Varnishing Disaster! Help Urgently Needed Please? (Pic Heavy)

[Darrell Hindley]

Warning,- I'm going to name names in this article. I'm at once both distraught and furious! I have never had a varnishing disaster like this before in all my decades of experience.


Help! In order to preserve my dwindling supplies of the superb Winsor and Newton Professional Matt Varnish I ordered some Minibits Deluxe Matt Varnish from Pendraken Miniatures. Five cans in fact. I used this over my normal Humbrol Gloss coat and the results were very satin! A far cry from what I am used to which is a very flat matt I get with the Winsor and Newton Professional Matt Varnish.


I then tried to brush on some matt varnish and it just ran off the model like I was pouring water on!


I had one can of Colourforge Matt Varnish, which I was going to try out on some terrain, and applied it over the Minibits Deluxe Matt Varnish. What you see below is the result! Not only has there been extreme frosting but the varnish has actually cracked on the models!


I am absolutely distraught. As I have said, I have never had such a terrible result with any varnish in all of my painting days which amounts to over two decades- longer if I include my youth!


Normally, if I get a bit of frosting I would re gloss then repeat with the Winsor and Newton Professional Matt Varnish


If anyone has a solution to this please, please contact me and let me know.


Here's the mess:

 

[CyAniDe]

Oh no that is really sad.
Looks kinda like the underlaying varnished hasn't fully cured and then cracked the cured varnish over it.
Thankfully something like that never happened to me but I would probably try the same solution you already mendtioned for frosting.
But I guess the texture of the cracks will still be visable.
Maybe you could also try to carefully polish the texture out with some high grid sanding paper/sponge. Lot of work and high risk of damaging the paint though.
These would be things I would try.

 

[Darrell Hindley]

Oh no that is really sad.
Looks kinda like the underlaying varnished hasn't fully cured and then cracked the cured varnish over it.

Fully cured before another layer was added for a week at a time, between gloss, so called matt and them matt again. Kept at room temperature for over a week in dry conditions.

Thankfully something like that never happened to me but I would probably try the same solution you already mendtioned for frosting.
But I guess the texture of the cracks will still be visable.
Maybe you could also try to carefully polish the texture out with some high grid sanding paper/sponge. Lot of work and high risk of damaging the paint though.
These would be things I would try.

TBH, after all the effort put into painting these and to have this happen I just don't have the patience. The whole unit is going in the bin.

 

[Beatnik59]

What kind of medium is it? Lacquer based? Enamel based? Polyurethane? Or acrylic? That might help with a solution.

In any case, the first thing I'd try is a q-tip swab with water, something a little gentle to buff that out with, before trying anything else more harsh. If that doesn't work, maybe something stronger, like some of the watered down acetone that is often available as a mild nail polish remover at the drugstore.

 

[Darrell Hindley]

What kind of medium is it? Lacquer based? Enamel based? Polyurethane? Or acrylic? That might help with a solution.

In any case, the first thing I'd try is a q-tip swab with water, something a little gentle to buff that out with, before trying anything else more harsh. If that doesn't work, maybe something stronger, like some of the watered down acetone that is often available as a mild nail polish remover at the drugstore.

See my blog for details:
http://justaddwater-bedford.blogspot.com/2022/01/varnishing-disaster-help-urgently.html