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Hello,
Last night I sprayed a squad of my guys with Testor's Dullcote, a matte varnish. I checked them out this morning and they're all frosted over. The humidity went down to bearable levels last night so I don't think it was that. What I'd like to know is why this happened and if it can be undone. Did I spray too much on my models? Did I spray too close? Is there any way I can undo it?

I'd really like to save this squad since I spent a long time working on them!

try to apply glossy/matt varnish with a brush and see what happens. may work.

im sure it wasnt your fault,try the varnish on an oldmini,youll see that the same thing will happen. get a new can id say

There is a tutorial somewhere on here on how to fix that. I can not find it though. Sorry.

Grr, I HATE it when that happens!
A gloss varnish coat on top then another coat of matte has worked very well for me in the past, and if you have any small bits that are still slightly frosted, just repaint those bits then re varnish.
I used to get a lot of frosting if I painted in my old lounge that had a large fish tank, I guess due to the increased humidity.
I have a friend that insists that if you put the figure in the freezer just after varnishing all the moisture is absorbed off the surface and you get a perfect varnish coat everytime, but I've never done it myself.

This problem is caused by either not letting coats dry enough between application, or just applying one heavy application. Quick 1 sec sprays made from all top angles and bottom angles is sufficient for a single coat, let dry, then apply again.

As others mentioned, best way to fix is to hit the models with a light coat of a gloss varnish, I would just run some Future through your airbrush if you have one. Then re-matte.

Ashton

600 grain sand paper will smooth that out nicely.

A number of different issues can cause frosting. Improper mixing is a big one (For best results, shake can until arms fall off.), followed by spraying from too far away (dry particles stacking on the model, not a wet sheet drying into a single layer) and excess ambient humidity.

Stripping is an option, but I wouldn't go the abrasive route if I did it, at all. Giving them a thorough coat of gloss varnish should solve most of the frosting, after which they can be hit with the matte again (hopefully avoiding whatever caused it the last time around.

I've used a blush retarding spray with very good results... http://www.mohawk-finishing.com/catalog_browse.asp?ictNbr=256

Recoating the mini with gloss will only help if you put a VERY thin coat of matt on and the blushing is topical. In a perfect world you should be applying thin coats. Most often, blushing occurs when moisture (read humidity) is trapped within the finish while you're spraying an often thick coat of matte finish on. In this instance gloss on top of a thick coat of dried blushing matt will only produce a glossy cloudy finish (I know this from experience and a lot of trial and error). Weather is usually hard to avoid unless you have a good workspace with heated lighting (or some other method of removing humidity from the area). If you sprayed the minis before it got cold and humid at night AND left them outside they can still end up blushing... this happens in the same fashion as any condensation would. The mini cools down and moisture starts collecting on that nice coat of matte you just put on it. I'm most impatient during the winter so I spray outside in the day and have a small plastic display case with a large silica gel dry pack I toss in with the mini to reduce humidity and it works great (I bring this case indoors since it also removes the smell!).

Blushing can also occur if you're spraying too far away and the matt actually has time to dry some before hitting the mini. This is easier to fix than the humidity problem with a simple spray booth (and spraying at about 12")... even just a cardboard box to spray into will help fix this problem.

Not properly mixing the matte can also cause a blushing (shake shake shake!).

The retarder will clear up all these situations.

Having it ready while you're spraying is best (prepare for the worst expect the best and all that...). If you get it on within the first 15 minutes it almost immediately goes away. This stuff works by breaking down the matt finish and allowing the moisture/bubbles to escape, clearing the finish up and allowing it to re-set correctly. If you don't use it immediately, you need to apply a few coats and allow them to dry overnight but it still works wonders. First time I bought this stuff I used it on a mini with blushing in it's finish that had been dried for weeks and it still worked wonderfully. It will give a slighty gloss to the matte so another coat of matte is best... if you're uncomfortable spraying again then a paint on matte will usually not blush.

Hope that helps clear things up (pun intended!). I've experienced all these failures so I can appreciate the frustration they bring. Good luck!

http://www.dakkadakka.com/wiki/en/How_to_recover_from_a_Spray_Sealer_disaster

MajorTom11 comes to the rescue

Alfndrate wrote:http://www.dakkadakka.com/wiki/en/How_to_recover_from_a_Spray_Sealer_disaster

MajorTom11 comes to the rescue

Awesome! I resprayed them last night with gloss coat and they cleared right up, hopefully the dullcote won't mist em again!

Thanks for your help everybody!

My dad had same issue with his orks.
Found a tutorial that said to use 100% virgin olive oil. Just brush/dump it on then dry it off. Reseal at your leaisure

Weird but it worked.