Whizard Hlavaz Posted April 28, 2003 Share Posted April 28, 2003 Greetings, all. New member. Glad to be here. So far, very much thrilled by this forum. :D :D :D While I'm still poking about and getting the lay of the land, I thought I'd ask one of the most pressing questions on my mind of late as I haven't had much luck with the search engine. What do people use for a *flat* matte finish? I just recently took up miniature painting again after a several year hiatus and I haven't been able to find the sealer I used to use (don't even remember the name of it). As such, I've been trying out different products and have been *much* displeased with the results of the so-called "matte" finishes. Each seems to have a bit of a gloss to it, more like a satin than a true flat matte. Thus, I'm hoping someone here can point me in the direction of a good *FLAT* matte finish, spray or varnish. Specifically, I'm curious about Winsor Newton's spray matte finish. I have yet to try it, but after three strike outs to date, I'm a bit loathe to pay $10 for a can of spray that may or may not give me the effect I desire. :( Thanks. -The Whizard Hlavaz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator Froggy the Great Posted April 28, 2003 Moderator Share Posted April 28, 2003 What brands have you used so far? That could help narrow thigns down. I'm personally a fan of the Krylon Matte spray. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whizard Hlavaz Posted April 28, 2003 Author Share Posted April 28, 2003 What brands? I wish I could remember (shhh--I'm at w-o-r-k right now...) I'll have to check when I get home and let you know. I knew better than to post this without listing the brands I'm unhappy with, but just couldn't wait.... No patience, but I am part of the fast-food generation, after all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TKD Posted April 28, 2003 Share Posted April 28, 2003 The only matte finish I personally have found that is *really* matte is Testor's Flat (Lusterless)...I think it is #1960, and runs about $3-4 for a 3 oz can. I find I can use one or two coats of another matte or gloss coat - typically Testor's Gloss, Armory Matte, Rust-o-leum Matte, or Krylong Matte - and follow it up with one Testor's Lusterless and get it really matte. Everything else I have tried leaves a noticeable sheen....the Testor's Lusterless gives a good coating but makes it look like there is no coating at all... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gus Landt Posted April 28, 2003 Share Posted April 28, 2003 My brother is a big fan of Krylon Matte spray, and I myself like the tiny black-cap cans of Testor's Flat. One bit of advice - make sure you spend a good deal of time shacking the heck out of the can. I've had matte come out glossy if it isn't sheaken well enough. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jerry Trapspringer Posted April 29, 2003 Share Posted April 29, 2003 Funny, I've tried Krylon's flat and it always seems to come off as satin looking to me too :oo: Testor's is dead flat, almost too flat for me so after coating the figure in a few coats of gloss to protect it I hit it with Testor's matte to dull it down, and then a light dusting of Krylon's flat to give it a lil shine back :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Tam Posted April 29, 2003 Share Posted April 29, 2003 I have used citadel's matte spray with good sucess, and currently I am using two different types by Duncan Cermics. Absolute matte and porcelain. Porcelain give that look you see on porcelain dolls and looks really good. The absolute matte is pretty good too. Picked them up one day when I was buying specialty paints at the ceramic shop. Been very happy with them. Lady Tam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weezoh Posted April 29, 2003 Share Posted April 29, 2003 I usually use one or two coats of a folkart type matte (which is really satin) sealer and then hit it with testors dull-cote to get rid of the shine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whizard Hlavaz Posted April 29, 2003 Author Share Posted April 29, 2003 OK. Good stuff here, folks. Thank you all very much. In regards to what brands I have used and been unhappy with: I've used Krylon matte finish much to my displeasure. In fact, I found it gave a pretty high sheen to my mini moreso than the Liquitex matte varnish I've since settled on. There was another can of some strange brand that I've since thrown out in rage. Can't recall what it was. And there may have been another. At any rate, the Liquitex varnish has been in use for the past few minis. I'll have to look into all these other products that everyone has recommended. Thanks so much for the info, gang. :) And by all means, should anyone think of anything else, please let me know. I'm always open to suggestions. -The Whiz. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Tam Posted April 29, 2003 Share Posted April 29, 2003 O.K. here is some stuff by me with different matte sprays. Citadel Matte pony Not a gaming mini, but I did use Citadel matte on it. This little girl is about an inch tall. Duncan Porcelain chestnut another non-mini, but still a small model stands about 1 1/2 inches tall, sealed with duncan porcelain finish. Duncan absolute matte dragon So there you have it. three examples of three different "matte" finishes. Lady tam (Oh, don't forget to add a space at the end of the URL to see the pictures.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TER-OR Posted April 29, 2003 Share Posted April 29, 2003 Personally, I prefer PolyScale's dullcoat. It's acrylic and brushes well. So if you want to have some dull areas and some semi-gloss or gloss it's no problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whizard Hlavaz Posted April 29, 2003 Author Share Posted April 29, 2003 *Very* Helpful, milady. Thank you so much. The Duncan finish -- where can I find that? Online anywhere, by any chance? Is that the full name of the product and/or do you have a product number? Again, many thanks. -The Whiz. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Tam Posted April 29, 2003 Share Posted April 29, 2003 I have a brush on gloss finish for those areas I want shiny. which works well for me. Never tried brush on matte finish before. Any pictures? Would like to see how it looks. Lady Tam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whizard Hlavaz Posted April 29, 2003 Author Share Posted April 29, 2003 Personally, I prefer PolyScale's dullcoat. It's acrylic and brushes well. So if you want to have some dull areas and some semi-gloss or gloss it's no problem. I'll need try that, Ter-or. I do like brushing different areas with different finishes. How dull is it? -The Whiz. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TER-OR Posted April 29, 2003 Share Posted April 29, 2003 Here's an article I did a while ago. Mixing gloss, semi-gloss and everywhere inbetween gives a more natural look. It blends the mostly glossy body of the wyvern with semi-gloss areas along upper surfaces and wings. http://www.starshipmodeler.com/basics/tm_wyvern.htm I'll see if I can get some other pictures online soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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