How thick is Humbrol Matt Cote supposed to be? (Good News! 5/9)

[redeaston]

I have been using the Matt coat with no problems. My bottle did not have the separation yours seems to have had though.

I have just bought a tub of Windsor & Newton Galleria but I have not got round to trying it yet. I got mine off ebay in the end. Assuming it works OK it will be much cheaper as well.

[FramFramson]

Let us know how that goes! If results are good, maybe I can special order some through one of the shops that does carry W&N products.

[Malebolgia]

Going by your location, I assume Canada? If so:

http://www.ebay.ca/itm/DALER-ROWNEY-SOLUBLE-VARNISH-ARTISTS-ART-PAINTING-IDEAL-FOR-ACRYLIC-OIL-/160877957447?pt=UK_Crafts_DrawingSupplies_EH&var&hash=item257512d147&_uhb=1

I always buy my DR Matt varnish on eBay...no hassle and always quick shipment at good prices

Won't go back to any other matt varnish. I used Testors Dullcote in the past but it had too much problems. Had it fog over several times (yes, it can be fixed by respraying and placing under a hot lamp, but I hate the hassle) and sometimes I got white specks. Although the matt look is insanely good, the variation in the results made me drop it.
Army Painter matt varnish is utter crap and should be avoided like the PLAGUE. First results were promising...but after a few times my complete miniatures fogged over (so not only in the creases, but the entire miniature!) and often the varnish cracked. Even when applying thin coats over dried & hardened gloss coats. There are few products which made me so angry as this one. Woodland Scenics Realistic Water is also a contender though

[Major_Gilbear]

I know that this may be unorthodox, but here goes...

• Use a proper brush-on non-yellowing uv-resistant gloss varnish instead. (Acquire from a good DIY store, apply thinly, don't let it pool). This stuff is often pricey, but even a small can will last you forever.

• Once fully dry (leave it overnight as a minimum), put a few drops of matte medium on your palette and add a few drops of clean water to it. Brush this over the gloss varnished model and allow it to dry - touch up as/if required. This stuff is cheapish, and a 250ml bottle will last you forever (even using it to make your own washes with as well, half a pint is a lot!).

This will give you frost-free perfectly matte results very easily every time. I still prefer to use Testors Dullcote spray over the varnish myself (I find the Testors a little more durable), but I do touch up any missed bits with the matte medium anyway. My friend skips the Dullcote and just uses the matte medium too, so I know firsthand it works well!

[FramFramson]

Going by your location, I assume Canada? If so:

http://www.ebay.ca/itm/DALER-ROWNEY-SOLUBLE-VARNISH-ARTISTS-ART-PAINTING-IDEAL-FOR-ACRYLIC-OIL-/160877957447?pt=UK_Crafts_DrawingSupplies_EH&var&hash=item257512d147&_uhb=1

I always buy my DR Matt varnish on eBay...no hassle and always quick shipment at good prices

Won't go back to any other matt varnish. I used Testors Dullcote in the past but it had too much problems. Had it fog over several times (yes, it can be fixed by respraying and placing under a hot lamp, but I hate the hassle) and sometimes I got white specks. Although the matt look is insanely good, the variation in the results made me drop it.
Army Painter matt varnish is utter crap and should be avoided like the PLAGUE. First results were promising...but after a few times my complete miniatures fogged over (so not only in the creases, but the entire miniature!) and often the varnish cracked. Even when applying thin coats over dried & hardened gloss coats. There are few products which made me so angry as this one. Woodland Scenics Realistic Water is also a contender though

Buying online is an option, but I may be able to order locally and would prefer to do so if I can - I live in the largest city in the country after all!

You couldn't pay me enough to use a spray-on varnish. NO WAY. Brush-on ONLY.

[6milPhil]

I've found all Humbrol products to have questionable quality lately, from paints to even aerosols.

[FramFramson]

Having a devil of a time trying to get some proper Daler-Rowney soluable matt varnish. None of the stores in Toronto carry it and most refuse to order it or refuse unless I buy a case and also I would have to wait for over a month to get any.

