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Does anybody have any information regarding Varnish and what minis might look like once finished? I would like to get varnish but I would very much appreciate is somebody could post a picture of a miniature already coated with it.

My camera is incapable of taking clear pictures, so I won't post one, but there is literally no side effect. The only thing to avoid is using it on clear plastic like cockpits because it will frost, but you really only need varnish to seal metal models.

Sorry if that's not much help.

Here's some pics of my minis - I use gloss varnish (most brands are pretty interchangeable) then matte (Testors Dullcote, always Testors Dullcote).


Before:



After (with Flash)



After (without Flash)



Group shot before



Group Shot after (with flash)



I then kill the gloss with Dullcote as I prefer a very matte finish, but gloss gives a better protection.

After Dullcote (yes I know they are different minis - I didn't have a shot of the Vampires after Dullcote sorry)

Farseer Anath'lan wrote:
My camera is incapable of taking clear pictures, so I won't post one, but there is literally no side effect. The only thing to avoid is using it on clear plastic like cockpits because it will frost, but you really only need varnish to seal metal models.

Sorry if that's not much help.

It actually did help, you're okay. Can I varnish resin models?


Automatically Appended Next Post:

richred_uk wrote:
Here's some pics of my minis - I use gloss varnish (most brands are pretty interchangeable) then matte (Testors Dullcote, always Testors Dullcote).


Before:



After (with Flash)



After (without Flash)



Group shot before



Group Shot after (with flash)



I then kill the gloss with Dullcote as I prefer a very matte finish, but gloss gives a better protection.

After Dullcote (yes I know they are different minis - I didn't have a shot of the Vampires after Dullcote sorry)

Wow, very detailed indeed, thank you very much. Appreciate the pics. And its alright that they're different minis, I can still see what you mean.

Matte varnish will dull any shine on the mini, this includes the shine on metallic paints. Some people do not like to use varnish because of this.

I've had no problem with it. I assume that it is unreactive, although I've never sprayed plain resin-always over paint. I don't own a lot of resin though, so salt.

 sing your life wrote:
Matte varnish will dull any shine on the mini, this includes the shine on metallic paints. Some people do not like to use varnish because of this.

That's one of the most common complaints leveled at Dulcote. Personally, I like what it does to metallics. They retain a sheen distinct from normal paints, but it's subtle. If you're trying to paint something like satin/brushed steel or aluminum instead of gleaming silver or gold, matte varnish over metallic paint does what could only otherwise be achieved with NMM - gives a sense of diffuse reflectivity. Really depends what effect you're after.

As for varnishing different materials, model deformation is the only thing you have to take into account. Since the models will be painted, the level of adhesion and any chemical reactions are the same in every case - varnish over paint. If you're dealing with a flexible material (like the plastic in Reaper's Bones or GW's Finecast lines), something that forms a hard shell is liable to crack and flake off. In those cases, using a more flexible acrylic finish (e.g. Liquitex or Golden varnishes) is advisable, as it will bend along with the substrate. A dusting of lacquer would likely survive, but heavy coats will be too rigid.