Do you varnish your miniatures?

[happyslugger]

Do you guys varnish over all your miniatures?

[Blindhamster]

Personally, I rarely do, but only because I had too many bad experiences in the past. But sometimes

[happyslugger]

I have read / seen posts on various sites regarding the issues varnish can causes (frosting and such) @Blindhamster and I have a lot of models and not one is varnished.  I was considering the GW stormshield pot and putting a very, very light layer on?  My mini's don't leave the house though and spend most of their time in my cabinet, so is it worth it?  It's not like they are painting master pieces (we some are good).

[Cleon]

Personally I put a bit of varnish on shoulder pads that have decals, as they are vulnerable to being rubbed when picked up, but otherwise don't really varnish.

[Paladin777]

I use a light spray of krylon clear coat on pretty much everything nowadays. Mostly on the parts that would get touched when handling the mini.
 

That said, if you go too heavy it can certainly frost the mini. My gravis captain got a little frosty, but not enough to ruin the paint job. 

Edited May 9, 2023 by Paladin777

[Blindhamster]

1 hour ago, Cleon said:

Personally I put a bit of varnish on shoulder pads that have decals, as they are vulnerable to being rubbed when picked up, but otherwise don't really varnish.

I do this

[Grotsmasha]

I varnish every model, I started doing when I started doing commissioned models. I use Munitorum Varnish (Satin Finish) by GW, and have only had it frost one model once, and that was user error, I just mind-blanked and didn't shake the can.

[Agramar_The_Luna_Wolf]

Yes, I varnish all my miniatures. I usually use Vallejo's. And usually matte varnish

[Firedrake Cordova]

On 5/9/2023 at 8:16 AM, happyslugger said:

My mini's don't leave the house though and spend most of their time in my cabinet, so is it worth it?

Really, there's two reasons to varnish a model - to protect the paint from wear due handling, and to unify the finish if the paints you used have different finishes (i.e. some dried glossy and some dried matte). If neither of those things are a concern/problem for you, then there's probably not much point. 

[TwinOcted]

I varnish metal and resin models, and anything I've used  Contrast paints on.  Otherwise I don't bother.

  

[Madao]

I always varnish my minis as I had issues with rubbing off paint in the past. Nowadays, I use speedpaints for my non AdMech minis and they are awfuly fragile when not varnished

[gideon stargreave]

I only use varnish as an intermediate step when I’m painting with oils, otherwise I don’t bother unless they’re metal minis. However if I’m using pigment powders I spray them with hairspray (as a cheap fixative)

[Doghouse]

I don't very often but when I do I find I use it to enhance the paint scheme, such as some matte paints blend colours very well and gloss is nice for armour if you want that effect. For example I'm doing some rather grimy and worn looking marines at the moment so I am using Windsor and Newton Matte UV which blends all the grime and brings down the tone of the bright colours. The downside is that I am using it brushed on which doesn't work well with washes as it can reactivate them which can smear your previous effect. On the whole if you are happy without it I wouldn't use it.

[Karhedron]

I do tend to varnish to protect the paintwork and transfers. Also certain paints are more prone to rubbing than others (e.g. Army Painter, Contrast). For plastic infantry with just citadel paints, I find they are safe enough without varnish. If it has transfers, is a larger model, made of metal or resin, then I will varnish. I normally use Halford satin laquer and then top it off with Testors Dullcoat.

[Aramis K]

I brush on ardcoat to raised and pointy bits where wear may occur. Then I go over whole mini with lahmin medium coat which dulls it back down to matt and blends it all together.

 

This can really help smooth things, especially when using mix of paints from different ranges. I'm often surprised at the difference it makes.

 

In fact I'm generally starting to pay more attention to paint texture as a technique and using mix of clear coats for different areas.

[OttoVonAwesome]

I've only ever experienced frosting once and I'm not at all sure wth caused it cept for the varnish being really old... That said I use multiple varnishes an all over gloss varnish step for doing transfers and contrast and oil washes followed by an ultramatte step and then I use them to achieve different finishes on the final product like if I want something really matte or it's a regular cloth type material or skin I'll finish it with ultramatte and depending on the amount of weathering if it's something metal that's been enameled like space marine armour a shinier matte varnish like Vallejo Matte achieves what I want and I like to do Satin varnishes over metallics but almost never use gloss to achieve a finish cuase it's just ridiculously shiny.

 

I stopped doing overall varnishes to "seal" my miniatures awhile ago and I found it kinda ruined the finish by making the whole thing just kinda shiny and started using them to achieve different effects as I also found it didn't help so much with the rubbing but the two layers used in the wash process really did.

