All About Sealants

Since I live in South America, most of these sealants are not available around, I'd like to know, if possible, if theres any particular formula in sealants to know whether they are safe or not, so I could maybe look for an equivalent product around to use.

 

I am a newbie at face ups at the moment and have bought myself a practice head, what I want to know is how many layers do I spray on at one time.

 

Karolinka, I don't think there's a truly "safe" sealant, as you are essentially spraying particulates into the air. Anything like that will do damage to your respiratory system without proper preventive action. You may wish to drop by Tekenduis' masterful Respiratory Protection sticky, as Tek has more experience and a wealth of knowledge regarding the more MSDS/chemical side of things.


Anna ^^ You can search up tutorials here in Customization. Everyone varies in their application of spray. However, it is generally recommended to do 3 protective sprays before beginning any face up. This prevents staining. One layer at a time, please let each layer dry fully before spraying another layer.

 

Thank you very helpful

 

Following on from Laelen, After the initial 3 sprays, I tend to do the blushing, then spray about 2-3 layers of MSC before I attempt eyebrows/eyelashes etc - I'm never happy with what I do and those extra layers prevent the blushing from disappearing when I frantically get rid of my eyebrow attempts

 

Does anyone have tips on getting MSC into Canada, I've heard some horror stories about getting it here. Or is there something other than the testor's available (having some issues with the cold and the dullcote not drying)

 

I just learned in my advanced painting class today that most of these kinds of sealants on the market (including the brush or pour on kind) are porous in nature and do not entirely seal off the layers underneath from the outside environment. The merely act as a really good heavy duty artistic saran wrap. That being said if you are considering using organic elements in your customization such as sand, dirt, bark or flower petals DO NOT DO IT. The sealants create the perfect environment for mold, bacteria, and viral growth. Worse case scenario you could be growing diseases on your doll's face. Only use artificial elements with your dolls and these sealants.


Haven't seen this warning on here so I thought I'd share the knowledge. Better safe than sorry.

 

Wow, this is extremely helpful since junkyspot can't seem to keep msc in stock . Haha

 

Does anyone know any information about Purity Seal? I was buying a can from a local dealer, and they said that they were going to revamp and rerelease it sometime in the future so they would not be getting anymore in. They said it would probably come out with a new name as well. Does anyone know if just Citadel is this replacement?

It is the same price... and a matt varnish sealant. So I would assume? But I am not sure. Here is a link to it. Because I use Purity Seal, and have bought all the local ones that I could find, and would like to continue, but I cannot find it anywhere online. Any and all information is appreciated!

 

I haven't heard anything about the reformulation of Purity Seal, but you might want to give Games Workshop a call and confirm whether or not this is true, and what the nature of the reformulation is for. O__o My local GWs are all still carrying Purity Seal.

 

I have confirmed that it is the same thing. And it came in the normal Purity Seal bottle, so I am not sure what is going on? The shop ordered the one that I previously linked, so who knows? XD

 

I'm thrilled to learn there are some alternatives to MSC and Zouk spray since I have trouble finding them sometimes. I've just bought some Purity Seal and I just ordered some Army Painter. I'll share my results with both of them soon.

I read a stellar review of Army Painter by a guy who paints miniatures. It's not specific to resin, but it was a good critique of performance so I'm excited to try it out.

Purity Seal has me confused. I bought 2 cans that are basically covered with the warning stuff that is usually on the back only. There is no nice label and logo on the front like the image at the top of this thread. It is labeled "matte" so I think it is the right stuff. I found another vendor on eBay and his Purity Seal looks like the image in post 3 above but he says the can doesn't mention if it is matte, gloss or satin. So, I don't know if they are different products... If anyone knows the secret code to the Purity Seal labels, please share!

I do other crafts that require sealants so I'm extremely happy to learn about other sealant options. I bought some Krylon for one of those projects and I haven't used it yet -- I won't now that I've read this thread. Thanks for potentially saving me from ruining my work.

