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I recently had a problem with my clear coat having a smokey color to it and wondered what clear coat is best? What is the best product to protect and seal your miniatures?

It happens a lot with spray varnishes (and sometimes primers). What's happening is you're getting a bumpy surface building up from the spray. Sometimes a second (thin!) application can clear it up, as the volatiles in the spray melt the original spray a bit.

AFAIK most brush on varnishes don't have this problem, though some clear coats do change color with time (Future Floor Wax does this IIRC).

Varnishes clouding is a result of environment, more than product.

It's best to google or search this forum as it's asked a lot, but from my own experience very cold or humid conditions, or applying a second layer too early causes such.

In rare occasions, you can rescue it by applying gloss over the top once fully cured - very important it's fully cured!

Thanks to both of you. I appreciate the tips and advice. What brand do you use on your models?

Testors Dull Coat is the best spray varnish I've ever used. Others have frosted up on me, which can be fixed but is terrifying.

I've used GW brand, Army Painter brand and Testors, all much of a muchness

I used spray varnish until just a bit ago. I grabbed some AK interactive satin varnish, which can be used in an airbrush or hand-brushed. I water it down a bit (like 2 parts varnish 1 part water) and it makes for a great seal.

Then i spray it with Army-Painter "Anti-Shine" which really doesn't have much structure to it to protect the mini, but it does kill the shine from the satin finish.

I'd like to find some kind of brush-on anti-shine stuff sometime. I prefer the control I have over the thickness with brush-on varnish.

PossumCraft wrote:
Varnishes clouding is a result of environment, more than product.

That is true, but some products are definitely more prone to it than others. I use Dullcote because it's been the most reliable for me. The only thing is that being a lacquer it's important to wait until underlying acrylics are cured before spraying the dullcote (best to wait at least a couple of days).


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SirWeeble wrote:
I used spray varnish until just a bit ago. I grabbed some AK interactive satin varnish, which can be used in an airbrush or hand-brushed. I water it down a bit (like 2 parts varnish 1 part water) and it makes for a great seal.

Then i spray it with Army-Painter "Anti-Shine" which really doesn't have much structure to it to protect the mini, but it does kill the shine from the satin finish.

I'd like to find some kind of brush-on anti-shine stuff sometime. I prefer the control I have over the thickness with brush-on varnish.

I've found that when it comes to matte varnishes, brush on varieties need a lot of matting agent to give a nice matte finish

I've used Vallejo matte varnish a few times to brush on, it has a lot of matting agent in it (too much for me to airbrush, it always frosts when I airbrush it) and it gives an alright finish when hairy brushed, but occasionally I've had it turn hazy even when hairy brushing it.

How to prevent frosting when using Testor's dullcoat: https://youtu.be/fa7MyQl6c28

These days I spray indoors. First is a coat of gloss acrylic car spray from a can (Halfords here in the UK), followed a day later by an airbrushed layer of Vallejo matt varnish. It's pretty much ended my varnish woes.

An indoor spray booth runs to about £60 here, and ensures that you are spraying in a warm, dry atmosphere. If you had the cash to spend on one thing that would be my go-to choice, as it makes spraying matt varnish (the one most probe to clouding) much more reliable.

The booth takes five minutes to set up and fold away, and it packs up into a small-ish metal box.

The airbrush/compressor I use is a cheap Chinese setup I got on eBay, which cost about another £60-70. More of a "buyer beware" than better, more expensive ones, but I was very happy to learn how to strip down, clean and rebuild an airbrush that only costs £15 to replace.

Z_Opinionator wrote:
How to prevent frosting when using Testor's dullcoat: https://youtu.be/fa7MyQl6c28

Thanks, it seems to be exactly what happened to my minis( too much in some spots). This link is much appreciated.


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AllSeeingSkink wrote:

PossumCraft wrote:
Varnishes clouding is a result of environment, more than product.

That is true, but some products are definitely more prone to it than others. I use Dullcote because it's been the most reliable for me. The only thing is that being a lacquer it's important to wait until underlying acrylics are cured before spraying the dullcote (best to wait at least a couple of days).


Automatically Appended Next Post:

SirWeeble wrote:
I used spray varnish until just a bit ago. I grabbed some AK interactive satin varnish, which can be used in an airbrush or hand-brushed. I water it down a bit (like 2 parts varnish 1 part water) and it makes for a great seal.

Then i spray it with Army-Painter "Anti-Shine" which really doesn't have much structure to it to protect the mini, but it does kill the shine from the satin finish.

I'd like to find some kind of brush-on anti-shine stuff sometime. I prefer the control I have over the thickness with brush-on varnish.

I've found that when it comes to matte varnishes, brush on varieties need a lot of matting agent to give a nice matte finish

I've used Vallejo matte varnish a few times to brush on, it has a lot of matting agent in it (too much for me to airbrush, it always frosts when I airbrush it) and it gives an alright finish when hairy brushed, but occasionally I've had it turn hazy even when hairy brushing it.

I was using the same Vallejo finish through my airbrush and it built up some around the areas that turned cloudy. At least I think it is the cause. I had never had a problem until then. I know what I did different that time and feel better about it now that I think I know why. Thanks