Looking for some kind of hardcore protective varnish, suitable for under-Dullcote

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**Ouze**

Greetings all, and welcome back to This Week's Stupid Question, with Ouze!

I have done up a squad of scouts with magnets. Specifically, 12 models. 2 have no magnets, since they will be permanently assigned heavy weapons. I can do either 2 6-man squads, each with a Sarge and a HW, or one 10-man squad with a Sarge and a single HW. So, I got 10 of them with 1/8" magnets in either side of the torso.

I have 8 sets of arms done so far - 8 bolter arms, 8 shotgun arms, and 5 close combat/pistol arms. I haven't done the rest because I ran out of magnets (and never did discover how they work). I ordered some more, but in the meantime... I have an issue.

To make the arms fit on correctly, I've assembled them, with the wrists pinned. I was tempted to attach the left arms to the models, but the hand and the arm wouldn't align right most of the time and it would look weird. So I have these staple shaped pieces I'm sliding on and off of the torsos. I found, and in retrospect, this is obvious, but the paint is wearing on the sides where they are touching, specifically on the side of the chest aquilla, and on the side of the pouch.

I tried sealing the chests with Future floor polish (Johnson's Klear in the UK, I think) - this didn't protect them too much at all.

I have some necrons I had dipped with Minwax Polyshades. I did it for the shading effect, of course, but as a side bonus the finish was rock hard. TL;DR summation, is there a un-colored equivalent to Minwax Polyshades I can use the seal these with for protection from light scratches? Has to work with Dullcote, which I have yet to apply.

Thanks!

**Tabris_**

Want to know about that too.

**Inanimate**

Maybe you could try automotive clear coat? I could imagine it being more resistant to scratching than floor varnish. Not sure though.

**Catyrpelius**

Any type of gloss varnish will work, the chemical properties of the gloss varnish make it more resiliant then a matte varnish. Once you've coated the model in some gloss varnish you can dull it back down with a quick coat of matte varnish.

Automatically Appended Next Post:
Also, got any pictures of what you did, i'm haveing a hard time following this.

**Ouze**

Catyrpelius wrote:Also, got any pictures of what you did, i'm haveing a hard time following this.

Sure. I didn't feel like going upstairs to fetch my tripod, so maybe a bit blurry, but I think you get the idea.

I don't think any finish will prevent wear over the magnets themselves, their finish prevents primer from adhering well I think. I don't care about that. I'm tring to protect the paint on the aquilla and on the chest pouches.

**Catyrpelius**

To get around the paint coming off the magnets easily, just cover the magnets with a thin layer of green stuff before priming. Alittle late now, but there is always going to be a next time.

A gloss varnish followed by dull coat will definatly help. I use gloss varnish and matte varnish in liquid form that I pick up at Michaels, if I remember correctly its sold under the Liquatex brand.

One recommendation that I'd make is that its much easier on the model, form a wear and tear standpoint, if you magnitize the two arms individually instead of together.

Awsome work by the way, magnitized squads are great.

**Kroothawk**

I don't think any kind of varnish layer can withstand metal on metal clashes over time.
Varnish can only lengthen the time when colour gets off, not stop it completely.

**Ouze**

Catyrpelius wrote:One recommendation that I'd make is that its much easier on the model, form a wear and tear standpoint, if you magnitize the two arms individually instead of together.

Awsome work by the way, magnitized squads are great.

Yeah, I tried that on a test model, couldn't make it work. My first idea was to leave the left arm permanently attached, but that would have caused issue A.) with the CCW and B.) the wrists and left hand never lined up right. The joint there was too small for an 1/8" magnet, and a 1/16" didn't generate enough pull to make it work really.

I don't mind the paint over the magnet rubbing off. It's not metal-on-metal rubbing, but the plastic edge of the shoulderpad\arm.

I'll try the liquitex varnish.

**Orinoco**

Catyrpelius wrote:Any type of gloss varnish will work, the chemical properties of the gloss varnish make it more resiliant then a matte varnish. Once you've coated the model in some gloss varnish you can dull it back down with a quick coat of matte varnish.

