Wilko lacquer acrylic spray clear

[Achinadav]

Hi folks,

 

After nearly 20 years I've found myself a local opponent for 40k 2nd edition and got back into painting my wee men. A half done Word Bearers army has been resurrected and is getting slowly finished (and growing faster than it gets painted, oops). Let me get to the point; I've been looking into varnishing options for, hopefully, heavy gaming use. It seems like Krylon 1303 followed by Testor's dullcote would be a good option. Except they are both quite expensive in the UK and I'd rather buy a predator. So I'm looking for alternatives.

 

Has anyone tried Wilko's acrylic lacquer (http://www.wilko.com/specialist-paint/wilko-lacquer-acrylic-spray-clear-400ml/invt/0413850)? Sounds like a good possibility, but I don't to ruin anyone.

 

Also, any Testor's alternatives? I've read its very smelly and possibly toxic.

 

Cheers,

 

Achinadav

[Arkhanist]

We're about to have a particularly arctic cold snap for the next week in the UK, possibly longer. I'd advise against spraying varnish outside in the cold, particularly matt as it drastically increases the risk of 'frosting' i.e. a nasty white effect due the matting agent and varnish separating. Gloss finishes can also go on poorly in temperature extremes.

 

The other downside is that aerosols normally require courier shipping in the UK (royal mail won't knowingly take them) which can make buying online particularly expensive.

 

Testors dullcote has the reputation it does as many spray matt varnishes are slightly satin, while dullcote is truly flat by all reports. Definitely not cheap though. I've never used it personally, as it was unavailable for a long time until they reformulated an EU-legal version, so it's less toxic than it used to be. Not something to spray indoors though, even with a respirator mask (which I recommend for all spraying)

 

With all varnish, let your final paint layers dry fully first - any water that gets trapped under the varnish can also cause frosting. Ideally 24 hours for acrylics, though you can usually get away with a few hours wait.

 

So if you're planning on varnishing in the nearish future, and assuming you don't have an airbrush, brush on varnish is the way to go. When doing brush on varnish, give it several hours, ideally overnight before doing a 2nd coat (allows the first coat to fully harden), and try to do the coats as thin as you can for a better final finish. 

 

I actually prefer a slightly satin finish for power armour, but use matte for models with a lot of cloth, hair or skin. I've found vallejo polyurethane matt varnish to be tough and effective either airbrushed or painted on, and well, matte. The gloss and satin polyurethane versions are similarly effective and all are UV-resistant.

 

the vallejo acrylic matt varnish is reportedly even more matte than the polyurethane, but less robust in a single coat and gets less matte if left on the shelf for a while. 

 

There's no point doing a gloss coat followed by a matt coat for toughness IF they're the same base varnish, as the only difference is matt has a very fine matting agent added (usually very fine talc). Doing a gloss coat first also means the matt has more work to do to dull the shine.

 

Whether it's worth doing for other final finish reasons, less risk of frosting if you only spray one final matt finish, or if you use two different types of varnish for gloss and matt (i.e. a lacquer followed by an acrylic), or you want to do gloss first for washes and/or decals etc is definitely more hotly debated. Certainly for many gloss followed by matt is the only One True Way. What is definitely true is two thin coats of varnish is superior to one thick one every time.

 

Generally avoid furniture orientated varnishes, whether polyurethane or lacquer as they are often oil based and risk yellowing. As a rule of thumb, lacquers are toughest, followed by polyurethane, followed by acrylic.

 

Returning to spraying, if you want to wait a while, I'm not convinced by the wilko one, 1) it's gloss, and 2) there are some reports of yellowing. I'm afraid I can't recommend a UK gloss spray varnish, as I don't use them. For a matte spray, I have had success in the past with army painter matt anti-shine spray, given I was always cautious about weather conditions. Testors dullcote isn't that hard to find though now in the UK, and I don't think I've ever seen a complaint about the quality of the finish, just the smell! It is ultimately the gold standard by which all other sprays are judged.

 

Given the soggy UK weather though, I do prefer varnish through an airbrush or hairy stick, just less risk of ruining all that hard work...

Edited February 22, 2018 by Arkhanist

[Achinadav]

Thanks Arkhanist. I learnt the hard way to wait for the right weather conditions! It sounds like I might as well go for a couple of thin coats of dullcote.and leave it at that. 20-years ago me did use a very glossy decoupage varnish on what I got painted back then. It sounds like dullcote will temper the shine nicely too. 

[Major_Gilbear]

I use a Polyurethane varnish (clear, gloss, non-yellowing, UV-resistant, water-based) first. This is brushed on in a couple of thin layers and allowed to cure fully.

 

Afterwards (when weather permits) I spray with Testors Dullcote outside. It is stinky, so I hold my breath whilst I spray and then bring the model quickly indoors to cure slowly. As I do this in the back garden, which I access via the rear door into the kitchen, I put a piece of cling film down on the hob to set the varnished models on to dry. This lets them cure somewhere than can be easily ventilated, and keeps the kitchen clean too. (I do the same when I spray prime too).

 

Recently, there's been a lot of animated discussion about whether gloss-then-matte is better, equal, or worse than matte-then-matte. I'm not going to get into the nitty-gritty of those debates because there are too many variables in the discussions that never seem to be fully detailed and objectively tested by anyone.

 

However, I like the method I use because I can see where I've glossed varnish to ensure I don't miss any areas, and then for the second coat I can again see where I've matte varnished so I don't miss any areas. I also feel that I get a more transparent finish from gloss-matte than I do from matte-matte, and my paintjobs seem brighter and clearer as a result. Polyurethane varnish is also extremely tough, and will provide sufficient protection on its own regardless of the protection offered by subsequent matte varnishes - which means that the matte finish can be used solely for it's decorative finish. In turn, this is very helpful as you can pick each varnish layer for a specific function rather than struggling to find that one elusive varnish that does everything perfectly.

 

Cost-wise, I find that Testors isn't as expensive as you think compared to other popular hobby sprays - £41/kg. Games Workshop's own spray varnish clocks in at about £40/kg, and Army Painter's spray varnish is maybe £1 cheaper, although you can often get these from online hobby shops for a bit cheaper.

 

Arkhanist's comments on shipping are quite correct - and so delivery costs and availability can also affect the final purchase price of what you buy quite dramatically.

 

With respect to the Wilko spray, I can't tell if it's gloss, satin, or matte. However, it is acrylic, and this is generally a less hard-wearing finish than others (Testors is a lacquer).

 

For cost and weather purposes, you might find a brush-on matte sealer to be better for you.