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Hi all,

First off I'd just like to say I'm a complete beginner (paint, models and all the basics should come tomorrow) when it comes to this hobby and painting in general so go easy on me! My question is do I need a separate brush for the varnish or can I just use my "standard" brush? The varnish I bought is the Game Color matt varnish. Also, what's the best way to clean the brush after varnishing a model?

Thanks for any help.

Use a different brush for your varnish. It'll harden like a stone, never to be heard of again.

Clean your brush with some Mineral Spirits, followed by a good lather of dish soap.

I got a pack of cheapo brushes from the local discount store just for that specific use (I don't varnish much, so I just toss them out after I'm done).

fenrir1997 wrote:Use a different brush for your varnish. It'll harden like a stone, never to be heard of again.

Clean your brush with some Mineral Spirits, followed by a good lather of dish soap.

I got a pack of cheapo brushes from the local discount store just for that specific use (I don't varnish much, so I just toss them out after I'm done).

That's what I figured, thanks. Guess I'll be making a trip to the £1 store.

Happy to help, good luck

Really?

I´ve always used my "second-string" brushes for varnishing my models - before I got my airbrush that is. If you clean the brush right away - water is fine - there should be no problems with hardening of the bristles.

Cheers,



IK-Painter

I also use "second string" brushes - white nylon craft store brushes that have started to curl, etc. - without issue, just by washing them out after painting on varnish. If you don't let the stuff dry on the bristles, it's no worse than regular paint. No sense not using cheap brushes, just in case, but a little care will keep you from having to dispose of them after a single use.

I had a question about varnish if that would be ok with the op if I could post it here.

Would the varnish help protect models such as metal models from paint getting scratched off? or what would I use to kind of seal the paint onto the model?

Yes, varnish will protect your models from damages to the paintjob. Rule of thumb is, that two or more thin coats are better than one thick coat, because that way you won´t obscure any detail on the model.

Also, the different kinds of varnish offer different levels of protection. Gloss varnish is much more resistent to wear then matte varnish, but is very shiny. One workaround for this problem is first giving the mini a coat of gloss varnish for protection and when that's dry, giving it a second coat of matte varnish to get rid of the gloss.

Hope this helps,


IK-Painter

What type of varnish brands would you suggest? I believe my brother got a pot of the citadel gloss varnish, but I've never used it. Also should the application be liberal like a wash or more refined?

IK-Painter wrote:One workaround for this problem is first giving the mini a coat of gloss varnish for protection and when that's dry, giving it a second coat of matte varnish to get rid of the gloss.

That's actually a really good tip, I'll need to order a pot of gloss varnish from Vallejo. So you wouldn't lose any detail giving it two coats of varnish?

What type of varnish brands would you suggest? I believe my brother got a pot of the citadel gloss varnish, but I've never used it. Also should the application be liberal like a wash or more refined?

I used the purity seal from GW at first, but threw the can away after some of my minis had a bad case of "frostbite". This can happen, when you varnish your minis in high humidity. The moisture in the air has a reaction with the varnish, and doesn't dry clear. The mini looks, as if it had been frosted.

After that I tried some matte varnish from my local hardware store, which was quite nice.

But a few weeks back I got hold of Vallejos new Acrylic Polyurethane Varnishes in matte and gloss, and I like them a lot. The dry fast, can either be applied by brush or airbrush, and give a very nice and smooth finish. If you can get this product, I would highly recommend it.

The application should be more refined. Make sure you hit all areas of the mini with a smooth and thin coat. Less is more when varnishing. Ideally, you would use several thin coats instead of one thick coat.

So you wouldn't lose any detail giving it two coats of varnish?

You can check out the last picture in my article at http://ik-painter.blogspot.com/2011/07/from-zero-to-hero-ii-journeyman.html The Journeyman Warcaster there is varnished two times, once gloss once matte and all the details are intact.

Hope this helps,


IK-Painter

I'm still waiting on my order to arrive, but I should be getting the Vallejo matt varnish tomorrow, the little bottled one which sounds like the one you use. Do I need to thin it down in any way, or can I just use it straight from the bottle?

Always used it straight from the bottle, never had any problems that way.

I use Krylon flat gloss varnish. I like it over the Citadeal Matte varnish. A good tip for anyone starting out is when trying a new technique, try it on a model that you dont care about like a standard ork boy, vise a Nob.

Spray.
Spray evenly.
Spray lightly.

You varnish to protect the mini. Normally the idea is not to be able to see the varnish. Harder to do with a brush (and takes forever...and you have to make sure everything is covered which ain't easy as it's supposed to be transparent...)

Ok, I do use bottle varnish, but only to create gloss effect on parts of my model over a matt spray varnish.

If you have to use the bottle varnish, go very lightly as too much will not be quite transparent and back in my youth I've ruined models this way. Looks like they have some weird semi-transparent plastic force-field on them. Sounds neat in theory, but looks crappy in application.

Oh, there's also a kind of bottle varnish that will glow in the dark. Can be fun on certain display models.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

MrH wrote:I'm still waiting on my order to arrive, but I should be getting the Vallejo matt varnish tomorrow, the little bottled one which sounds like the one you use. Do I need to thin it down in any way, or can I just use it straight from the bottle?

Some of this stuff isn't really varnish. It's additive you put in your paint to either gloss it up or matt it down. Make sure you know what you've got.

Maxim C. Gatling wrote:Some of this stuff isn't really varnish. It's additive you put in your paint to either gloss it up or matt it down. Make sure you know what you've got.

This is what I bought: http://www.firestormgames.co.uk/vallejo-game-colour/vallejo-matt-varnish

Personally I spray varnish with krylon flat clear spray. works like a dream and defends the models enough for gaming.