Varnishes

[Bexley]

I am looking for a very durable varnish. I use dullcote on display figures, and several layers of glosscote followed by one or two layers of dullcote for gaming figures, which is generally suffcient.

However, I have begun playing in a Blood Bowl league. Moreover, I play Skaven, which spend a lot of the game face down on the pitch with that AV7. In eight games, the paint is already rubbing off on the high points of my figures. This isn't much of a problem in the other games I play, as the figures aren't generally set on their sides in other games- figures that have played in dozens and dozens of games over the last ten years are still in good shape. Blood Bowl, by nature, is kinda rough on figures.

Hence, the need for a durable varnish. Glossiness isn't an issue, as I'll still dullcote over whatever I use. I'd considered using a polyurethane, which I know is strong as hell, but it yellows significantly. I also have some spray Golden Archival picture varnish, which is an enamel based clear coat made for spraying oil paintings. I've never used it on figures, though the can does have instructions for spraying over acrylic paints. But I have no idea how well it works, so if anybody has used it, let me know.

Failing that, does anybody know of any really durable clear coats that don't yellow too much?

[PigmentPusher]

One thing you can try is using a brush on sealer. With the spray ons, gravity will settle most of the sealer away from edges and high points. Use brush on to those areas you think you will wear more easily.

[Bexley]

I may try it out, though my head tells me it won't do much good. Brush-on sealers that are compatible with acrylics tend to be just clear acrylics themselves, and aren't much more durable than the paint itself. Solvent based ones might be durable enough, but since the solvents may soften the paint, brushing would just ruin the paint. The only reason spraying them doesn't harm the paint is that... well, actually, they do harm the paint. But since you don't muck it around with a brush, the paint film stays intact until the solvent evaporates.

You know, I bet Industrial Polymers makes a clear non-yellowing urethane spray... of course, I might have to buy 5 gallons of it, but it'll be pretty darned scratch-proof... (EDIT: Nope, they don't. Nothing clear, anyways.)

[Wren]

You could test out some Future floor polish?

[YoungWolf7]

I've had good results brushing on a coat or two of Tamiya Clear on the spiky bits and such, then spraying Dullcote over it. I also use it for a spot gloss varnish after Dullcote to add pop to metals.

[Magno]

I use Reaper brush on sealer and I water it down in a 1-to-1 ratio. I brush it on and it holds up pretty well. My only problem is that it tends to destroy the blending of the miniatures.

Anyone have a good method for sealing display figures?

[demonherald]

I have been using either of Humbrol enamel gloss varnish or more recently tamiya clear......a couple of coats of the tamiya on more handled and raised areas followed by dullcoting seems to do the trick...