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johankimigo.
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Home › Forums › Painting in Tabletop Gaming › Thinning Vallejo matte varnish
I prefer to use a brush on matte varnish to protect my miniatures. I recently saw a tutorial where a painter thinned a brush on matte varnish with water. I was surprised as I believe I contaminated my Vallejo varnish one time with water (a dish that hadn’t been properly dried) and I think it caused the varnish to “fog”. Parts of the mini turned white in the creases. Does anyone out there thin their varnish? With water or with something else, like a flow improver. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
I’m the same with mine, even if I really don’t like slopping it on without thinning it. Would love to hear some success stories.
I used to use the Vallejo Matt varnish but never found it gave a particularly Matt finish.
I don’t see why it couldn’t be thinned a little but I think you need to make sure your water was very very clean
I thin my Vallejo paints and varnishes with both water and their thinner. I also spray it and brush it. The most important thing to do is let everything stabilise at the same temperature, or ghosting can happen. I try not to go any varnish spraying when it’s too cold as that seems to be when it happens most.
I haven’t had any ghosting with the Vallejo matte varnish when brushed on. I have had that with aerosol use of Testor’s Dullcote. I only use the Vallejo gloss regularly when I want to fill in small areas or over metals that I’m going to paint over and scratch battle damage.
In any case a little thinning shouldn’t be a problem. Just be sure not to drown your work in the stuff.
I thin my Vallejo varnishes with some of their airbrush thinner, but then I also apply it with an airbrush. However with their polyurethane matt varnish I always had problems fogging up, no matter what I did. Their acrylic varnishes work perfectly fine for me.
I thin Vallejo matte varnish (always with clean water) with no problems. Have had some disasters with aerosols though (GW brands) so won’t use them anymore
Although I have started to use Army Painter anti shine recently. I always applied Vallejo Matt after thinnuth it with clean water and never had any issues with it at all.
I’m the same with mine, even if I really don’t like slopping it on without thinning it. Would love to hear some success stories.
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