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A good matt varnish?


Sparzanza

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I'm on my third Humbrol Enamel 49 matt varnish can that has turned into jelly inside after a few weeks/months and ends up clogging my airbrush. I thought it was just the pigments that I needed to stir extra thoroughly into the thinner inside the can, but I spent a good 10 minutes stirring, and while it looks good, it still messes everything up.

 

I thin and thin, and the varnish I pour into my airbrush cup looks good, but it still gives me these tiny blobs that gets stuck inside my airbrush and ruins everything. I don't want to experience this ever again. So what would be a good substitute?

 

Preferrably not acrylic, as it seems prone to cracking for no reason whatsoever. It needs to be able to go on top of enamel paints without making a fuss.

 

Thank you...

Edited by Sparzanza
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I did mention no acrylics. I did have some Vallejo matt varnish that I just tried out, and I spent more time unblocking the nozzle with thinner than actual spraying.

 

Basically my airbrush is a piece of dung and I will never afford a better one.

Edited by Sparzanza
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I did mention no acrylics. I did have some Vallejo matt varnish that I just tried out, and I spent more time unblocking the nozzle with thinner than actual spraying.

 

Basically my airbrush is a piece of dung and I will never afford a better one.

 

Actually, it sounds like you are using "too good" of an air-brush for a simple task, that is an internal-mixing gravity-fed model.

 

For that I would actually use the cheaper model external-mixing type that siphons from a bottle like the Badger 250.

250.jpg

 

No stuff coming along inside of an internal mixing chamber/needle/nozzle to clog it.

 

I prefer the simplicity of the open-mixing types for both base coats and finish varnishes, and this one is available for less then $10.00:

https://www.amazon.com/Hobby-Air-Brush-Spray-Gun/dp/B001IE4HMY

Edited by Gigant
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I did mention no acrylics. I did have some Vallejo matt varnish that I just tried out, and I spent more time unblocking the nozzle with thinner than actual spraying.

 

Basically my airbrush is a piece of dung and I will never afford a better one.

"it's not the airbrush, it's how you use it"

Annoying but true. All varnishes are good to use but I figure handling can give different result. Cracking, for example, is to me an indicating of too thick application. Also beware of insufficient drying time before next layer.

As for Vallejo watch out for using alcohol to thin it. Stick to water.

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Actually, it sounds like you are using "too good" of an air-brush, that is an internal-mixing gravity-fed model.

 

For that I would actually use the cheaper model external-mixing type that siphons from a bottle like the Badger 250.

250.jpg

No stuff coming along inside of the mixing chamber/nozzle to clog it.

 

I prefer the simplicity of the open-mixing types for both base coats and finish varnishes, and tis type is available for less then $10.00:

https://www.amazon.com/Hobby-Air-Brush-Spray-Gun/dp/B001IE4HMY

That is quite a clever idea. Getting decent coverage is hard with a real dual action brush.

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I did mention no acrylics. I did have some Vallejo matt varnish that I just tried out, and I spent more time unblocking the nozzle with thinner than actual spraying.

 

Basically my airbrush is a piece of dung and I will never afford a better one.

Clumping and blobs are caused by using the wrong thinner, acrylics will coagulate if you don't use the right ones.
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Clumping and blobs are caused by using the wrong thinner, acrylics will coagulate if you don't use the right ones.

 

I will try water. Clumping and blobs was not the issue. It just stopped spraying randomly every 3 seconds, like the varnish dried too fast or something. My main gripe when shooting acrylics.

 

I thinned it with alcohol as I figured it would do a better job at thinning than water. But yeah as you and Hardcore suggested - water. I will try it.

Edited by Sparzanza
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That is quite a clever idea. Getting decent coverage is hard with a real dual action brush.

 

IMHO, a lot of scale modelers are over-impressed by the "fancy-schmancy" high-end hardware shown off by so-called "experts".

 

Since I am not put off by the phrase "for beginners", here is the type I prefer to use the most:

 

31aem-46zKL._SR600%2C315_PIWhiteStrip%2C

...and it runs for about $13.00 on Amazon, and I have found it nearly impossible to clog:

 

https://www.amazon.com/AIRBRUSH-SET-KIT-Single-Action-Siphon-Feed-External-Mix-Sunless/dp/B0017TRRG8

 

Also, I stick with the thinner that is provided with the name brand paint, since it is sold on the same shelf as the paint itself at stores like Hobby Lobby. I only add alcohol to alcohol type acrylic paints like Tamiya's, and before I do I give it the "sniff test" to make sure.

Edited by Gigant
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If you use the Vallejo, the negatives are that 1)needs both a flow improve and a retarder, 2)dries slow, 3)NO ALCOHOL based thinner, use only their own thinner or distilled water.

 

The positives, it dried hard as nails and will not affect the finish or decals (no solvents)! With that being said...its not as flat as I want, I have tried many varieties of clear matte and so far the best I have found come from rattle cans as lacquers (Testors & Mr Color), however, I did pick up some Model Master clear flat and some Mr Color leveling thinner that I will give a go this weekend.

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