Painting Dog Posted May 17, 2015 Share Posted May 17, 2015 Just curious: Various folks have talked about Reaper's Brush-on Sealer basically being just matte medium. Does that mean I could conceivably use Liquitex Matte Medium straight out of the bottle as a sealer? Thanks in advance for indulging my curiosity, guys! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokingwreckage Posted May 17, 2015 Share Posted May 17, 2015 I'll let an expert reply. Pingo? My answer would be "you could if you wanted to but I don't think you'd want to"; the matte medium I have is THICK. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djizomdjinn Posted May 17, 2015 Share Posted May 17, 2015 (edited) There was a lot of debate on this issue last time it came up. My personal position is that for anything that's going to be played with, something that forms a shiny hard coat, followed up by a matte finish if desired, is preferable. Matte medium is essentially colorless paint, it doesn't exactly provide much protection. http://forum.reapermini.com/index.php?/topic/61212-scuffed-miniatures/ Edited May 17, 2015 by djizomdjinn 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator Chaoswolf Posted May 17, 2015 Moderator Share Posted May 17, 2015 More info here, too: http://forum.reapermini.com/index.php?/topic/60968-liquitex-products/?hl=liquitex 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pingo Posted May 17, 2015 Share Posted May 17, 2015 Brush-on sealer is not matte medium. If anything it is regular or gloss medium. They aren't quite the same thing. Gloss medium is more durable, matte medium more porous. It's why people recommend sealing a mini before adding a matte finish. Gloss medium can be used as a protective coat, but matte medium isn't really suitable without something protective underneath it. Matte medium is technically intended for mixing with paint, not for using by itself, and is prone to dry to a semi-gloss finish when used by itself unless care is taken. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dsmiles Posted May 17, 2015 Share Posted May 17, 2015 I use Liquitex products almost exclusively when it comes to mediums and sealers. I would not recommend their matte medium as a sealer. The two act differently, but I'm not quite sure how to describe the difference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Artists Wren Posted May 19, 2015 Artists Share Posted May 19, 2015 Medium is a large component of the brush-on sealer, but I'm pretty sure it's not the only component. There's the matting agents, for one, but also probably something(s) for the sealer part. (Reaper Brush-On Sealer is actually more of a satin finish used straight out of the bottle, and should be thinned slightly with water for more of a matte finish.) That said, matte sealers in general are not super protective. Gloss sealer is similar to the kinds of coatings used on floors and wood furniture. It's thick and more of a coating layer. Using just a matte sealer will likely be enough to satisfy the needs of a display painter (and many of us opt to not to use and rely more on care in prep and handling for protection, since any sealer can alter the appearance of the work we spent so much time on.) You will likely want to seal miniatures intended for handling in play with a gloss sealer, and then if you don't like the shiny look, use a matte sealer over it. General consensus on the sealer that works best for matting down the shine of a gloss sealer is Testors Dullcote. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShadowRaven Posted May 19, 2015 Share Posted May 19, 2015 I've tried to use straight liquitex matte medium to kill the shine on figures. It doesn't really work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vutpakdi Posted May 19, 2015 Share Posted May 19, 2015 You will likely want to seal miniatures intended for handling in play with a gloss sealer, and then if you don't like the shiny look, use a matte sealer over it. General consensus on the sealer that works best for matting down the shine of a gloss sealer is Testors Dullcote.My favorite is Lascaux UV Resistant Matte applied with an airbrush. Comes out very matte, and I recently discovered that I can shoot the Lascaux without dilution for the most matte result. I've only seen Lascaux at Dick Blick online. Ron 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Artists Wren Posted May 19, 2015 Artists Share Posted May 19, 2015 Hm, I think I will have to look into that as I was not entirely satisfied with Dullcote on a couple of minis lately. Apparently whatever causes the shine in Secret Weapon washes is more powerful than gloss sealer. ;-> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bathory Posted May 19, 2015 Share Posted May 19, 2015 I tried to use a matt varnish over the secret weapon and my mini was still super shiny. I don't think matt varnish is really that matt. I had never used it and was out of my sealer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vutpakdi Posted May 19, 2015 Share Posted May 19, 2015 Hm, I think I will have to look into that as I was not entirely satisfied with Dullcote on a couple of minis lately. Apparently whatever causes the shine in Secret Weapon washes is more powerful than gloss sealer. ;-> I used one of the Les's Wash recipes (the precursor to the Secret Weapon washes I think) followed by Liquitex Gloss Varnish. The original wash recipe relies on Daler-Rowney inks (which might be where the shine comes from). The Lascaux UV Resistant Matte Varnish (when applied straight without dilution with the airbrush), knocked all of the glossiness out. Ron 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cmorse Posted May 19, 2015 Share Posted May 19, 2015 I've tried to use straight liquitex matte medium to kill the shine on figures. It doesn't really work. Liquitex matte medium and matte varnish (the water base acrylic version) are almost identical except the medium actually has a bit more matte particles in it. Both are probably also nearly identical to reaper's brush on sealer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Painting Dog Posted May 24, 2015 Author Share Posted May 24, 2015 Thanks, everybody! Excellent replies, as always. My favorite part of this forum is the thoughtful discussions generated by just about every question. :) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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