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I have a question for the resident experts on Dakka:

I sprayed two Dreadnoughts with satin varnish prior to an oil wash. Thirty six hours later the mini's are still a little tacky.

Is it okay to do an oil wash while still tacky, or do I need to leave till fully dry?

Your thoughts appreciated,
Reavsie

What varnish did you use? 36 hours is a very long time for it to dry.
Personally I would wait till they are fully cured as you don't know what effect the oil wash would have on it.

That is long cure time.
What kind of varnish?
How warm has it been?
Did you spray it really wet and heavy?

I wouldnt go over sticky varnish with anything other than a light coat of varnish

I wonder if it would help to hit it with a hair dryer? With warm air not too hot after all you don't want to cook your miniatures.

Hair dryer might help; depends what kind of varnish it is. For example automotive lacquer has a chemical reaction that makes it hard, and heat makes it react quicker. The average lacquers I see state 24 hours at 23degrees C, or 90minutes at 70degrees C.
Wheras I've got cavases varnished with Windsor and Newton Acrylic gloss varnish that are still tacky 2 years later - lesson learned that I sprayed it too wet and heavy rather than in lighter thin coats - I dont think those canvases will ever stop being tacky lol.

Thanks for the replies guys.

I used a medium coat of Winsor & Newton Satin Varnish from the Galeria Acrylic Mediums range. I often end up spraying varnish quite wet & heavy as I find it hard to see what I have covered until it's wet, but this was more of a medium coat as I was trying to be more careful.

I paint in an integral garage which is unheated most of the time, so I'll bring them out of the cold and give the hairdryer a go once they've warmed up.

I have had similar issues with VMA White and the grey surface primer in the past - maybe too cold in the garage?

Is the stuff you are using?

http://www.winsornewton.com/products/oils-solvents-mediums-varnishes/oil-colour--oils-solvents-mediums-varnishes/varnishes/artists%27-picture-varnish---satin/

This stuff is designed for painting and meant to bond with the paint and canvas, I would not recommend using this product on a non-porous surface like a miniature.

A.

 Redfinger wrote:
Is the stuff you are using?

http://www.winsornewton.com/products/oils-solvents-mediums-varnishes/oil-colour--oils-solvents-mediums-varnishes/varnishes/artists%27-picture-varnish---satin/

This stuff is designed for painting and meant to bond with the paint and canvas, I would not recommend using this product on a non-porous surface like a miniature.

A.

This is the stuff:

http://www.winsornewton.com/products/oils-solvents-mediums--varnishes/acrylic-colour-painting-mediums-texture-gels--varnishes/galeria-acrylic-mediums/galeria-acrylic-varnishes/galeria-satin-varnish/

It doesn't say on the bottle, but the website says: A uniquely removable satin varnish for the protection of finished acrylic paintings.

Looks like I've got completely the wrong stuff! That's what I get for trying to save some money

Hairdryer here I come...


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Okay, it's finally dried after a few hours at room temperature and 30 minutes in front of the fan heater on warm.

Oil wash done, will need sealing tomorrow.

Looks like the varnish will be useable, just needed to be somewhere warmer than the garage.

Thanks for the help guys.
Reavsie

The best cheap varnish and cure clear gloss. Great for washing later.



http://www.walmart.com/ip/Pledge-Floor-Care-27-fl-oz/15136693

Or

http://www.scalemodelguide.com/hints-tips/general/using-klear-floor-varnish/

 Sammoth wrote:
The best cheap varnish and cure clear gloss. Great for washing later.



http://www.walmart.com/ip/Pledge-Floor-Care-27-fl-oz/15136693

Or

http://www.scalemodelguide.com/hints-tips/general/using-klear-floor-varnish/

Might have to try that out I've always stuck to purpose designed products before hehe, that could save a bundle over some time.

Does it spray well with an airbrush?

Yes, might give that a try myself, a lot of people seem to get good results with it.

Anyway, my issue turned out to be temperature. After leaving the oil wash to dry overnight (in a normal temp room) I have sealed with the same satin varnish this evening. After 30 minutes in front of the fan heater on hot (at a safe distance!), they are almost completely dry:



More pics in my Blog.

Once again, thanks for all your comments, it really helped me work out what was going wrong.

Reavsie

HairySticks wrote:

 Sammoth wrote:
The best cheap varnish and cure clear gloss. Great for washing later.



http://www.walmart.com/ip/Pledge-Floor-Care-27-fl-oz/15136693

Or

http://www.scalemodelguide.com/hints-tips/general/using-klear-floor-varnish/

Might have to try that out I've always stuck to purpose designed products before hehe, that could save a bundle over some time.

Does it spray well with an airbrush?

Yes but, wear a mask and clean your airbrush good after each use. I usually water down a bit maybe 1:3 ratio water to varnish. If you clean your airbrush you can use alcohol but it will ruin your O-rings and the coat of metal. Just use your airbrush cleaner and break down clean after spraying.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 Reavsie wrote:
Yes, might give that a try myself, a lot of people seem to get good results with it.

Anyway, my issue turned out to be temperature. After leaving the oil wash to dry overnight (in a normal temp room) I have sealed with the same satin varnish this evening. After 30 minutes in front of the fan heater on hot (at a safe distance!), they are almost completely dry:



More pics in my Blog.

Once again, thanks for all your comments, it really helped me work out what was going wrong.

Reavsie

You can use a light bulb or hairdryer to help with those issues. Weather certainly plays a role.

Put the models in simple green. Get the right stuff. You live and you learn.

When I first started modeling, I made irreversible mistakes too. The best thing is to start over and learn from your mistakes.