think spray varnish is better than brush-on for display pieces. A GD entry should fall under that category, I\'d say... A display piece will not likely be handled much and thus only a thin protective layer is needed. It\'s more important to have a thin and smooth application of the varnish than having maximum durability, since the main purpose of the mini is to be looked at and not handled, knocked over etc.

 

[krom1415]

Yes, I agree Ritual, I was refering to humbrol spray varnish, I\'ve had bad experiences with it

Ritual knows best!!

 

[Ritual]

Originally posted by krom1415
Yes, I agree Ritual, I was refering to humbrol spray varnish, I\'ve had bad experiences with it

Ritual knows best!!

Not at all... I don\'t want to sound like a smart ass! I haven\'t tried Humbrol\'s spray Varnishes so I can\'t say anything about that particular brand. From the experiences I\'ve had with various brands though, I think the best looking results come with spray varnish, since the surface remains smooth (unless you flood the mini with varnish, of course).

 

[philologus]

Believe it or not; for those of you who can\'t get Testor\'s, I have had great success with artist\'s spray fixatif. I use the Grumbacher brand. It gives a good matte finish without streaking or discoloration. It is typically sold to \"fix\" pastels that are in progress and prevent smearing of already finished portions. You can buy this stuff at most art supply stores. If you try other brands then do a trial mini first.


Here\'s what it looks like:

Here\'s a supplier:
http://www.misterart.com/store/view.cfm?group_id=800&store=001

 

[Torn blue sky]

Nice one! I often wondred about fixative as a medium...:]

 

[greenmonkeydishwater]

I have always used matt varnish and it works wonders for the mini - any inks used loses their shine too

 

[AinuLainour]

Welcome to the forums greenmonkeydishwater!

It\'s too bad that you can\'t find any testors. I just got it, and it works
really well.

 

[automaton]

Ah fellow australian! If you can\'t find any testor\'s dullcote, you could try looking for \'Model Master Lacquer Overcoat\', and make sure you get the \'Lustreless (flat)\' type, not the glossy or semi-gloss type. I\'m in Sydney, and I couldn\'t find any testor\'s dullcote for ages, and I was using this Model Master stuff instead because I suspected it was similar, as MM is a subsidiary of testor\'s or something like that! Anyway, now I have got some testor\'s dullcote, and guess what - the Model Master one is EXACTLY the same: it smells exactly the same, it behaves exactly the same, it looks exactly the same. So maybe you could try finding that one instead!

Good luck for the GD, I can\'t wait!!

-sebastian

edit: oh yeah, and I agree with ritual - you\'re better off using jsut the straight matt varnish, rather than gloss first with matt over the top. The gloss does give better protection, but I think it can sometimes give a slightly different finish...you don\'t want the pressure of making sure there are absolutely no shiny bits left. Plus it IS GD, so the minis are going to be handled, but not TOO much, or too roughly (I hope!).

In any case, you have the option of putting your mini on a plain white handling base - that\'s what I\'m doing - so that way, nobody will be touching the mini at all. So if you do that, you technically don\'t need to varnish at all.


edit: ok ok one more thing@!! I keep thinking of more to say haha

If you can\'t find the testor\'s dullcote or Model Master lacquer overcoat, then I would suggest you just avoid varnish altogether and use the display base!

 

[Quayleman]

Awesome thanks for all the help everybody. I\'ll definatly have to have a look out for testors in disguise:bouncy:

I added a handling base on the weekend but i don\'t think i\'ve got the guts to leave the varnish off altogether as it is more than likely that i won\'t be able to attend any of the rounds of GD apart from the very 1st one ( i don\'t know i\'m good enough to have to worry about that anyway.....) so I\'ll have to leave my entry with my local store, even after one of the workers there told me i really don\'t want to do that:no:.

Oh and i got some new Matt varnish yesterday but i just noticed that it says it leaves a satin finish on the back of the bottle. I haven\'t opened it up yet, or tried out any other satin before, so i was wondering what it might be like.

Good luck to everyone going to GD in the next ew weeks. I can\'t wait to see some extraordinary mini\'s on here after the comps

 

[automaton]

\'satin finish\' eh...? I don\'t think I would use that one - satin usually means it will be a bit glossy. Try it out on a test miniature first - you should always do that anyway - and see if you like the result. If it gives any shine or reflection - it\'s most likely to give a sort of \'sheen\' if it\'s satin - then I don\'t think you should use it, because that will make it tricky to look at closely under lights. What brand is it...?

Yeah leaving it with the staff is a tricky one, I can see why you want to varnish for protection! I heard some horrible stories last year...but then, lots of the miniatures were transported very professionally as well, and were fine. So it just depends on the responsibility of the staff in your area!

 

[demonherald]

If your unsure do a test model and view it in several different lights...
outside in pure daylight..
inside in normal room lghting..
under striplights indoors..(usual lighting at GD\'s)
and under a halogen light..(the close inspection at GD)
only then when your absolutely sure you like the finish go for it......

I have ruined the fnish on several minis when I\'ve added varnish a couple of things that went wrong..

too close with the spray so too heavy a coat spoiling finer highlights and going slightly shiny..
too far away with the spray so a grainy finish
Not shaking the can enough so a funny lumpy finish.
shaking the can too much and not letting settle.(gives a misty finish.)
using in the wrong conditions too cold too hot too dusty too damp.
and finally handling before fully dry....

best thing is shake the can well ..leave to settle for a couple of minutes..
make sure nozzle clear
hold can vertically and about 6\" from model.
Use quick light sweeps to give a very light covering leave at least an hour in a clean dust free environment out of sunlight before handling...
Always test spray...I actually use a mirror to spray on...it indicates straight away any discolouring or texturing of the varnish...

A lot to think about but precautions must be taken to stop varnish ruiing your minis..
good luck

 

[mabnkat]

I\'m entering my Forge World Bloodthirster at this years UK Golden Deamon.... But i\'ve chose not to use any varnish at all.. Is this a good idea or bad? I know i should just for protection but i don\'t like the finsh.

 

[demonherald]

As long as your confident you can get it there..(it\'s a big bugger) without scrapping and chipping then there\'s no point risking spoiling the model.

They don\'t give out prizes for the best varnished model

 

[mabnkat]

Yeah i can get it there fine. I\'m driving down so the big guy will have his own seat in the back, in a box full of foam, with the seat belt keeping him safe. Are any of you guys going to games day? If you are look out for my Bloodthirster, it will be my first entry in Golden Deamon. Also I don\'t know if its true but...... I\'ve been told by a few people at my local model shop who say \" you\'ve got NO chance of getting anywhere.. because its not what you do with your model.. its who you know\"

Any thoughts??????:beer: