Riedler Posted August 12, 2012 Share Posted August 12, 2012 Hi Is anybody else having problems with varnish from GW. I just painted up 5 assault termies to the best of my abilities taking more time than ever, and I was quite satisfied with the result. I varnish every model and usualy it turnes out ok, but this time time the varnish turned my miniatures very matt almost white and the varnish started to create bubles... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darklighter Posted August 12, 2012 Share Posted August 12, 2012 When you wet the model does the chalkiness go away? If it does you might get away with just putting another layer of varnish on the model. I'd recommend a paint on varnish rather than an aerosol spray for this and future applications. A water based acrylic is best as you can thin it with ease and it will not yellow with age. If how ever the bubbles are really bad and it doesn't go away when wet I'm afraid your just going to have to strip them and start again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riedler Posted August 12, 2012 Author Share Posted August 12, 2012 I put them in water and they looked almost as good as before I varnished them, but then they dried up and was a mess again. Maybe a new layer might do the trick. Right now I just painted over two and it sort of worked. Are the pot varnish from gw good? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigDunc Posted August 12, 2012 Share Posted August 12, 2012 I've had that issue with non-GW clear coats as well. I attributed the issue to hot temperatures and spraying too light of a coat. But that doesn't help with your termies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riedler Posted August 12, 2012 Author Share Posted August 12, 2012 Well I put on a good layer to make sure this would not happen, but that obviously didnt help. Maybe its better not to varnish at all. I guess the plastic models keep the paint on without varnish. I will try fix the termies with pot varnish to see if that solves the problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brightguy Posted August 12, 2012 Share Posted August 12, 2012 Ruined a finished dread using bad quality spray varnish. That was no fun at all. I find Testors Dullcote to work pretty well. Even with that though I've had similar issues spraying in heat or humidity. Now whatever I finish over the summer waits until the fall to be spray varnished. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dadieau Posted August 12, 2012 Share Posted August 12, 2012 Usually if the after clear coat is milky the coating was too thick. If they look fine wet then as Darklighter said try another light coat of clear. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brother Theseus Posted August 12, 2012 Share Posted August 12, 2012 When I first started out painting, the same thing as described by the OP has also happened to me. I have since never used a varnish on my finished models. It is just not worth the risk after painting a special character model for 2+ weeks. If you are still resolved to use it however, make sure you shake the can VERY well. Also, the most ideal condition to use it outside is between 65-70 degrees F with no humidity at all. It is also good practice to leave your models and spray can outside for 15 minutes before spraying. This allows for both the paint and surfaces you are painting to adjust to the ambient temperature. All of this also applies to spray primers. From what I understand, the "dusting" that the OP described occurs when you try spraying the stuff outside in hot weather. As you are spraying the varnish, the liquid partially solidifies in the air before it even reaches the model. These tiny particles "snowflake" onto the model and cause uneven coats. This results in pores to form in the coating, and is the culprit behind the "dusted" look. The reason why submerging the models in water temporarily removes the dusting is because the water fills in the pores, but eventually dries up and leaves you with the dusting effect again. In theory, applying an additional thin layer of varnish by BRUSH can fix this permanently, because you will fill in the pores with the new varnish. I would make sure to water down the brush on stuff though, perhaps a 50:50 mix or even 25:75 mix of varnish to water. The same failure can also occur with spray primers also. This causes the model to have the "sand paper" looking surfaces. It would seem that dried primer particles are much bigger than the varnish particles, which causes the surfaces of models to appear very rough. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brother Nihm Posted August 12, 2012 Share Posted August 12, 2012 You might want to give this a try: http://pitoftheoni.blogspot.dk/2009/08/whe...els-go-bad.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dallas Drake Posted August 13, 2012 Share Posted August 13, 2012 I use matt GW out of a tub, think it's now rebranded as 'Citadel Technical: 'Ardcoat'. Never had a problem. Just use it sparingly, almost dry brush it on. If you put it on heavy you get a shiny model but it never bubbles, leaves a crap finish or goes mad colours like some of these sprays did. I once knew a guy who spent several weeks on Eldrad Ulthran, got it looking close to Golden Daemon standards (apparently, we'll never know), he reaches over for his matt spray varnish (picks up Chaos Black undercoat), yep he used it without checking! Had a grown man weeping.... - Dallas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gazworth Posted August 13, 2012 Share Posted August 13, 2012 Ive had the white finish problem with the GW purity seal, although Im not even sure if they still sell that, killed off a couple of squads of Steel Legion troopers, although that did bring me back to my angels so not all bad :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
undeadfilth Posted August 14, 2012 Share Posted August 14, 2012 I've had great results with the 'ard coat from GW. Comes in a pot just like their paints. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barduck Posted August 14, 2012 Share Posted August 14, 2012 I use a spraycan of mat varnish I buy at the local DIY shop, it's much cheaper than the GW ones and much better aswell. With the GW one I had the same problem, no matter what I did it always ruined the model, haven't had a single problem with the one I buy now (for belgian and dutch B&C's, it's from "de gamma" :eek ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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