Do all Matte Varnishes come out true matte, or will everything have a sheen?

[vexillia]

Glad they helped you.  My latest discovery involves craft paints.  These cheap paints can help you get a super matt finish in two ways:

[1] Use instead of talc.  Mix your regular high quality paint with some craft paint.  The fillers used in the later act just like talc. The mixture behaves just like the high quality paint.  I have a range of browns, greens, blues and reds which work well with Vallejo.  Of course the colour changes as they're never an exact match: you have to become a mix master for that.

[2] Colour wash & matt in one.  This works well for reds & blues.  Dilute the craft paint until it's like watercolour paint and paint over the glossy top coat.  Repeat if necessary.  The dilution avoids brush marks.  This will also add depth of colour to highlights that have gone too far: orange red highlights shift back towards red for example.  Brunt umber is great at blending.  But the best outcome is that you lay down a layer of filler which ensures that the varnish will dry matt.  I have also done this to flatten a red further post varnishing.

Remember it's not all about the varnish.  Have fun.

[David H]

I'll add my support for the Daler-Rowney soluble matt varnish.

I shake the bottle well and give it a stir, then shake again.

I then unscrew the lid and use the residual amount left in the lid to paint a thin layer on a figure.

The only issue I have ever had is if the varnish is applied too thickly - frosting in deeper folds can occur.
So, 2 thin layers of varnish and it is dead flat.

[Orctrader]

...My latest discovery involves craft paints.

Interesting post.  Any particular brand? 

[vexillia]

Mainly DecoArt, some Anita's.

[Orctrader]

Mainly DecoArt, some Anita's.

Thanks.   

[SteveBurt]

Dealer-Rowney artist matt varnish, brushed on, or Humbrol Matt Cote.
Both need to be well stirred/shaken, but are very matt

[Jack Jones]

Glad they helped you.  My latest discovery involves craft paints.  These cheap paints can help you get a super matt finish in two ways:

[1] Use instead of talc.  Mix your regular high quality paint with some craft paint.  The fillers used in the later act just like talc. The mixture behaves just like the high quality paint.  I have a range of browns, greens, blues and reds which work well with Vallejo.  Of course the colour changes as they're never an exact match: you have to become a mix master for that.

[2] Colour wash & matt in one.  This works well for reds & blues.  Dilute the craft paint until it's like watercolour paint and paint over the glossy top coat.  Repeat if necessary.  The dilution avoids brush marks.  This will also add depth of colour to highlights that have gone too far: orange red highlights shift back towards red for example.  Brunt umber is great at blending.  But the best outcome is that you lay down a layer of filler which ensures that the varnish will dry matt.  I have also done this to flatten a red further post varnishing.

Remember it's not all about the varnish.  Have fun.

Very helpful, thank you. I was interested in your observations about gloss varnishing prior to the matt top coat too.

Cheers
JJ

[vexillia]

Very helpful, thank you. I was interested in you observations about gloss varnishing prior to the matt top coat too.

Just to avoid confusion the "Colour wash & matt in one" approach works where a matt varnish hasn't worked 100%.  I've never used a gloss varnish, intentionally at least so I don't know how well this will work on top of a coat of gloss varnish.

[majorsmith]

I use AK Matt on terrain etc but daler rowney on figures, after a miniature paints coat of gloss varnish works amazing but you have to stir the varnish well

[Mindenbrush]

As Atheling aka Darrell has posted previously, it is a good idea to allow the polyurethane gloss varnishes such as Humbrol 35 a week to fully cure otherwise there seems to be some ‘blending’ of the two.
I was in a rush with one batch of figures, waited a week and then applied the Matt varnish and put them on a radiator to help speed up the drying.
They ended up with a satin finish 😣.
Had to wait another week before applying the matt again.

[vexillia]

A word of warning: there are two types of polyurethane resins.  Those that yellow with daylight and those that don't.  Basic Humbrol & DIY varnishes are the former.

[Mindenbrush]

I have figures that I painted 20 odd years ago glossed with the Humbrol 35 and then matted with the original Blackfriars varnish that do not show any yellowing of colours.

[vexillia]

Can't argue with the chemistry.  I'll bet the figures have been boxed.  I'd check any  white bits.  The change is gradual and is hard to spot at first.

[vexillia]

See this plea for help:

I resprayed these two Heljan 47s into Freightliner Grey around 18 months ago, painting process was fairly standard - halfords primer, phoenix precision top coat, Humbrol gloss varnish (from a rattle can), transfers, weathering and then all sealed with a coat of Humbrol matt varnish (again from a rattle can). Shortly after completion my second son was born and the locos were stored in a display cabinet in my office. Now that the chaos of having a new born has subsided I am "playing trains" again and decided to retrieve these two from the cabinet for a running session.

I did a bit of research into paints and varnishes having suffered a similar problem. In the course of my investigation I was able to speak with a number of people who worked in the R&D labs of various paint manufacturers, some who produced DIY paints and other model making paints.

They all told me exactly the same thing. Any paint or varnish with an oil or lacquer base has the ability to yellow. That is not to say it will yellow but that it can. To avoid this you need to use acrylic based paints that are based on different types of resins that will not yellow.

Lots of folks will tell you they have used X,Y or Z brand of oil based paints that have never yellowed – they have been lucky but I trust the scientists in the paint labs that I spoke with and now only use acrylic paints and varnishes. If in doubt about a particular paint, get in contact with the maker and ask them.

https://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/141465-yellowed-varnish-any-cure/

[Just a few orcs]

I use Winsor and Newton Galeria Acrylic Matt Warnish. it goes completely matt.

Just be aware that after a year or so it can go thick and Gloopy - DO NOT use if it does. either thin it down carefully until its back to its original opaque colour  and thickness.  I just throw it away at that point as I have normally  used 95% of the bottle .

Also you can end up with thisck varnish on the neck of the bottle if you take the excess off your brush there - You should really put it on a pallette

Consequently I only buy the 75Ml bottle that lasts me 9 months to a year.  It does store unopened without going gloopy