Faceups Using (liquid) matte sealant in a spray bottle?

I think there was a discussion on this board somewhere where somebody tried the spray bottle but it was concluded that it doesn't spray evenly enough and the mist isn't fine enough to be useful.

As for spray sealants, I'd imagine (miniature) hobby stores should carry something you can use, such as Munitorum varnish or Mr. Super clear. I'm not from UK so I can't assist with that better, but I'm sure someone local will see this and have better information.

 

Hello!

I'm from the UK and I've been using Munitorum Varnish from Games Workshop. I have used it in all my dolls and I never had an issue with it.

You can find MSC in shops, but you need to pop in person as Royal Mail doesn't ship aerosols. Might give it a go to your local art supply and craft shop to ask if they have any.

 

There are special fine spray bottles intended for hairspray but I don't know if the mist is fine enough for faceups.

 

Two of the most common airbrush sealants I’ve seen people using are Vallejo polyurethane matte varnish & Liquitex matte medium.

Whether or not you can get those specific ones in the UK, there should be lots of threads regarding airbrush sealant in the customization & maintenance forum : /forums/customization-maintenance.15/?prefix_id=186

 

I actually have one of those fine spray bottles and Liquitex Matte Varnish and Matte Medium, I'll test them this weekend! The mist the bottle produces with water is super fine with no drips - I don't know if it can handle the thickness of the Liquitex. But if this experiment works I will be over the moon with joy! I'll post results late in the day on Sunday (Pacific Standard Time).

 

Wow, I read the first sentence and then I guess I just skipped all the way to the end of the post. My bad!

 

I swear I could have seen a thread somewhere about using Liquitex in an airbrush. Usually people thin out paint/sealant for airbrushing so it might be possible to do the same for a spray bottle. But I also don't know if water would thin out sealant alright the way it works for acrylic paints.

 

I get my sealants from a local gaming shop that carries various table top RPGs (think Dungeons and Dragons or Warhammer40k). I currently have a couple cans of Army Painter Anti-Shine Matte Spray waiting for decent weather so I can try it out.

 

Sadly, the spray mister didn't work for me.
Issues:
#1 - While the Liquitex matte varnish did make it through the sprayer without issue, the spray pattern was very thick. About like chocolate glaze on a donut. If someone had an art project where they wanted that glaze on a donut look, this method would be perfect.

#2 - Thinking maybe I could thin the varnish and achieve better results, I experimented with just water to get an idea of my starting point. I then realized that the force of the mist hitting the resin was creating large droplets. Smooth resin resulted in very large droplets, while resin that already had a layer of varnish (previously sponged on) became smaller "nervous sweat" type droplets. So while there may be a way to thin the varnish to desired consistency, I discontinued the experiment due to problem three.

#3 - The varnish mist travels further than expected. At least 20" beyond the target, according to the edge of my work table. It also travels downward, onto the mister trigger. If you notice this soon enough, you won't have to clean to unstick the trigger.

So while I think this is a good idea in theory, I don't know that it works in practice, due to the physical limitations of the bottle nozzle. The spray bottle doesn't have enough power to let you to hold the bottle far enough way to prevent the "sweat droplet" look. Despite being able to spray almost two feet beyond your target, the beginning of the "spray zone" is about 6 inches from the mister.

 

Seconding the suggestions for Citadel (Games workshop), and the Army Painter. I know both Citadel and Army Painter have shops/ sites specific for the UK and/ or Europe. If you have a comic or games store near you, they often sell the products there for table top rpg gaming. They offer various matte sealants that generally are a little less fussy about humidity/ temperature than MSC.

 

Actually a great idea to put the Liquitex Matte Varnish medium in it and use it like that! Will it work just fine?

 

That's what I was testing, and sadly, it does not work.

 

Unfortunately putting matte medium or varnish in a spray bottle will never work. The reason it works in an airbrush (that’s how I do my face ups) or spray can is because the paint is atomized by pressure. The particles will always be too big otherwise, no matter how fine the spray looks to the eye.