Winsor and Newton Galleria Matt Varnish

[Vlad]

I've finally bought a bottle of this stuff after reading so many good things about it on here. I don't routinely matt varnish my builds, partly because I've never found one that works for me and I'm terrified of ruining them with something that goes milky white.

 

I did a quick test, slapped some W&N on a card that I had previously used to test shades and sure enough it went perfectly flat in minutes, I was amazed! However, I can see slight milking and white residue and it's altering (lightening) some of the colours a bit. I assume this is because in my eagerness I didn't thin it? I know I can just thin it with water but I want to check that there isn't something else wrong in the way I'm using it. Like I said I'm tip-toeing around using this because there is an otherwise finished build at stake.

[Graham Boak]

Matt varnish will generally lighten colours because it creates a slightly rougher surface which reflects more light in a range of directions.  Many modellers paint their models in matt colours, then add gloss varnish to avoid silvering around the transfers caused by tiny air bubbles caught in the rough surface.  This darkens the colours slightly, whereupon adding the matt varnish brings back the original. 

 

I'm a little surprised that you are getting white patches, which have often been blamed on either insufficient stirring, or insufficient curing of the paint coat, or moisture.  Perhaps all three can cause this?  I've recently brought a bottle of the W&N myself, and a first trial gave no problems.  I used to use a spray can of matt varnish which I believe was also W&N and it never gave any such problems, but I haven't seen that for many years.

 

 

[Vlad]

I don't have white patches as such, I painted half a square that was originally very gloss and the contrast made it look like I had overpainted it with very finely thinned white. The lightening is stark and a little unsettling for me. I've done another test with it thinned and the effect is slightly less, I guess it's just supposed to do that but I need to be careful. I think a full scale test on an old project I don't mind ruining might be in order.

[goggsy]

Is it white and grainy? If so that suggests that the varnish is drying before it hits the surface. Better thinning may take care of that, or maybe some flow enhancer. I usually thin with cellulose, seems to work ok with this stuff which I find is the best Matt I’ve ever used.

[malpaso]

I use it just thinned with water.  It gives a lovely but dead flat Matt finish.  Yes it appears to lighten darker colours but only back to the colour it was before glossing for decals.

The only thing is it seems to take a while to really harden off.  I tried with X-20a as well, which worked but no real difference or advantage.

This is with an airbrush.  Beforehand I'd used it by airbrushing, occasionally there would be patchiness in one coat, I found you needed to keep it stirred and slightly thinned. 

My impression was perhaps the solids in the varnish settle slightly even while you're painting between brushfuls, I think the action inside the airbrush might agitate sufficiently to give even finish.

[Vlad]

Thanks all. No, I'm pretty sure now I was just over-reacting to the lightening effect, with a bit of extra issue due to rough finish. I brushed a thinned and flow enhanced layer onto an older build and it seems fine, I'll just have to make sure I put flow enhancer in the bottle and shake better, then do several thin coats. Annoyingly the brand new bottle is too full to top up with water so I can't have it neatly pre-thinned.

[Vlad]

Just to add, another part of the problem for me was that it was not self-levelling and I could not easily see the brush marks I was creating since I am painting with something transparent onto something glossy. So the slight white-ish streaking was just bad finish. I have bitten the bullet and applied it to my current projects, two very thin coats with a soft brush, and the lightening is acceptable with a good smooth finish now.