My question here is if there are any rattlecan varnishes people recommend not from Citadel or Army Painter? I’m looking to speed up the varnishing but not all my FLGS have them in stock all the time.
I usually use a painted-on Army Painter Anti-Matte varnish, but lately I’ve found that process to be rather tedious. Additionally, it can cause issues with my Speedpaints 1.0.
Once I’m done with my bottle, I was considering spray-on varnishes. Now I know that we can use certain regular brand rattlecan primers, like Rustoleum, but I was wondering if anyone had a go-to rattlecan varnish they use that isn’t from one of the “big” mini paint companies. (Like Rustoleum? or something?) I can hit a hobby store too if there’s something there people like.
I’ve found there isn’t a lot online about this topic. Some videos, sure, but they seem Europe-oriented, and we often have different products here in the U.S., particularly in these regular hardware store items. So I was looking for advice and thoughts.
I’ll say, investing in a airbrush has been great.
Even if just for base coating and varnish.
The main reason is you can do it inside without stinking the whole place, which means not dealing with all the shitty weather conditions involved in spraying minis outside.
Too humid, too cold, too hot, bugs, whatever.
Nope, just sit down, spray, clean, done.
The propellant in rattlecan also melts a few types of foam (XPS?) and I use it sometimes for terrain.
Airbrush don’t melt anything.With the price of citadel cans you can proudly buy a airbrush for the price of 2-3 cans that’ll last you forever.
Testors dullcote would be my recommendation. Should be able to source through your local hobby shop, or online through somewhere like Amazon.
I use AK Interatives matte varnish spray can and they also work fine but that too is a miniature hobby specific product. Of the hardware store products I tried I found a few which were okay but they tend to have bigger particles (the matte effect is cause by tiny particles to form a microscopicly rough surface) which can at times clog up parts of the minis. But they work alright otherwise.
A good option I found is from art supply stores. There are varnishes for sealing acrylic paintings. Those work very well from my experience as there was no large particle issue. Prices are among the same or higher as your typical hobby products. Probably because it really is the same thing. Or so I suspect. So if you have an art supply nearby they might be able to hook you up when the LGS is all out. As for brands, I’m in the EU so I probably can’t be of help.
I’ll probably just keep an eye on the FLGS for them. There’s a few painting seal varnishes I can get at art supply stores here, too, but I’m on the fence about them. I still have a few days of dropper varnish left, so it’ll give me some time to consider.
For tabletop-ready models, durability is also a key factor and that’s one reason why Rust-Oleum has been a go-to for decades in this hobby. Something to keep in mind as well: a light coat of gloss under your final matte varnish will provide a longer-lasting protective shell than just matte alone can. (Not to mention that gloss does a nice job of assisting subtle blends to reach a buttery smoothness)
Remember, always thin coats and always cured between them = no milky build-up and no tacky finish. 🤘🏼
