Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you:
No adverts like this in the forums anymore.
Times and dates in your local timezone.
Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance.
Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely.
Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net.
If you are already a member then feel free to login now.
Tetsujin wrote: I was just thinking of starting a thread asking pretty much the same question but as there's already one, I'll ask here: I'm just going to be displaying my minis, they'll pretty much never be touched, will the paint ever naturally peel or flake off, even with little to no handling? I've used Testors dullcote before and it took off some of the finer detail from the model so I vowed never to use it again.
Water based acrylic paints have a very good expected life span especially if you intend to put them into some kind of display case or something.
That being said, oxygen and sunlight will degrade your paint and 10, 15, 30 years from now you will for sure be seeing the signs of entropy and age. A model in a display case with window light hitting it will have it's colors fade where the sunlight touches it. Nothing you can do about that. Some of the top coats help, but the more transparent the coat the less UV protection it has (i.e. useless for protecting your paint jobs).
These are my opinions. This is how I feel. Others may feel differently. This needs to be stated for some reason.
I want to seal my minis... but alas, protective clear coats always mess with my style of paintjob. More specifically, certain parts of my model have glint on purpose, others are matte representing fabric/other non-glinty material. Clear coat quite unfortunately makes the entirety of the model have the same glint... removing my effects.
No winning for me
You say Fiery Crash! I say Dynamic Entry!
*Increases Game Point Limit by 100*: Tau get two Crisis Suits and a Firewarrior. Imperial Guard get two infantry companies, artillery support, and APCs.
Cothonian wrote: I want to seal my minis... but alas, protective clear coats always mess with my style of paintjob. More specifically, certain parts of my model have glint on purpose, others are matte representing fabric/other non-glinty material. Clear coat quite unfortunately makes the entirety of the model have the same glint... removing my effects.
No winning for me
You can get brush on clear coats with various shines. Blend matte and gloss to get various ranges of shine (good luck knowing what it is before it dries though). With my necrons i sprayed a clear matte and then added gloss to all the energy/orbs/eyes.
These are my opinions. This is how I feel. Others may feel differently. This needs to be stated for some reason.
I had a bad experience with seals being over-shiny and most of collection is unsealed. I recently used an Army Painter Matte spray varnish on some minis my kid painted and was really impressed with how little it changed the look. Might rethink the strategy.
Bender wrote:* Realise that despite the way people talk, this is not a professional sport played by demi gods, but rather a game of toy soldiers played by tired, inebriated human beings.
Unless the models are seriously dirty or greasy before you apply the paint, no, acrylic model paint is not going to flake off models that are just sitting on a shelf.
insaniak wrote: Unless the models are seriously dirty or greasy before you apply the paint, no, acrylic model paint is not going to flake off models that are just sitting on a shelf.
It would only happen if you rough handle it or your hands are excreting solvent for some reason.
personally i varnish mine just because i play with my models and you never know when one will tip over a bad spot.
if they are show models destined to sit in a display case forever then less reason to do so.
While that's technically true, it's true in the same way that while bullet-proof glass is more durable than regular laminated glass, it's overkill on your average house window...
Gloss sealer is arguably more durable (I say arguably because I've heard varying opinions from people who actually work with paint), but the difference is at best fairly negligible for miniature applications.
Satin is very matte and the liwest shine available in those products. It looks like army painters matte varnish in terms of actual shine. Really. To get the most. You should gloss coat first then satin/matte/flat to dull it back down.
I'm not sure which 'those products' you mean.
Satin and matte can be the same thing, but that's because matte is a really loosely defined term, and can apply to anything from flat to satin, depending on the brand.
The gloss-then-matte thing is a common convention, but I've never been convinced that it's actually worth the bother.
Gloss then matte has another important advantage - it prevents the matte from fogging your decals.
Any sealer will change the finish slightly. That's actually kind of the point of them. Testor's Dullcote is dead matte, which is what I, personally, love about it. If you are only displaying models, I wouldn't worry about it. The problem isn't with the product, just the expectation that it magically won't affect the paintjob.
Yes I seal mine. I use a gloss after the painting as I find that any weathering/ distressing and decals look much better over a gloss coat, another gloss coat brushed over the decals to get rid of the 'edge lines' then a matte over top to get rid of the shine. I would only do that on large models/ vehicles, titans, knights etc etc.
