Varnish that is just right

[Kahoolin]

Hey all,

I've decided I'm going to varnish all my metal guys. After a bad experience as a kid with spray varnish (it went bubbly) I've never used it again, but I've spent ages painting my guard to the best TT standard I can muster and I'm sick of my commissars, priests and psykers chipping.

I was looking for some advice on a good product to use. I don't want a gloss finish - I want them to look as if they haven't been varnished, to be honest, so I was wondering if there's one simple product I can spray on that won't dull metallics or gloss up matts. Or am I doomed to matt spraying them and then tediously painting gloss on their blades?

Cheers.

[Gir]

I use Boyle finishing sealer. Comes in matt and gloss, and costs about $11 for a 400g can at Bunnings.

The matt stuff does shine up non metallics, but not a lot, and I find on blacks it makes it look a lot deeper. Haven't noticed anything happen to metals.

It's also never fogged or bubbled, no matter how lazy I've been with it. Even spraying when it's pouring rain and nothing happened.

[Kahoolin]

Thanks. "Not a lot" sounds OK, I think that would be alright. I'm just afraid matt would flatten the metallics, I'm not sure how it works.

I don't know what I did when I made it bubble. I was like 10 years old and it was in Brizzy so maybe it was too humid or something. It was so traumatic having my D&D mini I'd spent so long painting ruined that I just never used varnish again.

[Gir]

I had that problem with GW's purity seal, that put me off Varnish until i got sick of my metals chipping. This stuff has not let me down since.

[Iceman]

I have not had any trouble using either GW's Purity Seal, Reaper Matte Varnish or Testors Flat Finish. The closest thing to a problem I have had is that they tend to dull the metallics.

[Vorlon]

Just my novice two cents but Ive had good results with Testors. GW purity seal didnt work out so well. Seemed to go on thick and "candy coat my stuff with a very light application.

[odinsgrandson]

I normally use the Krylon matt finish. You need to spray it pretty lightly or it will gloss up the mini, but a light spray usually doesn't do anything to the finish.