Following a couple of clouding disasters I'm reluctant to spray anything any more, but brushing seems a little heavy handed for 6mm figures and below.
10mm is as small as I've done in recent years, but I've found Vallejo varnishes quite good for that scale, applied by brush.
Cheers
Mick
I use Windsor and newton artist spray varnish.
Scale is no issue.
Quote from: Mark G on April 10, 2017, 04:04:43 PM
I use Windsor and newton artist spray varnish.
Scale is no issue.
Yes, but I now have a horror of using spray varnish on anything after a couple of clouding incidents.
Quote from: eques on April 10, 2017, 04:26:22 PM
Quote from: Mark G on April 10, 2017, 04:04:43 PM
I use Windsor and newton artist spray varnish.
Scale is no issue.
Yes, but I now have a horror of using spray varnish on anything after a couple of clouding incidents.
What type of spray did you use? When matte coats clouded for me I let them dry and sprayed again with a gloss coat and it came right. That's been when using Mr Hobby Topcoat sprays though, and 15mm figures.
I really dont bother for 6mm....come to think of it, I dont bother for 15mm either. I really dont like the varnish effect and if heavy handed.....
Years back I mixed a bottle of Johnson's Klear floor polish with dark brown ink. I just brush it on, more a dip/varnish combo than true varnish. For a matt effect you could use finishing spray for photographs etc but cheap cans of hairspray do the same job.
As I said, artists quality spray applied by a sentient being, no issues with clouding. Ever.
Quote from: Mark G on April 11, 2017, 08:37:48 PM
As I said, artists quality spray applied by a sentient being, no issues with clouding. Ever.
thats me out then.... :-[
although in all seriousness I might have a try if it gives good results
I recommend it.
Artist quality is worth the money.
Then you just have to not be stupid with the spraying, and pick days with moderate weather, and a decent distance from nozzle to figure.
Also recommend Ikea for a cake turning thing to assist with turning the tray of figures.
Quote from: Mark G on April 11, 2017, 08:42:59 PM
Then you just have to not be stupid with the spraying, and pick days with moderate weather, and a decent distance from nozzle to figure.
Well that's the same for any spray! Don't want to risk another disaster, though, whether through "human error", lack of knowledge, lack of sentience or anything else.
I'll try some light touch brushing but if that gets too laborious, I'll go with Holly's original suggestion.
Hopefully some of you will see the results at Battle Day '18! (or Joy of Six if you're going)
Quote from: Mark G on April 11, 2017, 08:42:59 PM
days with moderate weather
In the UK, that'd be when it rains just a litte? :P
I gave up on spray on primers and varnishes because if you follow the instructions on the bottles, large parts of the year are simply out here.
as an interesting aside, do people varnish figures to protect them or to get them a certain visual effect/finish? As said earlier I gave up on varnishes as they are tricky to get the right effect (for cack handed me that is). I also dont see much in the way of paint chips or flaking on my figures so am not bothered (apart from when my wife upends a few hundred phalangites that is...)
obviously varnish does protect figures from chips and wear but for those that dont varnish...how much of a problem is it?
when I got into wargaming it was one of the first rules handed down by my peers.....here's a copy of WRG 5th, always carry lots of dice, always have pen and paper and always varnish your figures
Quote from: Holly on April 12, 2017, 06:13:47 AM
as an interesting aside, do people varnish figures to protect them or to get them a certain visual effect/finish? As said earlier I gave up on varnishes as they are tricky to get the right effect (for cack handed me that is). I also dont see much in the way of paint chips or flaking on my figures so am not bothered (apart from when my wife upends a few hundred phalangites that is...)
obviously varnish does protect figures from chips and wear but for those that dont varnish...how much of a problem is it?
when I got into wargaming it was one of the first rules handed down by my peers.....here's a copy of WRG 5th, always carry lots of dice, always have pen and paper and always varnish your figures
with water based paints it's more that they seem to rub off when handled a lot. Mind you I suspect my armies aren't handled as much as they used to be :-[
They do wear off without varnish through handling.
Although I have a friend who recons using true artists paints, like liquetex, will be fine without. But you need to be astoundingly good at colour mixing for that.
Even 6mm will wear to metal with handling if not varnished, in fact more so, because you are more likely to be touching lots of figure at once.
