Humbrol Clear Matt

[Mr.modeller]

For me the humbrol matt varnish (not the matt clear) works perfectly .

I dont thin it and apply with a flat brush.

Always check if it is the new product or the recently released version as the older one is absolutley useless!

[MalX]

the gloss is excellent, it's a very thin diluted coat............but this matt did the same to my P51D today, it's totally useless, steer well clear of it 

 

i normally use Ronseal Duratough, it gives a totally flat rock hard finish...........every time,  but it'll block your airbrush quickly between coats.

 

1.........so you spray it, rinse your airbrush through with water

2.........dry your model with an hairdryer, about 15 seconds !

3.........put another coat on.

 

the Duratough household Acrylic is very thick and heavy so needs diluting about 50% and will only go through a Badger 200 or similar, dont dare use it in an expensive brush or it'll block it up instantly.

 

there's my Vulcan below, i've been using Duratough for the last 5 years !!!!

 

 

 

[Head in the clouds.]

I have had no problems with the Humbrol Matt varnish but I have the older small bottle and I have only used it on small parts, however, I have had mixed results with various gloss coats, Humbrol Gloss Varnish on Tamiya paint gave a patchy frosted effect, Alclad Gloss Varnish seems to bit more matt than gloss unless item is dipped, hard to do with a complete model!

I am still looking for the silver bullet of all things varnish so am off to Sainsbury to buy the modern Pledge and may investigate the W&N option as well but my conclusion is that testing on scrap model is a must and experimentation advisable as these products seem to vary from each individual set to another.

[Bedders]

I bought the matt and satin and both have misbehaved on top of humbrol enamel. I think the gloss is also doing silly things of late. Humbrol are you listening?

 

Justin

Edited January 14, 2017 by Bedders

[mollythedog]

I guess I should have looked here first....'cos the other day,at Southern Expo I bought a big bottle of this stuff. Tried it last night,as a finishing coat to the underside of an aircraft,brushed on (to Hannants satin enamel) and, sho nuff,it went white. "Don't panic" I thought, a second coat will probably cancel it out and leave it perfect. It didn't.

Managed to remove about 95% with Vallejo Airbrush Cleaner. Won't be using it again.

 

It appears to have far too much matting agent in the bottle-about 75%. And the finish,looking past the white sheen,was the deadest,mattest finish I ever saw-completely dead to the point that had it not turned white, I would have still removed it. Back to airbrushing the Vallejo then....

 

The old square bottle spirit based varnish they did was ok though.

 

mtd

[tomprobert]

If you get the 'white effect' as described in many replies, the simplest solution is to spray over it with gloss - it then disappears and is ready for another matt application.

 

Is this an acrylic varnish? I don't use acrylics as can't get on with them and am solely enamel based - the Humbrol matt enamel varnish is excellent and I've never had a problem in 20+ years of using it. It can only be used over other enamels though, and in my experience, mixing acrylic and enamels is a disaster before you've even started...

 

Tom

[mollythedog]

This is stated as a water based or soluble varnish. I normally use Vallejo. I have used the enamel based varnish for years too,though only brushed,and Revell heavily cut with cellulose when airbrushing,both worked fine. I bought this one on a whim and though it might be true the adding a gloss varnish  and starting over again might be an option on larger models it is not in my case. 

 

I mix acrylics and enamels all the time,putting either on top of the other with no issues whatsoever-in fact I wouldn't do it any other way now,especially as the 2 do not react,meaning that slight mistakes with one can be corrected with its own thinner,without disturbing the coat underneath.

 

The issue I had had nothing to do with the paint underneath,just far too matting agent in the varnish. I have seen it before,due often to humidity I suspect,but a second coat almost always "corrected" the first,not made it worse as this did.

 

mtd

[sapperastro]

Too much matting agent. Either try thinning it down even further (after thoroughly mixing it) or, according to what I have read elsewhere, there is a 'new formula' version just out (which states this on the bottle) which contains less matting agent and does work.

[janneman36]

To get this started again, i had high hopes for the matt clear varnish ......too high i think..

I tried it in various conditions and applied it in a very thin coat and i mean thin and it still turned chalky white!!

Less white then when i did the thicker coat but still i had the chalky effect.. at that day it was at least 21 degrees celcius and clear skies.

Even the whole house was free of drying laundry🤔

Whereas i used the clear gloss with great succes this looks like a varnish from the darkest side of satans cabinet of paints.....

I think i will stay with my Microscale matt clear for matting my stuf, less in the bottle but so much better in the end....

 

Cheers, Jan

[sapperastro]

Just out of curiosity, did it have 'new formula' on the bottle? That is the information I received about newer bottles as someone went silly at the factory with matting agent on earlier bottles. Email Humbrol and tell them about it, and see what happens.

[janneman36]

28 minutes ago, sapperastro said:

Just out of curiosity, did it have 'new formula' on the bottle? That is the information I received about newer bottles as someone went silly at the factory with matting agent on earlier bottles. Email Humbrol and tell them about it, and see what happens.

Thanks for that, i have to check it out and if not i am going to contact them!!

 

Cheers, Jan