Jump to content

Recommend me a good acrylic gloss varnish


Valleyofvallejo

Recommended Posts

You will see plenty of references for products called Klear / Future etc. which were originally intended for normal household floor varnish, until some bright spark modeller thought otherwise.   

Each country seems to stock a 'similar' product however the names vary by country and it is said that the core ingredients may have changed over time.

This is/was sold in Australia by "Pledge" however the availability is pretty hit and miss these days.

 

I have heard good words spoken about Winsor & Newton's Galleria varnishes as well as Alclad's Aqua Gloss.

I have not tried either, so cannot really comment on their brush-able characteristics 

 

Cheers and good luck... Dave.

 

p.s. If you know anyone that's going to the U.S, tell them to pop into a Walmart store and bring you back one of these -

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Pledge-With-Future-Shine-Floor-Finish-27oz/15136693

 

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Klear is good, although I still have a stock of the formula from a good few years ago and haven't tried the new type.

 

I'm also a big fan of Alclads Aqua Gloss great stuff as is their other varnishes.

 

http://elementgames.co.uk/paints-hobby-and-scenery/paints-hobby-and-scenery-by-manufacturer/alclad-ii/alclad-ii-klear-kote/alclad-ii-aqua-gloss-clear-120ml?d=22&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIrcqpvKmD1QIVFxQbCh229wVgEAQYASABEgLzxvD_BwE

 

Muzz

Link to comment
Share on other sites

35 minutes ago, Muzz said:

Klear is good, although I still have a stock of the formula from a good few years ago and haven't tried the new type.

 

I'm also a big fan of Alclads Aqua Gloss great stuff as is their other varnishes.

 

http://elementgames.co.uk/paints-hobby-and-scenery/paints-hobby-and-scenery-by-manufacturer/alclad-ii/alclad-ii-klear-kote/alclad-ii-aqua-gloss-clear-120ml?d=22&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIrcqpvKmD1QIVFxQbCh229wVgEAQYASABEgLzxvD_BwE

 

Muzz

Is the aqua gloss good for handbrushing?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

29 minutes ago, Valleyofvallejo said:

Is the aqua gloss good for handbrushing?

I've not tried handbrushing it, I'm not sure as Alclad products are generally designed for airbrushing. Klear is very good for handbrushing as its self levelling.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

12 hours ago, Valleyofvallejo said:

I would like to obtain a good acrylic gloss varnish that can be applied with a brush to avoid stinking out the place. 

Klear or similar is good but sometimes its thinness is a problem; eg needs about 5 coats to get matt camouflage to gloss for decaling

I'm using Vallejo Gloss varnish now.

Its a bit thick in the bottle and will dry with brush strokes; but thinning a bit with water and it flows better, no brush strokes, dries fairly fast

Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 minutes ago, Black Knight said:

Klear or similar is good but sometimes its thinness is a problem; eg needs about 5 coats to get matt camouflage to gloss for decaling

I'm using Vallejo Gloss varnish now.

Its a bit thick in the bottle and will dry with brush strokes; but thinning a bit with water and it flows better, no brush strokes, dries fairly fast

How about the MIG ammo gloss varnish?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

In my experience, Klear hand brushes very well. I never spray it. I find that just two coats will do the job on Gunze Model Color flats. For me, the issue with it's thinness is pooling. You have to be careful not to apply too much. If you are not, it will run to the lowest point, I.e., the belly of an aircraft drying upright on it's landing gear. It can be removed with alcohol or alcohol based solutions. Beware, however, when using alcohol based decal setting solutions, too much will dissolve the Klear.

Another virtue is that Klear, when applied over natural metal finishes, does not diminish the metallic feel and sheen of them nearly as much as some other products.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

...stop messing about - this stuff is brilliant for hand brush application...

It's one of the very few good products Humbrol produce - water based - no odour - self levelling / clean brush in water.

Way better than Klear - in my humble opinion (not trying to start an argument) - Klear is good - but as a 'varnish' this is better.

humbrolclear.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

22 minutes ago, BIG X said:

...stop messing about - this stuff is brilliant for hand brush application...

It's one of the very few good products Humbrol produce - water based - no odour - self levelling / clean brush in water.

Way better than Klear - in my humble opinion (not trying to start an argument) - Klear is good - but as a 'varnish' this is better.

humbrolclear.jpg

And the bottle i bought took over 4 weeks to dry

 

Rodders

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

20 minutes ago, Rodders154 said:

And the bottle i bought took over 4 weeks to dry

 

Rodders

WOW - I find it's normally touch dry in around 30 minutes and fully hardened in under 12 hours - but hey - if it didn't work for you then your right to say so...

...all I know is it works for me - I'm on my third bottle - as I said - one of the few really great Humbrol products - it gives a fantastic gloss finish to - perfect for a pre-decal coat.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

25 minutes ago, Valleyofvallejo said:

All right, which is better for the brush, Humbrol clear or Vallejo gloss? Note that Pledge/Klear isn't available in Australia (Where I live).

I've tried both and would go for the humbrol - as I find it dries quicker / levels better / the gloss is 'glossier'.  Quite simply a great varnish for brush application.  One word of advice though...

...they are only as good as the flat brush you get - I use a Daler Rowney Graduate Flat Wash 3/4inch - it fits in the bottle neck and is very good quality, plus cleans easily and doesn't shed.

578242_1000_1_800.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

I've tried Humbrol clear - it's not bad, does brush on well, did take a while to dry (actually this seemed to depend very much on temperature - took a while on a cold day, brushed on in the morning and had to leave it overnight). Given Big X's and Rodders' experiences I wonder whether there might be a quality control issue.

 

I recently tried Tamiya clear - X22 I think - I've been airbrushing it rather than hand brushing but it's been going on well and drying pretty quickly, so might be worth a try.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've been using Tamiya X22 Clear both airbrush and hairy stick. Both give good results.

I don't know if Humbrol has changed the formula for their acrylic gloss varnish, but years ago, when it was sold in small square bottles, it had a drying time similar to that of the gestation period of an elephant. Maybe it's changed.

 

John.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Humbrol Clear as a basis for decals, Winsor & Newton Galeria Gloss, Satin or Matt for finishing coats.

I found MicroScale's MicroGloss & MicroFlat to be one of my biggest disappointments in modelling (apart from recognising my lack of skills!)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 02/08/2017 at 01:49, MadNurseGaz said:

Humbrol Clear as a basis for decals, Winsor & Newton Galeria Gloss, Satin or Matt for finishing coats.

I found MicroScale's MicroGloss & MicroFlat to be one of my biggest disappointments in modelling (apart from recognising my lack of skills!)

Would Vallejo gloss/matt work better for decal base, or as a finishing coat?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Xtracrylixs.

 

A broad, flat brush and very little tap water. Go in the sense of airflow from panel line to panel line; try loading only what you need to cover. Do not go too fast or bubbles will develop. Do not go over it until it is dry. Once dry it can be polished. Easier than it sounds.

 

Fernando

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 8/3/2017 at 0:15 PM, Valleyofvallejo said:

Would Vallejo gloss/matt work better for decal base, or as a finishing coat?

Sorry, I've no experience of Vallejo varnishes, so I can't help you there, but I do like Vallejo Model Color paint!

Definitely gloss for a decal base, then whatever is appropriate for finishing. Many people believe military subjects are always Matt finished, but that's not the case!

Sorry for the delay in replying, I thought I'd replied yesterday, but I was interrupted while composing the message!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...