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What's the best way to varnish metal models?

Posted: Mon Feb 15, 2016 10:02 am
by dfunkateer
Yo,

I've always used Army Painter matte spray varnish for my plastics but some paint chipped off my last metal mini when the model fell over so I'm clearly doing something wrong.

What's the best way to varnish metal models to avoid the paint chipping? I've read about folk using gloss and then matte on top of it but I wouldn't know which gloss to use.

Should I just add more coats of the AP spray, or is there another varnish anyone can recommend that I should use first/instead?

Ta very much,

Dfunk.

Re: What's the best way to varnish metal models?

Posted: Mon Feb 15, 2016 10:42 am
by hissa-lives
I went to B&Q and got some Clear Gloss varnish, the water based stuff. Then Vallejo matt paint on and then the army painter.
Dropped a model from chest height onto paving slabs and not a chip.

Re: What's the best way to varnish metal models?

Posted: Mon Feb 15, 2016 1:11 pm
by dfunkateer
Thanks Pete :) Something from B&Q (or somewhere similar) would be ideal as that's probably the only sort of shop I can make it to this week.

Has anyone out there tried GW 'Ardcoat and then a spray matte?

Re: What's the best way to varnish metal models?

Posted: Mon Feb 15, 2016 1:13 pm
by Kaiowas
seeing as its never dry or not windy here ive taken to brush on stuff,

coat of arms (in a pot)
and vallejo matt in the dropper bottles

i think it works pretty nicely

Re: What's the best way to varnish metal models?

Posted: Mon Feb 15, 2016 1:32 pm
by the solitaire
Dupli Color acrylic gloss spraypaint, then Vallejo matte brush on

Re: What's the best way to varnish metal models?

Posted: Mon Feb 15, 2016 8:27 pm
by Steam Ball
Good primer and surface preparation should help too. After all you want everything to stick, not that the last layers have to do all the work. Yes, impossible once painted, I mean for next works.