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’ve been getting more into painting minis recently and decided to start varnishing them, which I’ve not done previously. I used Tamiya clear flat as I had some bought for scale modelling. I used a brush, which might be the problem, rather than airbrush. It seemed to slightly take paint away from part of the model and discolour another part. I’m wondering if:

a/ this varnish is meant for airbrushing only. And other brands of varnish would work better
b/ I applied it incorrectly, eg: brushed over areas more than once, or had too much on the brush
c/ I should have diluted it

Or some other explanation. Have people had good/bad experiences applying varnish by brush? Which ones?

Thanks
Darren

Tamiya paints are alcohol based which means they can soften other acrylic paints.

If you're going to apply it via a hairy brush, you'll need to be super careful not to agitate the underlying paint or it'll lift.

Once the varnish is dry it's fine, and if anything the alcohol helps bind it to the previous layer, you just need to be careful during the application.

That said, if I'm going to apply a varnish by hand, I tend to favour the Vallejo ones which won't aggravate the underlying colours like the Tamiya one will. I mostly just use the Tamiya ones for airbrushing.

AllSeeingSkink wrote:
Tamiya paints are alcohol based which means they can soften other acrylic paints.

If you're going to apply it via a hairy brush, you'll need to be super careful not to agitate the underlying paint or it'll lift.

Once the varnish is dry it's fine, and if anything the alcohol helps bind it to the previous layer, you just need to be careful during the application.

That said, if I'm going to apply a varnish by hand, I tend to favour the Vallejo ones which won't aggravate the underlying colours like the Tamiya one will. I mostly just use the Tamiya ones for airbrushing.

Thanks! My experience seems to reinforce your observations. I do use mainly Vallejo paints, along with citadel, so could try their varnish. I’ve also just thought of Klear (Future) which I still have a three quarter full bottle of. That is probably less aggravating than tamiya clear I would think?

Thanks
Darren

So, if it is Matte varnish, that will take away some color.
I recommend if you brush it oin, use it more like a wash/very thin.

Karkasy wrote:

AllSeeingSkink wrote:
Tamiya paints are alcohol based which means they can soften other acrylic paints.

If you're going to apply it via a hairy brush, you'll need to be super careful not to agitate the underlying paint or it'll lift.

Once the varnish is dry it's fine, and if anything the alcohol helps bind it to the previous layer, you just need to be careful during the application.

That said, if I'm going to apply a varnish by hand, I tend to favour the Vallejo ones which won't aggravate the underlying colours like the Tamiya one will. I mostly just use the Tamiya ones for airbrushing.

Thanks! My experience seems to reinforce your observations. I do use mainly Vallejo paints, along with citadel, so could try their varnish. I’ve also just thought of Klear (Future) which I still have a three quarter full bottle of. That is probably less aggravating than tamiya clear I would think?

Thanks
Darren

Ummm, it's been a long time since I've used Future and only ever through an airbrush, I *think* it would be fine to brush over acrylics, but it's easy to test, just paint a spare bit of the plastic frame that some models came on, wait for it to dry then brush on some Future, agitate it a bit with your brush and then wipe the brush on something white to see if it picked up any of the colour.

Or wait until someone who uses Future more and knows it's properties better replies

Future will be glossy though, so leave the model very shiny which you may not want.

AllSeeingSkink wrote:


Ummm, it's been a long time since I've used Future and only ever through an airbrush, I *think* it would be fine to brush over acrylics, but it's easy to test, just paint a spare bit of the plastic frame that some models came on, wait for it to dry then brush on some Future, agitate it a bit with your brush and then wipe the brush on something white to see if it picked up any of the colour.

Or wait until someone who uses Future more and knows it's properties better replies

Future will be glossy though, so leave the model very shiny which you may not want.

Oh you’re right it’s gloss! Forgot that. Won’t be using Klear then. I knew there was a reason I didn’t use it for a final coat on scale models.

Thanks
Darren

use a rattlecan problem solved

So a rattlecan varnish is the answer to applying varnish in a way that doesn't completely ruin a paintjob?

Will need to give this one a test, thanks.

 tauist wrote:
So a rattlecan varnish is the answer to applying varnish in a way that doesn't completely ruin a paintjob?

Will need to give this one a test, thanks.

You can definitely use hairy brushed varnish, just don't use one like Tamiya's that has a strong solvent which softens the lower layers, or if you do apply it very carefully in a way that doesn't agitate the underlying paint.

At times I've used Testors Dullcote (a lacquer varnish that eats acrylics really badly, way worse than Tamiya's) via a hairy brush and was just super careful and it was fine. I certainly wouldn't recommend doing that in normal circumstances though, it's just making life unnecessarily hard for yourself.

But it depends what you mean by "completely ruin a paintjob", varnishes will almost always alter how a paint job looks, unless you find one with the exact same finish as the paints you used. That's part of the reason I don't like using varnish on miniatures and only use it in cases where I'm genuinely concerned about damage (like when using contrast paints without highlighting, because contrasts have a nasty tendency to rub off high areas) or when I'm using techniques that require a varnish (certain types of weathering or decals).

Rattlecan varnish always holds the risk of fogging.

Just like AllSeeingSkink, I've been applying Testor's Dullcote matte varnish for years without an issue.

As Flinty notes, the rainy weather in Washington state often prevents me from using spray varnishes, but Dullcote is quick and easy to use and I have not noticed it negatively effect the paint.

In fact, I've noticed that I tend to use slightly thicker coats of varnish when brushing on Dullcote as opposed to sprays. So after 15 or so years of gaming the Dullcote models have developed fewer paint nicks than my spray-on varnished models.

I've heard Testors Dullcote stopped making their varnishes, is this so?