What he said.

**AustonT**

In answer to your question, is there a clear minwax equitable to polyshades= yes.
It's in the same section you buy polyshade in the hardware store in a silver can called minwax fast drying polyurethane. Use like you would dip. It's not my preferred gloss but you already said future failed.

**Ouze**

AustonT wrote:In answer to your question, is there a clear minwax equitable to polyshades= yes.
It's in the same section you buy polyshade in the hardware store in a silver can called minwax fast drying polyurethane. Use like you would dip. It's not my preferred gloss but you already said future failed.

Thank you, will look for this after work. Will also make sure I polish down any abrasive edges on the insides of the shoulderpads.

If I could do this over again, I think I'd magnetize the right arms, glue on the lefts, and put a pin in the wrists, drill out the weapon attachments. I bet that would work OK.

Automatically Appended Next Post:
Hey, I found it, exactly as described! Will try it out tomorrow, bushed from work now.

**Depraved**

Testors glosscote works well under testors dullcote

**Tek**

I know it's called something else over there, but I can't say enough good things about Johnson's Klear.

Just Google it to see how many modellers are using it, and what they're using it for! It's a great varnish, a clearcoat, people use it with ink to dye canopies - the list goes on.

Whenever I varnish models, I give 3-6 coats (depends how I feel) of this - it's super thin and dries pretty quick, followed by one of cheap matte varnish. I did this to my metal WHFB Chaos Lord on Daemonic Steed. I actually dropped it onto the floor, two horns snapped off and a few others bent, but NO paint chipped. Seriously good stuff.

**Ouze**

Yeah, in my original post I stated explicitly that I tried using this with no luck. It's a good product and a phenomenal value - the container I got 10 years ago for like 3 bucks is still 99% full - but not quite hardy enough for my unusual needs.

However; the minwax clear polyurethane is fantastic. I gave 2 coats about 2 days ago, and it's working like a charm. I know no varnish will protect against repeated mechanical friction, but assuming I magnetize carefully and don't re-position much when in place, I think the Minwax was the winning solution.

As a bonus, I need to seal a doorframe i sanded down, and can also use the minwax for that

**Orinoco**

What exactly is the problem with using a standard spray gloss from a supplier like army painter and then using dull cote over the top?

**oadie**

The problem, Orinoco, was that those products didn't have sufficient durability, based on his previous sealing experience. Future/Klear is, from my understanding, the same clear acrylic as you get in those varnishes. Seems the clear polyurethane offers somewhat more robust protection.

Ouze - how thick were the coats you put on? How did that compare to the amount of acrylic varnish previously applied? I've having a hard time imagining it going on as thinly as a normal acrylic spray or a(n air)brush coat of Future, so I'm wondering if the added protection is due to polyurethane being a more resilient material, or if the application has more to do with it. Hard to tell exactly, from the pictures, but the damage looks more like chipping than abrasion, which makes me think that the initial gloss was on the thin side - sufficient for mild abrasion-resistance, but it won't stop chipping if the underlying plastic deforms, as the acrylic dries rather brittle.

**Ouze**

I hope this doesn't count as a thread necro, but I went back to this thread to get the name of the product from it, and realized I'd never answered this question.

oadie wrote:Ouze - how thick were the coats you put on? How did that compare to the amount of acrylic varnish previously applied? I've having a hard time imagining it going on as thinly as a normal acrylic spray or a(n air)brush coat of Future, so I'm wondering if the added protection is due to polyurethane being a more resilient material, or if the application has more to do with it.

For both the Future\Klear and the Minwax Poly, I used 2 coats, right from the bottle, before doing scratch tests. The Minwax is a little more viscous, so it's a little thicker naturally, but I used the same approximate amount for both tests. While neither is impervious to scratching, the Minwax is far and away much, much, much tougher then the Future; and it was absolutely ideal for this unusual application. I still like future a great deal for the cost and it's excellent durability under normal situations.