Ronseal interior varnish is it any good for miniatures?

[cram]

Anybody use or used Ronseal interior varnish to protect their figures? I'm looking for a hard protection for my figures and believe this will do the job.

I imagine it will need thinning down, and I would do this with water?

Is this stuff risk free? I don't want any varnishing disasters obviously.

Thanks in advance for any help!

[Captain Blood]

For several years I used various Ronseal matt decorating varnishes on my figures. And Rustins and a couple of other brands. All those figures I painted and varnished in this way, 10 - 15 years ago, have now yellowed fairly noticeably - especially over whites... 

I switched to acrylic artists’ varnishes about 10 years ago... I’m sure they offer less ‘hard knock’ protection - but then they haven’t yellowed at all either. Still clear as a whistle.

I know many people used decorating varnishes following Kev Dallimore’s example in his various books. I wonder if others have experienced the same yellowing.

I’d steer clear of decorating varnishes personally.

[vexillia]

I wonder if others have experienced the same yellowing.

Yes. There are lots. 

For a full explanation see "Varnish Myth #2 - Household varnishes do not yellow" in the 2014 article "The Unvarnished Truth", Miniature Wargames, 369, 57-60.

https://blog.vexillia.me.uk/p/articles.html

[cram]

Thanks for the advice and info.

I've decided to go with Vallejo Polyurethane Gloss Varnish as I have been told it gives really good protection. I'll apply a couple of coats of Galeria acrylic matt varnish on top to kill the shine!

[Orctrader]

If it helps, what I use.

http://www.orctrader.co.uk/Articles/Varnish.html

Poly gloss followed by matt.  Just checked some figures painted over 10 years ago and no yellowing.

[robh]

I switched to acrylic artists’ varnishes about 10 years ago... I’m sure they offer less ‘hard knock’ protection - but then they haven’t yellowed at all either. Still clear as a whistle.

I know many people used decorating varnishes following Kev Dallimore’s example in his various books. I wonder if others have experienced the same yellowing.

I’d steer clear of decorating varnishes personally.

Yellowing is inevitable if you use polyurethane varnish (Blackfriars was always my choice) but for some reason is less pronounced if applied by airbrush rather than brush on.  Even so I have taken to painting white highlights on my figures after applying varnish to minimise the problem.
Sky Blue going green with the yellowing is a bit of a pain but in general on greens/browns etc it is barely noticeable though. Certainly not enough of a problem to make me consider using acrylic varnish only on my gaming figures.

[vexillia]

... but for some reason is less pronounced if applied by airbrush rather than brush on. 

I suspect this is simply because the varnish layer is thinner when it's sprayed on: a thinner layer imparts less of a yellow tinge.

[Jagannath]

For what it’s worth I use Vallejo PU gloss on everything - one full coat, then another layer on sticky out bits then testors to flatten. Gloss PU self levels really nicely, you could definitely add a third coat if you wanted more toughness. My paint jobs are pretty indestructible. 

[cram]

Vallejo Polyurethane Gloss Varnish is non yellowing apparently, is this because it is water based?

[vexillia]

Vallejo Polyurethane Gloss Varnish is non yellowing apparently, is this because it is water based?

No.  It's because of the exact chemical makeup of the polyurethane.  Not all polyurethanes are the same.  See my earlier post and this quote from wikipedia about discolouration:

Effects of visible light

Polyurethanes, especially those made using aromatic isocyanates, contain chromophores that interact with light. This is of particular interest in the area of polyurethane coatings, where light stability is a critical factor and is the main reason that aliphatic isocyanates are used in making polyurethane coatings.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polyurethane#Effects_of_visible_light

Hope that helps.

[SteveBurt]

I use satin polyurethane yacht varnish. Very strong, and doesn't yellow with age. The interior varnishes are more likely to yellow.

[vexillia]

I use satin polyurethane yacht varnish. Very strong, and doesn't yellow with age. The interior varnishes are more likely to yellow.

It's likely that there's a UV inhibitor in your brand. You can tell if the neat varnish has rainbow sheen on the surface of the bulk.

[Jagannath]

I keep meaning to switch my method to:

1 layer vallejo PU gloss
1 layer vallejo PU matt
Testors to really flatten.

Just don't trust the brush on matte not to go white - Iuse a lot of blacklining, which emphasizes matte issues I find.

[Cameronian]

There's a floor polish called Pledge Klear which dries to a rock hard high gloss finish.  It's been in use to protect figures for ages, especially among the plastics fraternity but is also used to protect decals.  I've used it for years without trouble on all sorts.  It comes as a cloudy liquid but dries crystal clear. A litre bottle is about 7 quid and will last for ever, Asda has it.  A Google search should give you chapter and verse on it

[tin shed gamer]

Honestly I never saw the point . I just use spray car varnish.
UV resistant, grease and water resistant. Can speed dry with a hair dryer without milking or bubbling. Not a single issue.
I did try interior varnish about three years ago on a white/show base because everyone insisted it was better .I had to re base the who thing for a game in May. Yellowed like mad.
I've figures that have been varnished with car varnish that are nearly thirty years old and still look crisp (admittedly not many with white paint .)Not for everyone one I know but it works for me.

Mark.