Clear coating a protective coat?

[bugman]

Ok I never really used a protective coat. What would you recommend? Spray can or brush on? I got some advice for decals needing a base clear coat before applying. Assumed that would be brush on???? Do to the tiny area of the decal.

I have over 200 minis from 35 years ago with no clear coat. Would you recommend anything different for them? Different from a newly painted minis??? Or the same?

Currently using some GDW paints. I don't even recall the brand of paint I used 35 years ago. I am sure they were water base though and long out of business. Metal cans iirc.

I am now playing again. Restarted my Campaign and some pickup games. Preparing to start GMing again at conventions again also. With mostly ancient stuff. Lol..

Any advice?

I am not a artistic painter. Just tabletop quality.
 

[Weirdo]

I tried brush-on stuff, I'll never touch it again.

I usually spray a mini with a clear gloss before applying any decals, it makes surfaces ultra smooth so the decals end up adhering and looking better. After that, I seal the whole thing in a clear matte.

[bugman]

So a double spray if you are applying decals? And just a single matte spray to finish if no decals?

[Elmoth]

AK ultramate varnish. Or vallejo mate varnish if you cannot find the former. Exist in bith brush and spray can formats. Both work. I have used both.

Unless you are a fan of dipping your hands in corn oil before grapping your minis, or wnt ro use them in bowling competitions, i found that double coating is not necessary, but OTOH I have friends that swear by doible varnishing their figures, so that depends on you and your experience.

[Weirdo]

If your painting style includes any amount of shading or highlights, I cannot recommend strongly enough that you avoid AK varnish at all costs. Every mini I ever put that stuff on, I was saying goodbye to every bit of depth the paintjob had.

So a double spray if you are applying decals? And just a single matte spray to finish if no decals?

Just a single coat of each should be fine, not double. And even if you don't plan to use any decals the gloss is a good idea, as it provides an extra layer of 'armor' protecting your paint.

[worktroll]

Gloss varnish tends to be stronger than matt, for some reason. I've only shifted to this in the last couple of years, but put down a gloss coat, then when dry, put a matt coat on it.

With handling, the matt coat can rub off edges - better you notice the edges becoming glossy, than the metal/plastic showing through.

Usual caveats apply - spray on a warmish or better, dry day. Cold leads to the varnish not mixing properly, and humidity leads to frosting. The good news is, if you do end up with frosting, another coat (on a warmish or better dry day) makes it go away 95% of the time.

[abou]

Gloss varnish tends to be stronger than matt, for some reason.

This is because of the flatteners they put into it to reduce the sheen. It disrupts the varnish.

What I do if I am concerned with durability is to do a spray through my airbrush of gloss varnish. Then I follow up with thin coats of a matte varnish in a rattle can until there is no sheen. This may be three or four thin coats. I have become a big fan of Tamiya's flat clear as I find it to be smooth and not so overwhelmingly matte as to kill the colors. I have actually grown to prefer it over Testor's Dullcote.

A good tip for rattle cans is to shake them well, dunk them in warm water, then shake again before applying. Getting rattle cans warm is one of the best things you can do.

You can use a brush on varnish, but they need to be thinned appropriately.

I have over 200 minis from 35 years ago with no clear coat. Would you recommend anything different for them? Different from a newly painted minis??? Or the same?

So here is a wrinkle for you: dust. You might need to find a way to safely clean those minis so that oil from your skin and accumulations of dust and debris don't interfere with the varnish.

[worktroll]

A good tip for rattle cans is to shake them well, dunk them in warm water, then shake again before applying. Getting rattle cans warm is one of the best things you can do.

Alternatively, stick them under your armpit for 5-10 minutes. You can still paint.