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.

Howdy all,

I've been on a massive painting spree and yet, still have no idea on sealing the paint work.

I've done some very nice muted Ultramarines, a more stone grey Grey Knights and a lot of a dark golden brozen and dark green Menoth.

I however have no clue what I'm doing with sealing, do I do a gloss? A matte? will one simple light coat of spray make it so I get minimal chipping on the large amount of metal miniatures I've got going on?

Any help would be appreciated.

I use army painter matt spray but GW's sealants (the name escapes me) is supposedly quite good too

Does the matte spray change the way they look at all? The Menoth stuff I've painted look rather muted and maybe a bit sad in some respect but the 40k stuff I've painted look bang on.

Ideally you would want a gloss coat, followed by a mat varnish, this will give you the "best" protection. Your colors can become a bit muted by the process but not that badly.

It's unlikely that any varnish will perfectly match the current luster of your paintjob, but a good matte spray should leave it looking quite similar. Most people will recommend multiple coats of varnish for better protection, especially over chipping-prone models like metals. Conventional wisdom says that gloss is stronger than matte, but since the final layer is what determines the look, you can mix and match all you like.

Personally, I use Krylon's Crystal Clear gloss (two coats for high-traffic bits of terrain and metal models, one is enough for most plastics), followed by a final pass of Testors Dullcote. Everyone has their favorites, but I swear by Dullcote - it's strong (it's a lacquer), has never given me issues with frosting or a lump, "orange peel" surface, and leaves the most even, dead-flat finish I've managed with a matte varnish. Well worth the somewhat greater stink and dry time (also a bit more pricey, but mitigated by the small amount required per model, since it's just a final dusting for appearance) than acrylic sprays.

However you choose to seal them, be sure to follow the instructions on the can and spray some test pieces, first. Even with reasonably consistent and straightforward sprays, things can go wrong. Nothing is worse than ruining a finished model that you've labored on for hours, right before the finish line, because you rushed things.

tigerstyle wrote:
Does the matte spray change the way they look at all? The Menoth stuff I've painted look rather muted and maybe a bit sad in some respect but the 40k stuff I've painted look bang on.

Using a satin varnish will most closely preserve the luster of your paint. It's a middle ground between gloss and matte and is generally regarded to give the most "natural" end result.

Do a test (or three) with some various varnishes (see if you can borrow any from your friends or local paint community) and see which ones you like (if you live in the DFW area, pm me, I can loan you tons of them).

Do it to either a test model, or perhaps paint up a piece of spure with your colors, to test.

There are a lot of threads on this, so do some checking around.

Personally, I like the testors model master flat clear acryl, and I airbrush it on. It looks great, and gives a nice even flat look to my models.

My go to gloss is liquitex high gloss varnish.

Or the rattle cans, a lot of folks like the testors "dullcote" but it has some nasty fumes...

It all depends on the look you want - the satin is a good balance.

best of luck, and make sure to make a test model!

I mix my own finish using Windsor & Newton Matt Varnish and Gloss Varnish mixed together. 4 parts Gloss to 1 part Matt gives you a Satin (which I'm quite fond of). But you can get any sheen you want by changing the ratios, which is handy if you want to do some parts glossy (like genestealer slime) and other parts look better matt (OSL, NMM, Gem stones).