 

If your can looks like this:

Then I can confirm that is correct. I think the can shown in post 3 is an older design for it. I promise that this sealant works wonders on resin~ It is my favorite to use. (Just make sure to use your mask! Like the ones stated here: Link~ )

 

I have used KYRLON - Matte Spray Finish for practice a few times. So far, it doesn't cause any issues with RESIN, but on vinyl it doesn't stick well and blotches. It also lacks tooth, so much so it's difficult to layer pastels. It was on a forum for alternative sealants and people had tried it out, so I gave it a shot.

It doesn't melt resin or any kind of plastic, but it isn't the BEST for faceups. I believe there was another sealant by Kyrlon, that wasn't safe to use on anything but paper. That was a few years back however. It also isn't COMPLETELY matte. I think it's probably best on the 'use at your own risk' section, because a lot of people have used it and it didn't damage the resin or gum up.

 

How well does grumbacher sealant for chalk pastels and watercolor pencils work?

 

If you're talking about a fixative, it doesn't seal well at all. It's purpose is to help chalk pastels from rubbing off of paper; it's very similar to hairspray.

 

Is it harmful to the resin? By that meaning will it stain or pit it?

 

It shouldn't do anything harmful, although since chalk sealant/fixative is similar to hairspray (both contain a lot of alcohol) and can react badly with an existing sealant on the doll. If it's a just a blank doll, it shouldn't harm it, but it won't seal it either

 

How would mod-podge matte clear acrylic sealer work on a doll? I haven't been able to find much info on it at all.

 

There's a couple of threads here if you search for them... overall it looks like it'd be too shiny for a face, as well as needing a 4-week cure time, and would make a poor base coat for blushing, but it is safe to use on blushed parts to prevent chipping.

 

Well based on the replies I've gotten I decided to get MSC instead of being cheap, which honestly I should have just spent the money from the start because let's face it this hobby isn't cheap lol. Thanks for the advice!!!

 

Sealants such Army Painter, purity seal are not cheap at all. You can try these ones, MSC is just the more used, that doesn't mean that you haven't an alternative

 

Can you show the front of the can? And where did you find it? It is very hard to search for and being renamed might be the reason... Thanks!

 

The image in that post is the front of the can. I've purchased the exact same product, and that's how it looks--no pretty large graphic on the front, just the name surrounded by (warning) text.

 

Hi everyone,

We will update the photo of the cans for Purity Seal with tried and tested cans. Thanks for letting us know about the confusing labelling issue.

akioshiro, I'm very sorry for the late reply; if you would like to update the standing for any particular brand, please post into Ask the Moderators with evidence. Currently we are only aware that Krylon has had extremely damaging issues in the past, but perhaps their formulas have changed. We would need substantial evidence across many users to deem a brand safe to use. The staff believe it's better to err on the side of caution as many members of the hobby look to this list as a general guideline for safety.

 

What about hand oils and handling the resin during spay? I hear that oil can be bad.

 

Hi narihde,

Please refer to Preface>things to know > point number two for properly cleaning pieces before spraying.

 

I've seen a couple threads about this, so would just like to add something in here about age of a can of MSC. I didn't want to post anything until I'd had a chance to test it out, however I don't think there's a need to worry.

I have a can of plain MSC that I bought before I got my first doll. Somewhere in Mid 2006- about 8 years old now. No idea how long HLJ had it before sending it on to me. It actually says 'Matte' on the label instead of 'Flat'. It's been shipped from Japan to Vancouver, then all the way across the country to Toronto, and I haven't really done anything special in regards to storing it.

I used it just a couple of weeks ago while attempting to do a faceup on my CD Bean (I messed up and ended up having to wipe it, I'm out of practice), and the stuff still works great. I think it's still like new. I shook it up for a few minutes before using it, and no problems.

So if anybody has a can that's been sitting around for a while, don't be afraid to use it.

 

I have a question about MSC and humidity. Around how humid must it be for MSC to work well? Which humidity levels will negatively affect the use of MSC?

 

I went to my town's AI Friedman's looking for MSC, but they didn't have it, so instead I got Winsor & Newton Artists' Matt Varnish, Krylon Matte Low Odor Clear Finish, and Liquitex Soluvar Matte Varnish. Will any of these work as an alternative to MSC, or should I just order that online?