Few places seem to be carrying it online, save for a few UK stores with what seem to be very high prices. Is it normally £6 for a 75ml bottle there?

I also found a US seller with something called "Daler Rowney CRYLA soluable matt varnish" here: www.dickblick.com/products/daler-rowney-cryla-soluble-acrylic-matte-varnish for $5 a bottle, but is this even the same stuff or some sort of discount crud? Or diluted/adulterated to meet some US safety requirement?

I looked on fleabay, but the only seller who has any wants an exorbitant amount for shipping to Canada, because they're too dumb to opt-out of that idiotic cash-grab Global Shipper Program scam that ebay tries to force on sellers too dull to do fifteen minutes worth of research.    But then I realized that's this "Cryla" stuff too, so maybe the seller being dumb saved me from buying the wrong thing?

Any advice/help?

[Major_Gilbear]

I would like to re-iterate this:

I know that this may be unorthodox, but here goes...

• Use a proper brush-on non-yellowing uv-resistant gloss varnish instead. (Acquire from a good DIY store, apply thinly, don't let it pool). This stuff is often pricey, but even a small can will last you forever.

• Once fully dry (leave it overnight as a minimum), put a few drops of matte medium on your palette and add a few drops of clean water to it. Brush this over the gloss varnished model and allow it to dry - touch up as/if required. This stuff is cheapish, and a 250ml bottle will last you forever (even using it to make your own washes with as well, half a pint is a lot!).

This will give you frost-free perfectly matte results very easily every time. I still prefer to use Testors Dullcote spray over the varnish myself (I find the Testors a little more durable), but I do touch up any missed bits with the matte medium anyway. My friend skips the Dullcote and just uses the matte medium too, so I know firsthand it works well!

Have you tried this? If not, why not give it a go?

Much cheaper and better that just trying to find a "perfect" matte varnish, and you can get the stuff easily in your own country.

[FramFramson]

One of my previous attempts was with been with matt medium and it didn't work much better than anything else so far.

I am seeing photos posted of very nice results with Daler-Rowney and it has been recommended by several people on the board. Nothing wrong with buying a bottle to try (if I can find a way to get some).

If nothing else, I just want to know how much it normally costs in the UK at say, an art or hobby store, and if that Daler Rowney CRYLA stuff sold in the US is the same (I'm guessing no... but maybe I'm wrong?).

[Major_Gilbear]

One of my previous attempts was with been with matt medium and it didn't work much better than anything else so far.

How odd. 

Which one did you use? How did you apply it? Did you put it on a palette and thin it first? Did you gloss varnish the model first as I suggested?

I ask, as this is a pretty reliable method (read: I've *never* screwed this up), and I get totally dead-flat results.

If nothing else, I just want to know how much it normally costs in the UK at say, an art or hobby store, and if that Daler Rowney CRYLA stuff sold in the US is the same (I'm guessing no... but maybe I'm wrong?).

Assuming you're after what Orctrader uses (link), then you can see what it retails for here.

It might be that the US/CAN stuff has a different label, but other than that I couldn't say if it's the same or not... Looks like Amazon may have it here though?

[FramFramson]

I tried it with a Liquitex one available here. I thinned it with water. All my models are gloss varnished first anyway.

As for the sale link, your Amazon-Fu is stronger than mine. I searched earlier and found two stores but both listed it as out of stock. Unless maybe this is one I saw earlier and they restocked sometime in the past two days.

[FramFramson]

I received the Daler-Rowney this week and tried it today. The deeper recesses are still drying on my minis, but wow this stuff is aces. I didn't even have to decant it at all - just straight from the bottle (shaken of course) and it's dead matte.

Really this stuff is infinitely superior to every other ready-to-use varnish I've tried so far. Highly recommended!

[Mr. Peabody]

Daler-Rowney Soluble Varnish, the white spirit based one... Yes?

[FramFramson]

Dat's der bingle.

[blackstone]

Even though I've have been happy with humbrol matt cote for a while I bought some Daler-Rowney soluble matt varnish based on your recommendation!

Just tried it out and wow you're right it's the mattest matt I've ever seen!