Dullcote failure?

[Bexley]

In the past, I have usually stored my painted figures in boxes, as I haven't had anywhere to put them where they won't get dusty. My current living arrangement includes a display case, so I have set several figure sin there. Some are from my old Eldar army, painted around 1998-1999 or so. A few are from around 2004-2005, and then some of the most recent ones, including my Iron Painter entries.

I have almost always sprayed my figures with 2-3 coats of Testor's Glosscote, followed by as many coats of Dullcote as it takes to make the finish matte.

I was looking in the case yesterday, and noticed that almost all of my old Eldar are now glossy, as well as one of the figures from around 2005. I checked the Eldar I still have packed away, and they are still matte.

Has anybody else ever seen anything like this? My guess is that being exposed to light has something to do with it, as the packed figures didn't change. Given that Testor's lacquers have been used for ages on models which get displayed, I'm surprised that the product would fail like that. It can't just be from one bad can, as the models span a long time frame, and had to have been sprayed with cans bought years apart.

[supervike]

That is a very odd thing. I've had it before where the dullcote fails out of the can, but that has either been a very old can, or one that I didn't properly shake to mix up the ingredients.

I may slightly disagree that it really doesn't sound like 'failure', but more a matter of just air and light degrading it over time. Failure seems to imply it didn't work at all. However, that doesn't make your beloved army less glossy....

[Bexley]

Well, it's not like I'm using it for something other than its intended purpose. Most people put figures or models on display, and Dullcote has been around a lot longer than the models I've had this problem with. It'd be one thing if the dullcote lost its gloss after ten years or so, but these have been in the display case for just over a year, an dnot in direct sunlight or anything- they're in the basement, and only get light from incandescent bulbs for a few hours a day at most. I would say that Dullcote staying dull for only a year under those conditions is a faliure.

[supervike]

Yeah, after thinking about it, I'd say I agree.

Afterall, if your brakes on your car stopped working after several years, you'd still call that failure as well. This is a case where the dullcote refused to stay dull!

I used to use Dullcote back when I was in Jr. High School, on the 1/35 army guys I'd do. (thats been about 25 years ago)...and that dullcote has held up pretty well.... Of course that was all brushed on.

I've got some in my display shelf that I sprayed just a few years ago, I'll have a look at them tonight, and see what I think.

Maybe a semi-annual spray is in order?

[Bexley]

They'd look coated in matte slime after a while if that was the case.

Mostly, I'm just wondering if this has happened to anybody else, or if it's just a freak occurrence.

[Moavoamoatu]

I didn't have this problem with varnish but another one : it gets yellowish after a few years. I use a matt varnish spray. Still matt but yellow...and these figures are in closed boxes, never exposed to light.

[Wren]

There was somed discussion on the Reaper forums recently about Dullcote yellowing, and a suggestion for an alternate product. http://www.reapermini.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=32772

[eastman]

How long did the GlossCote get to dry between layers and and how longer before the DullCote was then added?

I bought GlossCote (with the intention of using it under decals), and I seem to remember it requiring a lot longer to dry than a light mist of DullCote does. If the DullCote was sprayed over uncured Gloss, the solvents in the GlossCote would migrate thru the DullCote.

[Bexley]

Except for last-minute IP entries, I usually give a good half hour between coats.

Thing is, though, that they were matte for many years. The Dullcote has only stopped being matte recently.