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All in the title.

This would probably get more attention in the Painting and Modeling section.

But to answer your question, I've used the GW brush on 'Ard Coat. It does what its supposed to do, it looks good followed by a coat of matte finish.

Personally I just use a can of spray matte finish purchased from walmart and it seems to work pretty well. plus it's cheaper.

Does the brush on 'Ard Coat require solvents and dedicated brushes? Or is it water based?

It is water based but tends to clog up the brush after a while so you need to clean the brush regularly.

They tend to dry on dusty, destroying your piece of art. Which is why I've always use a Testors Brand Matte Varnish. If I need to use a gloss, I use a paint on for specific details,

There is no situation where a gloss varnish looks better on a whole model, I avoid the stuff entirely.

I had the same can of GW matte varnish for about 5 years and it was fantastic. I used it only for centerpiece models, which is how it lasted so long. This can was the exception rather than the rule for GW varnishes. They tend to dust or cloud more easily than similar products. I prefer testers model master lusterless varnish or dullcote they smell about the same but in my experience the MM dries flatter.

I have found that, when using exclusively GW varnish.. Coat the model with gloss for "protection" as for some reason, when you paint it on there, it does protect the model better than the spray... Of course, if you don't want a super glossy model, you then spray the matte varnish over top.

a couple things to keep in mind, is that the better you shake the can, maintaining proper distance from the model, and use a good spray technique, will greatly reduce "clouding" or "dusting" on the model. None of the metal minis that i have varnished are dusty or clouded up, and look and play fantastically. (looks being relative of course.. but they dont chip unless actually dropped which is a whole other ballgame)

Ensis Ferrae wrote:I have found that, when using exclusively GW varnish.. Coat the model with gloss for "protection" as for some reason, when you paint it on there, it does protect the model better than the spray... Of course, if you don't want a super glossy model, you then spray the matte varnish over top.

a couple things to keep in mind, is that the better you shake the can, maintaining proper distance from the model, and use a good spray technique, will greatly reduce "clouding" or "dusting" on the model. None of the metal minis that i have varnished are dusty or clouded up, and look and play fantastically. (looks being relative of course.. but they dont chip unless actually dropped which is a whole other ballgame)

Without getting into a detailed description of what chemicals do and how they cure.... Any and I meen Any Gloss Varnish will cure harder then Any Matte Varnish, its just the nature of the chemicals used to manufacture each. Get the best of both worlds by first Gloss varnishing the model and then Matte Varnishing it.

Dexterium wrote:They tend to dry on dusty, destroying your piece of art. Which is why I've always use a Testors Brand Matte Varnish. If I need to use a gloss, I use a paint on for specific details,

There is no situation where a gloss varnish looks better on a whole model, I avoid the stuff entirely.

I've noticed it with the newer GW varnish, the dusty finish. Testors you would recommend? I've been told the dusty finish is because it's humid, but the last time I used it, the humidity was only 12% and still got the dusty finish.

It seems like I'm seeing a bunch of 'do this to avoid it looking glossy' but I'm looking for a super-duper ultra glossy coat, that doesn't require me spraying anything out of a can. Any recommendations?

Jimsolo wrote:It seems like I'm seeing a bunch of 'do this to avoid it looking glossy' but I'm looking for a super-duper ultra glossy coat, that doesn't require me spraying anything out of a can. Any recommendations?

I'd recommend not doing glossy.

Seriously, it doesn't add to the look of a model, if you want a glossy effect, do a dull coat, and paint on selects areas the GW glossy hard coat.

You should never use GW varnishes, because they are horribly overpriced!

For gloss brush on, use Future straight out of the bottle. Allow to dry and then use Testor's Dullcote to kill the shine if necessary.

In used to use brush on mini varnish. It was gloss. It fit my eye.