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I've been looking for a good matte clear coat. So far the consensus seems to be Testors matte. I'm looking for a good spray and a good brush on. Thanks for any tips!

Haven't used anything better than Testor's Dullcoat, even then it's not perfectly matte, more like dull satin, but better than anything else I've sprayed.

I use Delta Ceramcoat matte varnish from time to time, it's a brush on, water soluble varnish, but again, expect something more like satin than military-grade matte paint. It's just the nature of clear coats.

I heard that some folks make their own brush on varnish, and can control the wax levels in the mixture to tune how matte the finish is, and can achieve much flatter appearances.

I recently discovered that Vallejo matt varnish is great for brushing on, and it provides a finish that's as matte as I could want, ie you can't really tell it's been varnished which is perfect.

Have you considered Krylon's Matte Spray Finish? I use it and have never had any problems (snow, flaking, etc).

My best results come from a coat of Testor's Glosscote, drying overnight, then two thin coats of Testor's Dullcote. Perfectly matte.

I don't know of any brush-on varnishes that are any good, seeing as I never had any good results with them.

BTW, if you apply a matte coat too heavily in one spray session, it'll take on a slight sheen. Made that mistake more than once. Multiple, thin coats work very well for me.

My only brush on is 'Ardcoat, over which I use Krylon's Artist's Matte Spray and it works great for me. Mostly I dispense with the ardcoat unless I know the model will be handled extensively, applyig it on areas that will be touched the most.

The matte spray is also slightly satin, especially if it's sprayed thick rather than thin. As with any spray, multiple thin coats > single thick coat.

biccat wrote:Have you considered Krylon's Matte Spray Finish? I use it and have never had any problems (snow, flaking, etc).

I only use it for scenery or bases it mutes the colors to much. I prefer Testor's or the cheaper Vallejo matte spray.

Army painter matte coat works well for me. A bit cheaper than testors when it comes down to the size of the cans as well.