Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

I know there are tons of videos out there you will say, also you will shout at me "google" it, but google is really not specific at anything. I find videos all featuring spray cans and the OPN that is only talking in his video, not showing anything. So my question, is there something Important I should know? I have an airbrush and I can grab me some Vallejo matte varnish. Should I add something into it? Is there recommended CPI and what should I know before I start varnish so I wont turn my mini into feth :(

The Vallejo AIR matte varnish is excellent. I love the way it levels out my models. I've used both Liquitex AB medium and Vallejo thinner with. Even after you shake the crap out of it, it's still rather thick. Depending on your AB too, but typically I do higher psi like 18-20.

I use Vallejo matte varnish and spray it like a basecoat: not too thin, high pressure, from far away, and something like 3 thin coats.
The hard part is to know how much you put on the model, I usually look at the surface's shine to see how wet it is.
It seems to work fine, because before varnishing my models usually have parts that are much glossier than others (depending on the paint and application method), but everything come back to roughly the same glossiness after the varnish dries.
I also clean my airbrush twice as much as I would usually do, because I can't see how clean it is (because there's no color), and I'm always afraid that dry varnish is harder to remove than dry paint.

Thank you very much!
Is there any specific way to thin it or I just use it straight from the bottle?

As Gunzhard said, it's pretty thick, so it needs to be thinned to be airbrushed.
I use my normal paint thinner, and it works well (the varnish is acrylic based, so it makes sense).

I just use an appropriate thinner and go to town. I used Vallejo thinner back when I was spraying Vallejo varnishes, but these days I use Tamiya X22 as my gloss and Testors Dullcote as my matte, so I use Gunze's lacquer thinners for both of those.

You typically have to thin varnishes (some you don't, like Humbrol's Clear, but DO NOT use Humbrol Clear if you use Gunze acrylics, they react unless you wait at least a month before applying the Clear and a month+ is not an exaggeration).

But I use a bigger nozzle if possible when spraying varnishes to avoid having to thin them too much. I find the more I thin varnishes the more likely I am to screw up the finish.

For gloss varnishes, try and spray wet on wet and it helps to have a wider cone, mattes aren't as sensitive as glosses but try and get even coverage and spray from a consistent distance so you don't end up with some areas looking more matte than others.

So from what I understand I thin down with water? I'm afraid of failing bad, how good is this stuff with hairbrush, rather than running tru airbrush?

 DalinCriid wrote:
So from what I understand I thin down with water? I'm afraid of failing bad, how good is this stuff with hairbrush, rather than running tru airbrush?

Thinning with a proper airbrush thinner (like the vallejo one) is preferable.
Water + flow improver works pretty well too.

I never tried to brush it on. It's much slower, and usually harder to do so, because you want thin coats of varnish (a thick coat could create some frosting).

If you're worried you're going to mess things up, try on some test pieces, like some left over bits: put a little bit of color on them, then varnish them.

I have Vallejo airbrush flow improver and I can run even non air GW metallics. I was wondering if it will bond well with the varnish too, because well varnish is not exactly paint. So I should give it a try>

When hairy brush painting them I thin varnishes with Vallejo flow improver and water, I've never noticed any problems. If I just thin with water alone I find the surface tension of the varnish is too high and it doesn't spread nicely over the model.

AllSeeingSkink wrote:
When hairy brush painting them I thin varnishes with Vallejo flow improver and water, I've never noticed any problems. If I just thin with water alone I find the surface tension of the varnish is too high and it doesn't spread nicely over the model.

Thanks mate! Since you are my hobby guro can I ask one more thing. I never did this before so I wonder for proper work I paint the gloss, wait and apply matte or matter is just enough?

You can thin vallejo matt with water or medium. Viscosity and pressure are inversely proportional. Higher viscosity = less pressure. Less viscosity = higher pressure.

 Udo wrote:
You can thin vallejo matt with water or medium. Viscosity and pressure are inversely proportional. Higher viscosity = less pressure. Less viscosity = higher pressure.

You have that the wrong way round, viscosity is a measure of thickness rather than thinness. High viscosity = thick, low viscosity = thin, so a low viscosity paint is one which flows very easily and thus only needs low pressure.

Increasing pressure to compensate for high viscosity has the problem of introducing too much air in to the paint and also though you might clog less, when you do actually get a clog it'll be harder to clear.

Generally the way to compensate for a higher viscosity is to use a larger nozzle size so that you aren't trying to force thick paint through a tiny orifice, but it's usually harder to swap the nozzle than it is to just crank up the pressure

3 point mm needle is all I have and use it since I bough my china cheepo. I hope I can run varnish tru it without over killing the tool.

AllSeeingSkink wrote:

 Udo wrote:
You can thin vallejo matt with water or medium. Viscosity and pressure are inversely proportional. Higher viscosity = less pressure. Less viscosity = higher pressure.

You have that the wrong way round, viscosity is a measure of thickness rather than thinness. High viscosity = thick, low viscosity = thin, so a low viscosity paint is one which flows very easily and thus only needs low pressure.

Increasing pressure to compensate for high viscosity has the problem of introducing too much air in to the paint and also though you might clog less, when you do actually get a clog it'll be harder to clear.

Generally the way to compensate for a higher viscosity is to use a larger nozzle size so that you aren't trying to force thick paint through a tiny orifice, but it's usually harder to swap the nozzle than it is to just crank up the pressure

You're absolutely right. I stand corrected.

I want to add something to the thread. Instead Vallejo I grabbed me W&N Galleria Matte Varnish. I only applied with brush on, did not tried airbrush yet, I believe it does the trick. The coat seems solid and I think it preserves the edge highlighted paint. Although I am not sure if there should be gloss varnish applied before the matte.