Bit of pigment fixative help.

[FramFramson]

I do like using pigments. They give a very good effect and I like the way they look.

My main problem is that I don't have a working airbrush (I have a good airbrush but no compressor and need a few hose /release fittings as well - I've also never used an airbrush and would need practice) so I have no way of applying the fixative lightly and always end up ruining the great dust effects that pigments give you when I try to fix them (basically turns "dust" into "caked mud").

I have a little hand-spritz diffuser bottle but this isn't working and doesn't come even close to aerosolizing the fixative properly (too much volume, too large droplets, no real control). I need to figure out an alternative short of spending the $200 which I don't really have at the moment on a compressor (eventually I will need to do this, but for now, no).

One suggestion was to use spraycan artist's fixative or even hairspray and then matte varnish over that to make it permanent (and to seal the stickiness of the fixative), though I'd be worried about abrupt changes from gloss to matte since I don't want all areas to be matte (for example, on car bodies - dust would be matte, but the un-dusty bits would need to retain their semi-gloss car-paint appearance). I suppose I could feather the edges?

[Anna Elizabeth]

I've done the spray-fixative over Vallejo pigments. It can be mixed result - Carbon Black on gun muzzles looks great, rust can be iffy.

[snitcythedog]

I usually fix the weathering powders with a matt spray sealer.  To get the gloss effect you could spray with a gloss sealer and then use dead flat from Rustall on the weathered areas.  http://www.rustall.com/product-info.html You would have to paint it on the weathered/dusty areas but that would give you fixed pigments on the gloss surface then tone down the gloss on the powders with the dead flat.  My two cents and I hope it helps.
Snitchy sends.

[Grimmnar]

Why $200 on a compressor?
So many for far less.
Other noncompressor choices for far less.

Grimm