9 hours ago, Aramis K said:

I brush on ardcoat to raised and pointy bits where wear may occur. Then I go over whole mini with lahmin medium coat which dulls it back down to matt and blends it all together.

 

This can really help smooth things, especially when using mix of paints from different ranges. I'm often surprised at the difference it makes.

 

In fact I'm generally starting to pay more attention to paint texture as a technique and using mix of clear coats for different areas.

Yeah paints of different ranges can have wild finishes like I find Army Painter to be really shiny so different varnishes really helps blend everything the way you want it to be without having to shop a ton of different brands.

[sarabando]

yup a coat of gloss for protection then a coat of matt to dull the shine. 

[Maschinenpriester]

For me it always depends on what I paint. Normal minis I never varnish. I rarely play though and my minis are stored in magnetized boxes.

I travel with them though.

What i varnish ist terrain and vehicles.

I have had some issues with old varnish in the past.

I usually use valljo satin varnish via airbrush. Mostly one thin coat.

[Grim Dog Studios]

I varnish everything, usually multiple times depending on the paint scheme. I’m a bug fan of using chipping medium and oils so gloss varnishing in between layers to protect the previous paint layer is a must for me. 
 

I love the look an ultra matte varnish gives to minis so I usually always end on a healthy coat of it.

[Ramell]

I give all my models a coat of Vallejo Satin varnish out of an airbrush. I've had minor frosting issues with rattlecans in the past, but nothing with an airbrush. 

[Corswain]

Absolutely, yes.

 

I work hard and spend a lot of time on my painting so seeing bits rub off is heartbreaking. 

 

I have experienced the dreaded frosting effect on one model in the past but that was completely user error and have never had an issue when I actually do things properly.

[Allart01]

Absolutely, I varnish all of my models. I play with them, handle them, and varnish is the only real way to protect them in the long run.

[Xenith]

Not normally, though if they're contrast painted I do - I found the thin layers of contrast tend to rub off, while the normal paint range I've never had an issue with. 

[Arkhanist]

I always varnish, but that's partly because I started in the metal model era and varnish was near mandatory to prevent paint chipping back then.

 

Plastic models are much less prone to paint wear from handling or chipping - less weight so lower force for impacts, and cases have gotten a lot better. Though if you're the type to just chuck em loose in a box for transport, you're still gonna want varnish (and glue to stick bits back on at the other end!)

 

Contrast/speedpaint do much thinner layers than standard base/layer paints, same if you paint with glazes, so varnish is recommended to protect them. Unifying the finish between different types of paint is a primary reason for me, and then re-add a little gloss for gems. Though you can also do this with a thin coat of e.g. lahmian medium, though it won't provide the protection of varnish.

 

I also leave final metallic highlights until after the main varnish coat to get a little extra reflectiveness. Working with oils or transfers, you generally want an intermediate gloss varnish coat to protect the existing paint and give a good surface to work on, which then needs a satin or matt coat for finish. Varnish can help secure weathering powders.

 

WRT to matt varnish frosting, there are two primary causes. The first is spraying a heavy layer - it's much better to do one or two thin coats, and giving the first coat a chance to get touch dry before applying the 2nd. It is also easier to accidentally do a heavy coat if you don't shake the can. The 2nd is high humidity; avoid spray varnishing in that climate condition.

 

For rattle can varnish, testors dullcote is very popular, and GW's munitorium varnish also gets good reviews. Personally I airbrush to avoid the humidity issue, and have never had a frosted coat. (I use vallejo premium varnish). Hand painting it on means you're extremely unlikely to get frosting unless you're putting on so much it literally makes deep pools, but is more tedious.

 

To repair matt varnish frosting (which should be very rare if properly applied), the quickest option is usually to apply a gloss coat, particularly in the frosted areas, then reapply a light satin or matt varnish coat once the gloss is fully dry.

 

So tl;dr - if you're only using normal paints, have normal handling of plastic models, and they are stored safely (cabinet or transport case)- and are happy with the final finish - varnish is not really required these days. If you're using contrast, oils or transfers, you probably need it.

[phandaal]

Always varnish. Aside from normal wear and tear, you will also drop a model or two from time to time, and when that happens, a good coat of varnish is a lifesaver.

 

Personally I use Liquitex matte, satin, or gloss, and I always paint it on. Frosting was never much of an issue for me, but I have ruined several units/models with the varnish wrinkling up on the surface of the model. After the third time that happened, I quit using varnish from a can and have not regretted it. Nice part about painting the varnish on is you control exactly how much each surface gets, and you can apply different kinds of varnish to different surfaces for various effects.