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Hi forum,

I'm conscious that the topic of varnish has been done a billion times, so I'll try and keep my questions as specific as possible:

1. Is there any concensus about whether brush-on polyurethane varnish (eg Vallejo) or Testor's Dullcote (which I believe is lacquer-based) provides the hardest / strongest / most durable level of protection for minis? My kids handle my marines, and my sole priority is stopping inevitable drops resulting in chips / scratches etc.

2. Regarding PU varnishes, I'm getting conflicting advice across the internet about the layering schedule. Some places (for instance Vallejo site) talks about leaving 4-24hours between layers, other sites talk about doing a 2nd layer within 2 hours. The issue seems to be that once PU dries, subsequent layers will not bind to it (in order to create a harder coat) unless the original layer is sanded (which I don't feel is appropriate given the scale of minis). Has anyone found the optimal time between layers in order to create the hardest overall protection?

Thanks,
LM