I never had frosting happen... till just now.
Finished up painting the Zombicide Season 1 characters and hit them with Citadel Seal... and frosted so bad it was opaque.
I had read up on this issue before and tried something that was only a theory: turn the can upside down and nail the models again with the solvent, luckily it cleared them up.
I have heard nothing but good about Testor's dullcoat, I think that will be my sealer from now on.
So yes, it does add that extra tiny bit of risk but I have models decades old that are in terrific shape (despite my less than stellar handling) because of using a strong gloss coat and then a quick dull spray.
Too much shine is really bad and makes your paint jobs look like garbage otherwise.
I have had paint flake off (without a clear coat), usually from little or no primer base-coat and typically on metal miniatures.
I have found also diluting heavily with water the paint bond is more "tenuous" so is more critical to cover.
I have multiple bottles of matt medium to ensure the paint still sticks well rather than refresh my paints with only water.
This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 2017/08/14 14:28:15
A revolution is an idea which has found its bayonets.
Napoleon Bonaparte
I mean, to each his own, but as a personal preference any amount of sheen on the sealer just looks wrong. The sealer needs to be flat, or at least very unshiny matte.
That's part of why I never bothered in the beginning... aside from the way sealers can alter your colours or kill your highlights, finding one that is actually flat that doesn't require you to mortgage a kidney to complete an army is hard.
Shine has a direct correlation to durability. Satin is very matte and the liwest shine available in those products. It looks like army painters matte varnish in terms of actual shine. Really. To get the most. You should gloss coat first then satin/matte/flat to dull it back down.
This.
Take care though.
The gloss can get thick if not careful.
And the matte can get cloudy and even grainy if used in the wrong conditions, too wet, cold etc.
I have matte sealed lightly then added highlights then resealed before.
Worked fine if you forget something or don't like the effect that you are getting...
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2017/08/14 15:40:59
I think the question here is who does not seal their mini's?
Whilst I can understand not wanting to brush-varnish thousands of rank and file troops (but spray on varnishes exist so no excuses there) one should, at the very least, make an effort to varnish and seal ones characters and command groups.
I never used to seal my mini's and I was always vexed by the way in which they would keep chipping and need touching up when I transported or used them, and when I was introduced to varnishing many years back (at the advice of one of the club leaders) I was amazed at how useful it was. More to the point I was shocked with myself for denying its usefulness for so many years and condemning myself to an endless cycle of painting and repainting my models as they chipped or wore.
Now every figure that I paint receives at least one coat of varnish and most receive several. It really does make a huge difference.
Free from GW's tyranny and the hobby is looking better for it
DR:90-S++G+++M++B++I+Pww205++D++A+++/sWD146R++T(T)D+
What do people do regarding metallic paints? I tried a tester model with GW purity seal and my shiny silver metals became a dull matte grey. This is NOT a good look on an Ad Mech army with lots of metallics on show!
Depends on the model. If it has decals and/or weathering powders then varnishing is a must.
But not all my models have decals, in fact most don't. Most my models aren't varnished. Some that I think need some extra protection I do varnish(e.g. my blood bowl models) but most the rest I don't bother and am just careful enough with the models that it doesn't matter.
There's plenty of reasons not to varnish.
Automatically Appended Next Post:
Yellabelly wrote: What do people do regarding metallic paints? I tried a tester model with GW purity seal and my shiny silver metals became a dull matte grey. This is NOT a good look on an Ad Mech army with lots of metallics on show!
metallics are difficult. You want something on the glossy side, but too glossy can make them look wet rather than metallic. You can experiment with mixes of satin and gloss varnishes until you get a result you are happy with.
A common technique when painting metallics is to make the crevices duller and the raised areas shiny (e.g. using a matte wash over a shiny metallic, drybrushing a shiny metallic over a dull base or weathering powders over a shiny metallic). Varnishing is always going to mess that up to some extent as it equalizes the sheen between the raised area and the crevice. Unless you use a matte varnish and then almost drybrush (but more heavily and wetter) the gloss varnish over the top of it.
This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 2017/08/17 13:28:10
Chaos Warband & Inquisition 
