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For several years I used to use GW's "Citadel 'Ardcoat" gloss varnish. Their newer "Citadel Colour gloss varnish" seems to be much thinner, and for some reason I seem to get a lot of bubbles when I apply it to my models. These bubbles don't pop on their own and they don't even seem to pop when you blow on them; you have to carefully remove them with your brush as you go, or else you end up with an ugly bubble marring the finish of your model. Also, I think the new varnish dries quicker?

I don't know if the bubbles are a result of poor brush technique or something, but I don't recall ever having such a problem with the older varnish. I also preferred the thicker consistency of the old one for some applications.

So I guess my questions are:

1. Is there any brush-on gloss varnish that better matches the old 'Ardcoat than GW's current version?
2. How do I best avoid creating bubbles in a brush-on varnish?

I've recently started experimenting with brush-on varnishes...

My favorite so far is Vallejo Game Colour - Gloss Varnish, which is water based. I thin it with a little water and it goes on great.

I always wait a good 10 minutes, out of habit, before I apply a second coat though (if I want it really shiny that is), but I think it dries much faster than that.

You may be slopping on too much on the brush. Less is more. Do 3 light coats.

Thanks for the hints guys, I'll give the Vallejo a try.

 Gunzhard wrote:
I've recently started experimenting with brush-on varnishes...

My favorite so far is Vallejo Game Colour - Gloss Varnish, which is water based. I thin it with a little water and it goes on great.

I always wait a good 10 minutes, out of habit, before I apply a second coat though (if I want it really shiny that is), but I think it dries much faster than that.

Seconded

It works incredibly well with an airbrush too

I can't say I've ever had problems brushing on Ard Coat, so maybe application method or a bad pot is to fault? It's actually my go-to brush on gloss varnish, I prefer it to Vallejo Model Colour varnish for both brush application and airbrush application.

Just last night i smashed Vallejo gloss varnish over a model with a citadel wash brush. Bubbles everywhere, and none of them caused a problem with drying (as they all popped i guess).

How old is the ard coat?

In general I guess if you use a large brush over small details you can get bubbles forming. Are the bubbles forming as you paint or are they already in it?

With most paints if you get air bubbles you can blow on them for a few seconds (not hard enough to shift paint around, just gently) and often they'll pop. Apparently it's something to do with the carbon dioxide in your breath causing the bubbles to pop. I don't know if that explanation is true, but it seems to work none the less.

It was probably both for me. Didn't bother me as i was expecting it, varnish over grating. I just left it and it was fine

kb_lock wrote:Just last night i smashed Vallejo gloss varnish over a model with a citadel wash brush. Bubbles everywhere, and none of them caused a problem with drying (as they all popped i guess).

How old is the ard coat?

The 'Ard Coat isn't the problem, it's the new "colour gloss varnish" that's the problem. I bought a new bottle and had trouble right from the start.

AllSeeingSkink wrote:In general I guess if you use a large brush over small details you can get bubbles forming. Are the bubbles forming as you paint or are they already in it?

At first I was getting bubbles from shaking the bottle, so I started to leave the bottle for a lot longer before using it just to make sure there were no bubbles to start with, but they would still form during the actual application.

AllSeeingSkink wrote:With most paints if you get air bubbles you can blow on them for a few seconds (not hard enough to shift paint around, just gently) and often they'll pop. Apparently it's something to do with the carbon dioxide in your breath causing the bubbles to pop. I don't know if that explanation is true, but it seems to work none the less.

I do that all the time for paints and washes, but it doesn't seem to work on this Citadel gloss varnish. Maybe I need to be more persistent and blow for longer? I might give it a try if I use it again, but I've basically used up the bottle so I'm planning to try something else instead.


I think one problem is that the gloss is drying very quickly, so if I don't get rid of bubbles immediately they basically set. I don't know if that's the varnish or if it's entirely the fault of the local environment.

Ah I didn't realise there was a newer formulation of Citadel's varnish.

Looking on the GW website I still only see 'Ardcoat, maybe the new stuff is something they only sell in smaller regions like the Middle East (I'm assuming the flag saying you're from Oman is correct?).

If it's very thin and also dries fast it can be tricky to apply without forming bubbles I guess.

What do you actually need a gloss varnish for? I mostly use gloss for pre-decal and pre-weathering preparation, and for that task Humbrol Clear is a decent option. It's slower drying than your average varnish (which some might see as a minus), but very good self levelling properties and very tough. It also airbrushes straight out of the bottle very well.

http://www.humbrol.com/us-en/humbrol-gloss-clear-125ml-bottle.html

AllSeeingSkink wrote:
Ah I didn't realise there was a newer formulation of Citadel's varnish.

Looking on the GW website I still only see 'Ardcoat, maybe the new stuff is something they only sell in smaller regions like the Middle East (I'm assuming the flag saying you're from Oman is correct?).

That's strange. I haven't checked lately, perhaps they went back to the old 'Ardcoat? I'll have to try to get some and see if it's the same as the old stuff. And yes, the flag is correct.

AllSeeingSkink wrote:
If it's very thin and also dries fast it can be tricky to apply without forming bubbles I guess.

What do you actually need a gloss varnish for?

I use gloss varnish mostly for protection, although I've actually used the old 'Ardcoat to change the flow properties of washes for some applications.

AllSeeingSkink wrote:
I mostly use gloss for pre-decal and pre-weathering preparation, and for that task Humbrol Clear is a decent option. It's slower drying than your average varnish (which some might see as a minus), but very good self levelling properties and very tough. It also airbrushes straight out of the bottle very well.

http://www.humbrol.com/us-en/humbrol-gloss-clear-125ml-bottle.html

That sounds perfect, slow-drying is a big plus for me! I'll will give it a try, thanks!