The Little World

My workshop has a shelf in it for varnishes.

Read that again. A whole shelf. I call it the Swiss Army Shelf because it has something of everything there – like a Swiss Army knife. And like the famous tool from the Alps, I suspect that about 89% of what’s on the shelf is useless. But like the Swiss Army knife, I bought everything that is stacked there. The Swiss are no fools, but I am.

It’s not that bad. I have tossed the Humbrol acrylic varnish and the Bondall spray can as being unsuitable for 1:72 scale models. I have put the Gauzy to the back, pending use as a canopy dip. The Super Cheap Auto Clear Acrylic can stay but will be reserved for special cases. It’s all the rest of the bottles that stand there accusing me.

As with any good aircraft modeller, I need three sorts of finish – gloss, matte, and semi-matte or satin. Most of the makers of model paints are happy to oblige me with three bottles of the stuff – but then they learn of my uncertainty in the paint aisle of the hobby shop and capitalise upon it – they issue new varnishes in different formulations and different presentations.

Thus I can have pot or rattle can versions of each of the three divisions and can then repeat it in either aqueous or solvent base. The really devious makers then make “premium ” versions of these to further complicate the matter. Once you get past 36 cans and pots you qualify for a buyer’s medal and a strait jacket.

Note: I have tried the different things with my scientific sample program and they all seem to work. But when I apply some of the varnishes to some of the models the results may not be pleasing. I am particularly leery of Tamiya matte and semi-matt varnish as a final coat. I’ve had some white spotting issues. I regret to say that the disappearance of Testor’s Dullcote has robbed me of a reliable final matt.

The intermediate varnishing is proving somewhat simpler – Mr Hobby has a very good clear gloss in their water-based acrylic pots for an inexpensive price. You thin it, spray it, and leave it undisturbed for three days, and it is a fine basis for decals. The three days is a pain, but worth while waiting to avoid fingerprints.

The top varnishing for gloss and semi-matte also yields well to Mr Hobby with their acrylic Topcoat rattle cans. I normally want to find an airbrush alternative to cans, but these are just so good that they are reassuring. Even their matt Topcoat rattle can is good.

My problem now will be to finish up all the rest of the partly-used bottles and cans on that shelf and trim it down to a fighting weight. The most courageous way to do this would be to pour half the things into the sink or just put all the bottles into one and try that out. It couldn’t be worse than some of the past experiments…

Note: I frequently combine nearly-finished pots of paint to make unusual shades. Having seen some of the odd finishes in museums I am a lot freer with my chromatic opinions.