Figure painting is like cooking or mixing drinks. Use the best ingredients you can afford. It pays off long term.
Good brushes keep their points longer, good colours hold better (pick a range that gets a yellow you like, that seems to be the most reliable single colour to test quality with), and good varnish protects and enhances without clouding.
And always undercoat after you finish gluing. Otherwise you are just sticking paint to paint.
That rain thing is a tad overstated.
I spray on a balcony in the west of Scotland, as long as im not actually getting rained on, It's fine.
Could be the combination if high humidity/ about to rain, and not-cold is what does it.
But about to rain and chilly seems to cause no adverse effects except wind blowing varnish back onto my specs.
Varnish pushing actual rain onto a figure would be bad, obviously.
The cans I had said you shouldn't use them in cold weather. I never did try what happens if you use them in subzero temperatures, but if you have to wait until it's not cold, not raining, and not windy, and you don't have something more pressing to do, I found you can end up having to wait for a long time here around. With brush-on varnish I can apply it when it suits me rather than the weather gods. Similar with primer - brush-on is slower to apply, but actually gets done.
I imagine Scotland is easier because you probably don't get enough extra rain to compensate for the milder winters.
Quote from: Mark G on April 12, 2017, 07:46:07 AM
And always undercoat after you finish gluing. Otherwise you are just sticking paint to paint.
yep. learnt that one the hard way.....
I started off by spraying my 6mm with Games Workshop matt varnish but after a batch came out cloudy I changed to painting with a gloss varnish from an art shop. This seems to work fine and following advice on another thread (I think under painting figures) I gloss varnished over the cloudy figures and they all came out fine.
There are some pictures on the Little Battles thread in Battle Reports.
Quote from: dwkay57 on April 14, 2017, 08:35:56 AM
I started off by spraying my 6mm with Games Workshop matt varnish but after a batch came out cloudy I changed to painting with a gloss varnish from an art shop. This seems to work fine and following advice on another thread (I think under painting figures) I gloss varnished over the cloudy figures and they all came out fine.
There are some pictures on the Little Battles thread in Battle Reports.
Thanks
Any tips on applying with a brush? What brand of varnish was it from the art shop?
For years I have used an artist's fixative spray with a matt finish. This spray is used by artists to protect charcoal, chalk, pencil drawings and the like from smudges, smears, etc. I have 25 mm figures protected with this substance that are 40+ years old and I have never had any flaking or other damage to the paint. The spray has a very fine mist, does not cover detail, and I have never had any clouding issues.
I haven't tied it on any of my 6mm figures yet, but I don't think it will cause any problems.
You should be able to find the fixative spray at any artist supply shop or on line.
Quote from: Chuck the Grey on April 15, 2017, 05:19:59 PM
For years I have used an artist's fixative spray with a matt finish. This spray is used by artists to protect charcoal, chalk, pencil drawings and the like from smudges, smears, etc. I have 25 mm figures protected with this substance that are 40+ years old and I have never had any flaking or other damage to the paint. The spray has a very fine mist, does not cover detail, and I have never had any clouding issues.
I haven't tied it on any of my 6mm figures yet, but I don't think it will cause any problems.
You should be able to find the fixative spray at any artist supply shop or on line.
Thanks. Can you recommend a brand?
Harry,
I have used Krylon Crystal Clear and Grumbacher Final Matte. I would test them on a unloved figure first, kind of a "forlorn hope", before using any brand on a group of loved figures. I didn't consider that fact that when I started using the fixative sprays I was working in Humbrol enamels. I haven't sprayed any figures since I started using acrylics a couple years back. The fixative should work on acrylics, but a test is still recommended.
Off the back if this thread I sprayed a couple of bases of 6mm Persian cavalry using winsor newton fixative spray, and they came out nice.
Roughly painted up a couple of old 1/72 Spanish and roman for testing purposes first (which made me start wanting to paint up the full armies of course!)
Thanks for the suggestions.
I use Coat d Arms gloss varnish. Get a big brush and slap it on like a possessed looney then grab another brush and disperse any pools of varnish, usually between the legs.
All my armies are 6mm and have used this technique for all of them with no mishaps. Once you get into a rhythm you can do an entire army in one sitting. Watching a movie or documentary makes the task fly by.
up in the loft and found a few different varnish sprays either matt or semi matt/sheen. Might have another go with it to see the difference