Vallejo Matt Varnish any good?

[nismogrendel]

I've been using Vallejo white primer thru an airbrush to prime my minis.  I'm not sure if it is a problem with the primer, or me just not being careful enough, but I keep knocking paint off the extreme edges of my minis. 

Tabs on Cadian pants pockets, tips of bayonet sheath, etc.

 

I want to put varnish on my model to keep this from happening.

 

I used Vallejo matt primer on a purity seal I painted the other day.  It came out really glossy.  I'm wondering if I applied it too thick.

 

 

So my question is the Matt Varnish a good product?  Any tips or recommendations on other products?

Should I be adding water or thinner medium to the varnish?

 

 

I can either brush it on or airbrush, I'd like to avoid spray paint can type products because the outside humidity here is awful and messes with my results.

[Khornestar]

I like it so far sprayed from an airbrush, thinned with airbrush thinner. It can gunk up the cup/intake if allowed to dry, so I only add a little bit at a time. I have yet to apply it via brush, so can't comment on that.

[Lucien Eilam]

Like Venomlust, I've used it thinned (about 50/50, with Vallejo's airbrush thinner) through an airbrush. It shouldn't be glossy unless you've put it on too thick. A couple of light coats, allowed to dry completely in between, is the best way.

 

Matt varnish is only really useful for removing shine. It's not a good protective coat. If you want to protect paint, you'll need a solid layer of gloss varnish, then give it a light matt coat to kill the shine.

[nismogrendel]

Thanks for the tips, I didn't know matt wasn't protective by itself.

 

I have Vallejo thinner medium, and I have a few bottles of airbrush cleaner (Medea airbrush cleaner & some no name brand that came with my ebay airbrush).

 

Think the thinner medium would do it?  If not, what about water?

 

Worst case, there is Vallejo airbrush thinner on amazon... but it's not 2 day prime shipping :(

 

Are the Liquitex products any good?  I'm looking at "Liquitex Professional Airbrush Effects Medium" which has 2 day shipping.

[Kaedes Nex]

Matte varnish not being a protective coat is a myth. It may not form as thick or protective a shell as gloss, but two good coats of matte varnish will more than protect your miniatures from all but the most damaging of gouges.

 

Vallejo Matte Varnish dries very smooth and has no grit. It also has a long curing time. It will dry in a few hours, 24 hours is a safer bet, but the inner urethane can take over a week to fully cure. It can be thinned like any other paint, with water, alcohol, medium, or thinner, but I think Vallejo suggests best effects when thinning with their Thinning Medium, as it contains similar properties to their primers and varnishes. You can tell by the sweet, slightly banana-ish smell it contains.

 

Liquitex is a good brand when purchasing various clear solutions, like airbrush cleaner, thinner, medium, etc. They have a lot of stuff meant for airbrushers, but they usually come in fairly large bottles that cost a decent amount of money, compared to Vallejo who sometimes puts things in their tiny, inexpensive droppers instead of large bottles.

[Lucien Eilam]

30+ years experience with every brand under the sun tells me the protective value of a properly applied matt coat is so meagre you may as well not bother.

 

Slap anything on thick enough and you'll have to get through it before harming the paint. Doesn't make it the right solution.

[Khornestar]

Not disagreeing with your experience (how could I?), but so far a couple of coats of matt varnish have been sufficient for me, too. I haven't subjected them to any serious mechanical/abrasive forces to test it out. Maybe I'll try it out on a test figure.