In case anyone else has a similar question in the future, I read the post in this thread saying that Krylon isn't to be trusted, so I immediately decided against that one. Then I put a layer of Winsor & Newton on one headcap and the Liquitex on the other to test them. I noticed immediately that the Winsor & Newton was a lot less shiny than the Liquitex (although they were both still wet) so I thought that I'd end up going with the Winsor & Newton, but once they were both dry, I saw that the Winsor & Newton was much shinier than the Liquitex, which was still a little bit shiny, even though it was supposed to matte (they both were). So I went with the Liquitex, but I soon found that it had almost no tooth - I'd brush the pastels on with one stroke, and then end up wiping them right off with the next. So in the end I just caved and ordered the MSC...

 

Anyone try Terrence Gouache/watercolor protective spray?

 

anyone know where to buy Vallejo matte sealant spray in the US online? or a place that will ship it to the US?
this one: http://jointedlove.blogspot.com/2013/01/vallejo-sealant.html

 

Maximum humidity level for MSC is 70 %. The dryer the weather, the better. Maximum temperature is 30 C. This stuff is picky, isn't it?

 

If you use Liquitex Matte gel instead of spray do you still need resperatory protection? Is there a reason not to use that? Is it compatible with watercolor pencils?

 

The best sealant I've found is the Liquitex Matte for initial tooth and subsequent layers and the Liquitex Varnish for the final layer of sealant. What I would completely recommend though to anyone who was doing face-ups would be to spray the sealants through an airbrush, rather than directly out of the aerosol can. The problem with pressurised spray cans is they have a tendency to spray out a very uneven spray, especially if you haven't sat there for five minutes vigourously shaking the can.

With both Liquitex sealants, they're completely safe for airbrushes and as this post says, they are non toxic so while you'll still have to wear a mask when spraying, it's not going to damage your lungs catastrophically if you do accidentally breathe some in. You do however have to thin the Liquitex Matte down with distilled water (until it's the consistency of milk) so it can go through the airbrush It has a fantastic tooth though, and is a good matte base to work on

It's a good idea to wear respiratory protection with anything that can potentially give off harmful odours, but if it isn't airborne I'd say that there wouldn't be a particular need to wear the big face masks you'd usually wear with aerosols.

That being said, I wouldn't recommend using it in a gel form. It's the aerosol effect itself that gives the resin it's "tooth" when you come to work over the top on resin, so using it as a gel may not work so well. The best way to find out is to just give it a go, perhaps on the bottom of the foot or something. At worst, if it goes wrong just use a little bit of acetone to remove it, which shouldn't damage your doll ^^

 

Thanks for the feedback. Is there any possible way to use sealant without using respiratory protection or an airbrush or harming yourself or your doll?

 

ericac,

The essential nature of sealants and airbrushes are that they are airborne particulates designed for even distribution while providing proper tooth necessary for applying paint and pastel. Any particulate inhaled without proper protection runs the risk of damaging your health. Especially those made of powerful toxins like sealants.

If you are unwilling to invest in your own health and safety, it's probably best that you choose a commissioning artist to paint your dolls for you when you receive MP access.

 

Ok point taken. I had a feeling it might be like asking if it's possible to lose weight without diet exercise surgery pills or barfing. While a sealant is drying is it safe to take it indoors or do you have to leave them outside the whole time?

 

It is best not to touch sealant while it is drying as you risk messing up the sealant as it moves. You also run the risk of bringing it into an environment where dust, hairs, etc... will float into it and settle in, and be extremely annoying to remove.

The sealant gives off fumes [those which you are actively trying to avoid] while drying, so I personally think it is best to simply spray outside in a safe space and let it be until the layer dries.

 

would any of these work as an alternative to an airbrush? its a spray gun/bottle you can use with any paint(well except latex according to the reviews). Like could using it with the Liquitex Matte medium or varnish work?

http://www.amazon.com/Preval-267-Spray-Gun/dp/B0000AY19M/ref=pd_sim_sbs_ac_2?ie=UTF8&refRID=0F1V1QB05XH17SBX3W44




http://www.amazon.com/Reusable-Refi..._sbs_hi_4?ie=UTF8&refRID=1JVB3JYPNKCT4VA1EH8H

 

I am about to use the PLAID [Patricia Nimocks] Clear Acrylic Sealer Matte for the first time, I will post the results for people's reference.

