LordMullet Posted November 2, 2012 Share Posted November 2, 2012 Hello, I'm trying to find a good sealer/varnish for my Bones miniatures. Currently I use Krylon sealer on my metal miniatures and that works great. However, when used on Bones they tend to become glossy and sticky. I am wondering if anyone has had luck with a certain type that doesn't get glossy and sticky nor does it cause them to crack to tear? On the other hand, do I even need to seal them since they are quite flexible when the paint is applied? I intend to sell my finished products and having the added "sealed for protection" is a nice selling point for metal miniatures. Any advice would be great, thanks! LordMullet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrift Posted November 2, 2012 Share Posted November 2, 2012 Testor's Dullcote. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CashWiley Posted November 2, 2012 Share Posted November 2, 2012 I just put the first pass of varnish on my first Bones mini, we'll see how it goes. I'm using Army Painter Matte Varnish. I already see a few spots where I over-applied it and it went a bit foggy on me. Not the varnish's fault, really. It's noticeable on the metallics, so I'll clean them up and apply another light shot. The rest of the mini looks great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LordMullet Posted November 2, 2012 Author Share Posted November 2, 2012 Great, thanks both of you! I'll give the Testor's a try and see how it works since it's more readily available around these parts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikem91 Posted November 2, 2012 Share Posted November 2, 2012 I've been using Vallejo brush on sealer (and primer for that matter) since this year's weather's bizarre inability to conform to the temperature and humidity requirements of spray primer / sealer. A side benefit I've come to appreciate is not needing a backstop to spray against - you just need a brush you don't particularly value. Additionally, the brush on stuff avoids the fuzzies (priming from too far away), the drippies (sealing or priming from too close) and the foggies (matte sealing from too far away). I'm not sure I'll go back to the sprays in the spring, unless I start painting an army. On the one bones I've actually completed, I didn't seal him. I painted him at the Origins Paint'n'take and he rode home tossed in my rucksack. I didn't have any wear issues from that torture test. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LiquidLimn Posted November 2, 2012 Share Posted November 2, 2012 Testor's Dullcote. I'll second that. I recently switched based on Adrift's suggestion and it's been great so far! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Furongian Posted November 3, 2012 Share Posted November 3, 2012 I don't think you need to seal Bones miniatures. I've done some pretty robust stress testing with them to test how well paint adheres to unprimed Bones. I rubbed my painted test models vigourously, dropped them, kicked them across the room, etc, and only managed to rub a little paint off of the most prominent protrusions. Obviously no one will treat their miniatures as harshly as is required to damage the paint job, so you can get away without sealing them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LordMullet Posted November 3, 2012 Author Share Posted November 3, 2012 Thanks again guys! Furongian, I've been thinking the same thing. They even stated that Bones do not need sealant but I'm wondering if it would give my customers peace mind knowing that their product is sealed. Then again, I suppose I could write a little note that Bones models generally do not need sealant. I'll have to test the market as I'm thinking sealers cause more problems than they are worth on Bones, at least in my experience. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Furongian Posted November 3, 2012 Share Posted November 3, 2012 If you do want to seal them, Reaper Brush on Sealer is an acrylic medium and will not react negatively with the Bones polymer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bugblatterbeast Posted July 8, 2013 Share Posted July 8, 2013 (edited) I can't seem to find Testors Dullcote, Army, Reaper, nor Vallejo paints anywhere in town. Any suggestions on products that can be found in a craft store, big box store, or a hardware store? The wrong answer is "order them online." Edited July 8, 2013 by bugblatterbeast Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Serenity Posted July 8, 2013 Share Posted July 8, 2013 No Hobby Lobby or Michael's? That's where I've seen Testor's Dullcote. Hobby Lobby has some Vallejo paints, not sure if that includes any sealers. They also carry other brands, and I've used the W&N Galleria matte varnish (brush on), which is flatter than Reaper's sealer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom T Posted July 8, 2013 Share Posted July 8, 2013 I just put the first pass of varnish on my first Bones mini, we'll see how it goes. I'm using Army Painter Matte Varnish. I already see a few spots where I over-applied it and it went a bit foggy on me. Not the varnish's fault, really. It's noticeable on the metallics, so I'll clean them up and apply another light shot. The rest of the mini looks great. How do you clean them up before re-spraying CashWiley? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bugblatterbeast Posted July 8, 2013 Share Posted July 8, 2013 No Hobby Lobby or Michael's? That's where I've seen Testor's Dullcote. Hobby Lobby has some Vallejo paints, not sure if that includes any sealers. They also carry other brands, and I've used the W&N Galleria matte varnish (brush on), which is flatter than Reaper's sealer. Yes, a Hobby Lobby. They do have Testors, but I only ever see enamels. I will check it out tomorrow to be sure (taking my 40% off coupon, as usual). I like the idea of spray sealers over brush-on, but I will definitely check it out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
psyberwolfe1 Posted July 8, 2013 Share Posted July 8, 2013 No Hobby Lobby or Michael's? That's where I've seen Testor's Dullcote. Hobby Lobby has some Vallejo paints, not sure if that includes any sealers. They also carry other brands, and I've used the W&N Galleria matte varnish (brush on), which is flatter than Reaper's sealer. Yes, a Hobby Lobby. They do have Testors, but I only ever see enamels. I will check it out tomorrow to be sure (taking my 40% off coupon, as usual). I like the idea of spray sealers over brush-on, but I will definitely check it out. The dullcoat is in the Testor's spray paint cabinet at HL. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sergeant_Crunch Posted July 8, 2013 Share Posted July 8, 2013 In the local store the Vallejo is in the same aisle with the Testor's paint bottles and model kits. Haven't checked if they have matte brush on. Probably should one of these days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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