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Hey all. I have a problem with the Vallejo Acrylic Resin Matt Varnish. As you can see from the pictures, it's drying into a white chalky mess. No matter how much I thin it down, it seems to either not cover (too thin) or make whatever I apply it to look like it's coated in frost. I have used this exact bottle in the past with good result, so I'm wondering if it's just gone bad. I don't have ready access to Vallejo products, so I was wondering if you guys recommend any other matt varnish, or if you think I should go ahead and pick up some more of this next chance I get.

P.S. I have tried the Polyurethane Matt Varnish, but that comes out more like a glossy/satin finish. WTH?

Maybe it's a bad batch. Mine works beautifully. Tho I first use pledge floor polish then go over it with Matt.

You need to really stir and shake the hell out of those so the mediums don't separate.

I have exactly the same varnish, and encountered that problem as well. As mentioned above, make sure to shake the bottle thoroughly, and if it comes out too thick, thin it down with some medium/thinner instead. Water can cause clouding, rather than helping it to apply more evenly. I've been using the big 60 ml Vallejo airbrush thinner, and it's come out beautifully so far. It's pretty strong, though, so follow the instructions on the label (1-2 drops of thinner per 10 drops of paint).

Matte varnish has some chalky particulates in it that makes it dry matte instead of gloss, that's why you need to shake it. I'm not sure specifically about Vallejo's stuff, but other brands the chalky stuff tends to sink to the bottom. That means if you've been using the bottle for a while without shaking it, you might have gotten to the point where what is left has too much of the matting agent.

If you thinned it with water, that's the problem. If not, it could be a bad batch. I had that issue once with a bad agraz earthshade.

I use Vallejo gloss, satin and matte varnish, all of which work very well for me.

I added an agitator to all of mine (matte, satin & gloss) just bought a pack of really small fishing sinkers and dropped one in each bottle.

You definitely need to shake it up heaps before use, if you drip it out and it still looks clumpy I just swish it around with a brush until it smooths out before applying.

Don't go overboard with the application either.

 Agondrae wrote:
I added an agitator to all of mine (matte, satin & gloss) just bought a pack of really small fishing sinkers and dropped one in each bottle.

You definitely need to shake it up heaps before use, if you drip it out and it still looks clumpy I just swish it around with a brush until it smooths out before applying.

Don't go overboard with the application either.

Clumpy?? I've never seen mine look clumpy. Sounds like there is something wrong with that.

I guess if you're hairy brush painting it, it's a bit less sensitive, but with airbrushing varnish if I saw anything with clumps in it I'd throw it out straight away, lol.

I'm thinking the issue is indeed that I didn't shake it enough previously and now I've used up all the thin parts and am left with nothing but clumpiness (that's a word, right?). I have indeed been thinning it with water (in my defense, it says you can do that right on the bottle!) so I'll try with some medium. I have a couple of things I'll try out on this existing bottle, but if I can't get it working I'll try the agitator idea and shake the hell out of it going forward. Thanks for all the feedback! You guys are the best!

If you've got too much of the matting agent in the bottle because you weren't shaking it previously and you have some gloss varnish laying around, you can mix a bit of the gloss varnish with the matte varnish.