The Loose Association of Wargamers

Warning,- I'm going to name names in this article. I'm at once both distraught and furious! I have never had a varnishing disaster like this before in all my decades of experience.

Help! In order to preserve my dwindling supplies of the superb Winsor and Newton Professional Matt Varnish I ordered some Minibits Deluxe Matt Varnish from Pendraken Miniatures. Five cans in fact. I used this over my normal Humbrol Gloss coat and the results were very satin! A far cry from what I am used to which is a very flat matt I get with the Winsor and Newton Professional Matt Varnish.

I then tried to brush on some matt varnish and it just ran off the model like I was pouring water on!

I had one can of Colourforge Matt Varnish, which I was going to try out on some terrain, and applied it over the Minibits Deluxe Matt Varnish. What you see below is the result! Not only has there been extreme frosting but the varnish has actually cracked on the models!

I am absolutely distraught. As I have said, I have never had such a terrible result with any varnish in all of my painting days which amounts to over two decades- longer if I include my youth!

Normally, if I get a bit of frosting I would re gloss then repeat with the Winsor and Newton Professional Matt Varnish

If anyone has a solution to this please, please contact me and let me know.

Here's the mess:

Not seen that myself, is it only on one figure.
Tell me its only one figure and not 200.

This is only a guess.
I normally leave figures 24 hours before varnishing and I assume you do the same but looking at the
photo's it appears to be a reaction with the paint?

Not sure if any of this helps.
https://acrylicpaintingschool.com/how-t ... ting-easy/
https://theknowledgeburrow.com/how-do-y ... ay-paint/


Willz.

I can offer nothing but my sympathy.

In all my decades of painting (and of course that's not including my youth), I've not seen anything even approaching that bad a reaction.

I can well imagine how you must feel.

Iain

Willz the Wargamer wrote: ↑Tue Jan 11, 2022 3:08 pm Not seen that myself, is it only on one figure.
Tell me its only one figure and not 200.

All the miniatures in the first batch of six out of 12!

Willz the Wargamer wrote: ↑Tue Jan 11, 2022 3:08 pm This is only a guess.
I normally leave figures 24 hours before varnishing and I assume you do the same but looking at the
photo's it appears to be a reaction with the paint?

I'm more extreme then that. I usually wait a week between painting, glossing and matting down so it can take me three weeks to get to the stage where I'm ready to base. I followed my usual steps. I'm tempted to send a bill to the suppliers of the varnish!

Willz the Wargamer wrote: ↑Tue Jan 11, 2022 3:08 pm Not sure if any of this helps.
https://acrylicpaintingschool.com/how-t ... ting-easy/

Cheers Willz, I'll take a look at it now.

This might be teaching you to suck eggs but it has some useful tips.
https://tangibleday.com/recommended-var ... -and-use/

A proven 5-step method for restoring models that have a badly frosted finish:
Use olive oil (not sure if this fits into your problem).

Apply a thin coat of virgin olive oil over the entire miniature.
Let this coat of oil dry (or “cure”, which is the appropriate term) on the model for at least 1-2 hours. The olive oil removes or displaces some of the moisture on the model’s surface and lubricates the dried particulates that cause the frosted effect. As the oil cures, the varnished surface smooths out which helps restore the transparent effect.
After a little time has elapsed, wipe off the oil with a clean paper cloth. Most the transparency should have returned to the miniature. You can carefully wipe off the oil from the model with a dampened paper towel with soap and water (do not soak the miniature).
After the model has dried, re-apply the matte varnish using the frost-prevention methods described above.

Or this.


Willz.

I feel your pain. I had the same thing happen to one model APC in a batch of eight I was spraying at the same time! It's not the same as the usual 'frosting', which I find always sorts itself out with another spray on a different day (with lower humidity). Sadly, I couldn't find a solution for this strange 'wrinkling and cracking' phenomenon and re-spraying had absolutely no effect.

I know that's not much help, but thought I'd mention it, as it might not be the varnish and might simply be the weather/humidity, as it happened to me completely out of the blue with my usual varnish and the other seven models in the batch were absolutely fine. In my case, I think it was because I put too thick a coat onto that particular model.

I would hit the worst areas with solvent and a cotton bud. When an acceptable finish is achieved wash well and re varnish. I have only had similar once with some army painter stuff, it frosted and cracked just like that. I think I used isopropyl alcohol to remove it.

It's likely that one or more of the additional coats of varnish have reactivated the Humbrol Gloss coat. This has resulted in a very thick layer of uncured/reactivated varnish that has then dried with the "crackle" effect, (that normlly only occurs when you slop the stuff on too thickly.)

It's a tough lesson to learn but some paints/varnishes don't sit well with each other, especially solvent based ones like the Gloss Coat which are more easily reactivated than acrylics which are essentially inert once "cured".

Is there a cure, sadly probably not. Hopefully you can strip the varnish back as described above without stripping the paint and revarnish.

Paul wrote: ↑Tue Jan 11, 2022 4:15 pm It's likely that one or more of the additional coats of varnish have reactivated the Humbrol Gloss coat. This has resulted in a very thick layer of uncured/reactivated varnish that has then dried with the "crackle" effect, (that normlly only occurs when you slop the stuff on too thickly.)

It's a tough lesson to learn but some paints/varnishes don't sit well with each other, especially solvent based ones like the Gloss Coat which are more easily reactivated than acrylics which are essentially inert once "cured".

Is there a cure, sadly probably not. Hopefully you can strip the varnish back as described above without stripping the paint and revarnish.

I think, none of the above. The Humbrol Gloss was given a week to cure before I applied any varnish. If anything the Colourforge Matt Varnish has reacted with the so called (very satin, almost gloss!) Deluxe Matt Varnish sold by Pendraken. Very far from Deluxe and very far from Matt. If it had gone on matt (in the first place in the light successive layers that were applied allowing time for it to dry inbetween) I would not be in this mess. Two weeks of painting down the drain

I'm so pissed off, I think it's time I walked away from the hobby.

RMD wrote: ↑Tue Jan 11, 2022 3:49 pm I feel your pain. I had the same thing happen to one model APC in a batch of eight I was spraying at the same time! It's not the same as the usual 'frosting', which I find always sorts itself out with another spray on a different day (with lower humidity). Sadly, I couldn't find a solution for this strange 'wrinkling and cracking' phenomenon and re-spraying had absolutely no effect.

I know that's not much help, but thought I'd mention it, as it might not be the varnish and might simply be the weather/humidity, as it happened to me completely out of the blue with my usual varnish and the other seven models in the batch were absolutely fine. In my case, I think it was because I put too thick a coat onto that particular model.

I couldn't get into the garage (where I normally spray solvents due to having a guy out to fix my washer and me being CEV) so sprayed in my very dry conservatory. It's completely inexplicable except that the varnish, even with a week between the so called (very far from) Deluxe Matt Varnish sold by Pendraken (which dried to a hyper satin, almost gloss sheen).

This is almost certainly the last nail in the coffin for me. I'm walking away from the hobby.