clear coat..what do u use and how?

[Moore]

like the title said i've never used a clear coat on my models and i was wondering how many off u do. what do u use to clear coat it and maybe u could post of pic of it so i could see exactly what it looks like.
thanks

-steve

[Brother Walk]

clear coat is just a coating over a model .. they come in 3 varieties .. matt .. semi gloss and gloss .. the glossier it is .. the better the protection you get.

You can get them in spray on form .. or brush on form .. spray on .. honestly, gives you the smoothest coverage.

Personally, a trick of the trade is to first coat your model with matt finish .. to blend out the colours, and provide a uniform surface to adheire to, THEN apply a light coat of gloss .. its thicker, and provides more protection.
Once the gloss drys .. apply another layer of matt sealant.

When your figures start to get glossy, you know its time to seal them again .. because its wearing off.

[Wynter]

2 things.... 1/ can of clear spray paint. I usually use it on my heavy use models and special characters. Makes the paint very strong... Make sure you use an even coat .dont drown the model but make it look wet.
2/ Citidel has a clear varnish I use that as well... if your working on just a single miniture then its great. When my models arrive Ill post pics for you.

[Wynter]

When your figures start to get glossy, you know its time to seal them again .. because its wearing off.


Brother walk thats an awsome point.. Ill be using that trick :D

[Knorretje]

Also, don't spray the model on point blank range, i did that once(in my very beginning) and it didn't look good.

[Fiend]

It's called VARNISH

I use the standard GW Purity Seal SATIN Varnish - never ever finish off with gloss as gloss looks "GAY" and "CRAP" (to throw in some technical painting terms there). I haven't tried the "gloss then matt" thing as to be honest whenever I've accidentally sprayed Purity Seal too close, it's gone glossy and it's nigh on impossible to get a proper matt / satin effect over that gloss.

Tips:

1. Preparation: Shake the varnish well. Don't spray somewhere windy. Make sure there's no bits of hair or fluff on your figure.
2. Take lots of care. Varnishing is the point where you can totally fuck up your figure and can't easily repair it.
3. TEST it first, get some old crappy figure, give it a few colours, and test your varnishing to get the optimum distance.
4. Spray from the recommended distance i.e. 30cm but spray very lightly i.e. a few short bursts or a couple of quick sweeps across the model.
5. Build up slowly, do this a few times and you should get an even satin/matt coat.
6. Don't spray too heavily unless you want it to look GAY and CRAP.
7. Don't spray too lightly unless you want it to look dusty.

[Moore]

Allright awesome im gonna have to give this a try. Can you get the matt, semi gloss and gloss at GW stores? or do u guys get it somewere else either for cost wise or just found a better one to use? Also how long does the seal ussaly last because Bother Walk said when u feel it glossy again u should respray so how often does that happen i'm guessing it depends on how much u handle the model but on average.

one more thing if u have tranfers on ur models will it spray fine over them or will that make the transfer shirvel up??

thanks

[Wynter]

If youve applied the transfer correctly it should look like part of the paint job so the clear goes over it perfectly fine....

Practice your clearing on your rank and file minitures first.. this way if they dont turn out how you like then they are just the shit kickers ;)

[Fiend]

I just use GW's own purity seal. I don't use their gloss varnish.

I although it's a bugger to get "just right", when you do it works well. I did try an alternative, Humbrol maybe, which came out too matt and dulled the model.

Remember to test it before doing on your prize-winning army commander...

[BunnyPuncher]

Testor's Dullcote. Blows everything else out of the water. A must if you use metallics imho.

Cheers.

[Brother Walk]

yeah .. dullcote is ok ... it will certainly cut down the shine on a figure.

Personally, I used to love Polly-S (or Flowquil) clear gloss and matt, they were some of the best out there.. however i don't think they use it anymore ;(

I have had great success with Windsor & Newton gloss and matt, same varnish as the purity seal, and about $2 cheaper per can in an art supply store.

Dullcote can cause acrylics to bubble up sometimes though .. be warned. [it was made to use with testor enamal paints.]

[Moore]

will i guess i'll just get a few different types and start spraying some crapy models and see what i like the best.

thanks everyone for the advice

[Kurgan]

Bunny Puncher:
Testor's Dullcote. Blows everything else out of the water. A must if you use metallics imho.


Brother Walk:
Dullcote can cause acrylics to bubble up sometimes though .. be warned. [it was made to use with testor enamal paints.]


Testors (because it is lacquer based) will also disolve things like weathering powders on your miniatures so if you want to use testors give your mini a shot with GW, Armory, Tamiya or some other matte/satin sealer and then hit it with the testors dull coate.