 

Well... No. I am not pleased. I usually use Testors Dullcote, but I decided to try this because it was all I had.
Complaint #1: It pulled away some of the color, making it hard to get very vibrant colors. It washed away several of the more delicate veins I did.
Complaint #2: It was not very matte. It was rather glossy.

Here are some pics.

 

^was that a brush on? it looks like brush ons are just a no do if your using fine watercolor strokes. I tested Liquitex Matte medium brush on a dollfie plus hard plastic head(which I think is similar to what they use for resin dolls)cap as well as an obitsu 27 cm vinyl head(just to test on different surfaces and have an idea of what to expect, I hope its ok to talk about it here):

it looks ok on the dollfie plus head, a little shine but very minimal...its a bit shinier on the vinyl, but not as bad as the cheap craft sealers Ive used in the past. Both heads took watercolor pencil really well. I could just draw right on the surface. But when i went over it with another layer of medium, very carefully... the result was that it totally bled & wiped off the watercolor stroke on the dollfie head. On the other hand it did ok on the vinyl, only slightly fading the color a bit but no bleeding or smudging(again i was very careful with the brushing.)

So in conclusion Liquitex MM brush on can be used on small vinyl heads carefully to cover watercolor pencil strokes, but it wont work for resin or other hard plastics. So for resin I think you could only use wtrcolor pencil to color lips or for eyeshadow but not for fine detail like eyebrows or eyelashes, that you would need to use acrylic(if you use brush on that is).

I have no idea how the same test would work with pastel pencils as I dont have any of those yet.

Id like to perform the same test with Liquitex matte varnish brush on but I dont have the money to buy a bottle right now. :\

 

anyone know if it would be ok to brush on liquitex medium as a base coat and then spray MSC as a sealant finish? If I have to use MSC Id rather use it as little as possible. but I dont know how the two would react with each other.

 

Not sure if this is the place to ask, but I was wondering if I need to put sealant on the doll when I receive it? Does the company seal the faceup before they send it or do I need to invest in some MSC?

 

I think that every "company faceup" is sealed, I have personal experience only with Iplehouse company faceup, but I think all the other companies do that too - yet the quality of faceup can vary.

 

corvidia, if you use a brush to apply any kind of sealant, you will probably not be able to apply it thinly or evenly enough. You will have brush strokes underneath your color, which could negatively effect how the faceup looks. Most people who use Liquitex or something similar use an airbrush to apply it.

 

Yes, a faceup will be sealed. It's part of the process of doing a faceup, and you will not be expected to seal it yourself when it arrives.

 

thanks AirimirofGondor, Im buying a can of MSC soon as my brush on experimenting is not looking promising so far...

 

Thanks vicemage. I suspected that was the case, but I wanted to check just in case!

 

Gosh it's been a while. I've been working on giving my doll more of her tattoos. Halfway through her thigh fish though, the sealant (I use MSC) stops giving me enough tooth for the watercolour pencil. I didn't change the way I was doing anything. It just suddenly went from drawing on a decent tooth surface to being like drawing on a laminate with a pencil. It just did nothing.

I've read the beginning post about 'shiny' troubles with sealant but there's nothing visually different. It's just coming out as if I had never put any sealant on at all. At first I thought the layer wasn't taking but then it took so many layers for me to give up on redoing it they built up and made the design kind of unusable. Thinking maybe the leg itself had too much work on it which maybe changed the resin I tried the other leg which had nothing more than a bit of blush from a while back but the same problem happened. It's not the pencils since I tested them on an area I HAD successfully toothed so that really just leaves the sealant and I don't know what to do.

Bearing in mind, it wasn't a case of I came back to the sealant after months of improper storage. I was working on my doll. The sealant worked and gave tooth. Then an hour later, it didn't. Someone help please?

 

^ I think the sealant has probably just reached its pigment capacity. If there are different areas that are giving you different "tooths," maybe the can of MSC needs to be shaken more before spraying? I dunno. Regardless, I'd recommend spraying another thin layer of MSC and starting from there.