Any tips for brush painting varnish?

[waylandsmithy]

Hi,

 

I'm having improved success with watering down Vallejo acrylics when brush painting: I get a much better finish. However, when I brush on varnish (AK, I think) it isn't so good. It ends up patchy.

 

What an I doing wrong?

Edited July 13, 2018 by waylandsmithy

[sapperastro]

Matt varnish? First off, you need the right varnish, and everyones answer will be different. I have used the vallejo stuff successfully, though I prefer Humbrol Matt Cote at present. Having never used AK, I cannot comment on it. I have found 'varnish aint varnish' so many times now, that the brand seems to matter a great deal, and it doesn't matter whether the other paints work well or not. Humbrol enamel used to have good matt varnish, though the consensus seems to be don't bother with the new stuff, Revell Aqua matt varnish doesn't work for me (dries whitish even after thinning, rest of the paint is great), liquitex matt varnish doesn't work for me. I intend to try Revell enamel and model master acrylic matt varnishes next.

 

You could just use a rattle can. I have used the Humbrol and Tamiya rattle can matts, and gotten good finishes. Just need to learn how to spray light coats and not drench the model.

 

You aren't leaving pools of the stuff to dry on the model? I have found allowing the matt varnish to pool always leads to white patches in those areas, regardless of whether the rest of the coat works well.