Does Decalfix eat Mattcote?

[Marvel Onkey]

Hi All

Does Humbrol Decalfix eat through Humbrol Matt Cote the way it does Humbrol Clear Gloss Varnish?

As a complete noob to modelling I picked up what products fell to hand from the model shop or Hobbycraft; Humbrol being a name I recognised I went with their products on the assumption they would work and complement each other.

Having carefully painted my first ever model I glossed it with Humbrol Clear Gloss Varnish and was quite happy with how it had worked; then I discovered what others already knew- Humbrol Decalfix eats Humbrol Clear Gloss varnish...to me this seems monumentally stupid from Humbrol, but as an ingenue what do I know...

Once I'd repaired the damage and wrestled the decals into place I varnished the model with Humbrol Matt Cote (which has given it quite a nice matt finish I think).

I've seen on the Humbrol Youtube the use of weathering powders mixed with decalfix to add weathering to a model and I fancy having a go at that (as a newbie the ability to wash it off again if it goes wrong is attractive) but, will the decalfix eat the Humbrol Matt cote in the same way it does the Clear leaving me another disaster to rectify (self-made calamities while trying new techniques I can live with).

Thanks

A

[Andy Moore]

I avoid decalfix these days so I couldn't tell you if it affects matt cote the same way but if you're looking to use something to mix and fix pigments, you'd be better off with white spirit or enamel thinner. It'll hold the pigments in place but they'll still be removable if required plus it won't affect your matt cote

Andy

[Marvel Onkey]

I just happened to have a bottle of enamel thinners delivered yesterday- thanks, I'll give that a try

[Black Knight]

To answer the O/p; I have heard that it does, if you apply liberally.

[Marvel Onkey]

I did a little experiment over the last few days- I primed and painted a spare piece of kit, then put Matt cote on it, left it overnight and attacked it with decalfix tonight.

The decalfix didn't seem to melt the Matt cote like it does the clear gloss varnish- it certainly left the paint untouched. I wouldn't exonerate it completely, but I've given it a verdict of 'not proven' for now and reprieved it from the bin; maybe I'll try the weathering and see how it goes.

In the meantime I've ordered some microsol and microset to fix my decals with.

[Knight_Flyer]

I normally use microsol and microset as they work ok for me most of the time. It was actually your comment about being happy with Humbrol Clear that caught my interest. I've seen postings about Clear causing crazing paving and was planning to test the stuff on an old model this weekend.

[old thumper]

I mostly spray Humbrol glosscote on enamels before using decalfix and spraying over with mattcote. I have never had a single problem with decalfix melting either gloss or mattcote. I find decalfix to work much better than microsol or microset when used on top of enamels and gloss/mattcote. The only thing that springs to mind is that your problem may be caused by using decalfix together with acrylics, I don't use acrylics myself but I think I have heard this being mentioned by those who do.

I often apply weathering powder suspended in klear, but when it is on it is on for good. I have a feeling that decalfix is a little bit to strong for klear and can make it go a bit sticky.

[Marvel Onkey]

Knight Flyer- I'm only building my second model so I don't have a large sample, but I haven't noticed any crazing on either of them so far. I brush it on rather than airbrush, don't know if that makes a difference?

Old Thumper- I am using acrylic paint, and may have been a bit liberal with decalfix first time out.

Edited to correct typos

Edited June 4, 2015 by Marvel Onkey

[old thumper]

Knight Flyer- I'm only building my second model so I don't have a large sample, but I haven't noticed any crazing on either of them so far. I brush it on rather than airbrush, don't know if that makes a difference?

Old Thumper- I am using acrylic paint, and may have been a bit liberal with decalfix first time out.

Edited to correct typos

I don't use acrylics so can't speak from experience but I am pretty sure I recently read on here that decalfix can melt acrylics. If you search through topics I think you will find a thread where this has already been discussed.