Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

Yeah to elaborate more on what Howard said, gloss varnish tends to be a lot tougher and harder wearing than matte, so no matter what end finish you desire, it is never a bad idea to varnish in gloss first.

With regards to final finish, it is only the last coat that you put on that really matters, and that does not even have to be varnish. For myself I have a bunch of pots of varnish with different ratios of matte:gloss medium mixed in. I use different mixtures for different finishes and effects (often on the same miniature). I have one which is a kind of gloss/satin that I especially like. I also use clear nail varnish sometimes for gems and stones because that's super smooth and glossy.

I actually tend to prefer slightly glossy finishes. It gives paint jobs a much smoother and more 'finished' look, and can help to cover any rough textures from brush strokes, dust or heavy pigment. I also think it adds a bit of weight to the way models look. I've had people pick up my miniatures and been shocked by how light they were, thinking they must be metal or ceramic.

Matte has certain advantages though, for more complicated lighting effects like NMM and OSL it is kind of necessary to preserve the effect. But that does not mean you can't use gloss for other parts. I would suggest mixing and matching for different effects. The nice thing about varnish is because it is clear you can put on lots of coats without loosing any detail, so don't be afraid to experiment.

Rented Tritium wrote:

Smacks wrote:Yeah to elaborate more on what Howard said, gloss varnish tends to be a lot tougher and harder wearing than matte, so no matter what end finish you desire, it is never a bad idea to varnish in gloss first.

This is a myth. It's based on anecdote and confirmation bias.

The real reason gloss varnish is good is because you never miss a spot.

Yeah I saw this article was posted over at 40konline, which says the same thing. The original contention was that the matting agent makes matt varnish slightly weaker, the article claims that it doesn't, but it doesn't really offer up any new evidence to support that claim.

To be honest, I don't really see any reason to believe one unproven claim over another equally unproven claim, to be able to say for certain that it is a myth. I would expect that the truth lies somewhere in the middle. My own opinion is that gloss probably is fractionally tougher, yet the difference is probably negligible enough that it probably won't matter.

I tend to gloss coat first just out of habit/superstition/being a sheep/believing the hype/making certain. I imagine I will continue to do so. If whatever reason I was forced to use just matt on its own. Then I expect I would be equally happy with that. I really just want something to protect my miniatures a bit from handling. It's not like they're being launched into space, and have to survive re-entry, or anything too serious.