Issues with Vallejo varnish

[peanutbuttermeister]

Hi all, just joined -- did some searching before posting but didn't find anything that addressed the issues I've been having. (Sorry if I've missed something pertient.) I'm hand painting with Vallejo Model Colors, washes, and varnishes (don't want to use anything with fumes, and haven't had time to learn to use an airbrush yet). My current workflow is a few layers of primer -> a few layers of paint -> gloss varnish -> wash -> sometimes gloss varnish again for extra protection -> a few coats of matte varnish

Two things related to Vallejo's matte varnish. First, it stays 'tacky' after it's set. I've noticed this on some pieces to which I just applied a second or third coat (they'd been drying 2-3 days), but also on a model I finished early this year: I unpacked it and found that a joint wouldn't move (it was a plastic-on-plastic pivot joint, with both surfaces painted and finished). It was so tight that when I stupidly tried to force it, part of the arm broke before the sticky joint gave way. I'm concerned about this tackiness because a lot of my kits have two painted surfaces in contact -- often for articulation, but even static pieces might rub up against each other when they're fitted together. In general, I don't want surfaces to stick to stuff. Is this just a failing of vallejo's varnish, or something in my technique, or a fact of life with clear coats in general...?

Second issue is that when I apply the varnish over a wash, the varnish often 'picks up' the wash pigment and moves it around. (I'm applying washes pretty generously across the piece before brushing it away, so most of the wash ends up around panel lines and details, but there's a thin layer over the whole piece.) I've heard that you shouldn't apply acrylic varnish over an acrylic wash (i.e. use enamel or something instead), but I want to stay with an all-acrylic process, and sort of thought that since I'm using all Vallejo products they would play nice. The only way I've seen around this issue is to apply the wash liberally, so the brush is wet and moving freely across the piece -- the more friction the more the wash seems to get disturbed, as you would expect. Is it unrealistic to expect acrylic varnish on acrylic wash to work without issues? Should I put in some time learning to airbrush so I can apply the varnish gently? And if using Vallejo gloss varnish -- between the paint and wash, and between wash and matte coat -- isn't doing me any favors, is there any reason not to use Pledge/Future for those layers? Sure is cheaper.

Thanks-