Gloss or Satin before weathering

[ftm2001]

Gloss/Satin coat question?

I am about to gloss coat my arv for decals and weathering.

I have used some of the vallejo gloss on a bf109 I did and it pooled, frosted and didn't go on evenly. It was also a nightmare to clean from the airbrush (.3 needle).

I have bought some Pledge Floor care from Amazon (£13 in UK) and practised with it on some spare parts but dont seem to be able to get a consistent finnish. Again it pooled in some parts and had rough texture in others.

I have just ordered vallejo premium gloss and satin varnish as their premium matt rescued the bf109 I mentioned and went through airbrush easily.

Anyway I'm erring on the new vallejo premium varnishes I've ordered but I'm wondering can you satin coat instead of gloss for decals?

Would you still get the capillary action for panel line washes etc?

[Stokesy44]

Gloss/Satin coat question?

I am about to gloss coat my arv for decals and weathering.

I have used some of the vallejo gloss on a bf109 I did and it pooled, frosted and didn't go on evenly. It was also a nightmare to clean from the airbrush (.3 needle).

I have bought some Pledge Floor care from Amazon (£13 in UK) and practised with it on some spare parts but dont seem to be able to get a consistent finnish. Again it pooled in some parts and had rough texture in others.

I have just ordered vallejo premium gloss and satin varnish as their premium matt rescued the bf109 I mentioned and went through airbrush easily.

Anyway I'm erring on the new vallejo premium varnishes I've ordered but I'm wondering can you satin coat instead of gloss for decals?

Would you still get the capillary action for panel line washes etc?

Welcome to the forum.

You'll get a lot of differing responses to your questions. Personally I dont tend to gloss before decals. Its all about the smoothness of your paint that counts. However, if you do want to gloss the my gloss of choice is Aqua Gloss. I used to use future but Aqua Gloss is better.

As for weathering. I gloss after decals because it seals them and gives you more flexibility with washes. If you put a wash on a matt surface I find it sucks down too much and you dont have as much flexibility in how much you remove. Applying a wash (full or panel) is much easier to work with on a glossed surface.

Happy modelling Sir

[BigWall]

I use Tamiya XF-86 Flat Clear before and after decaling. There is absolutely no reason to do it before decaling for the decals to adhere properly. With a good setting solution you can put a decal on sandpaper. Rather, I put it down first because I've had the paint look different under the decal film than on surrounding surfaces when only clear coating after the decals have been placed.

I find that Tamiya flat clear is not remotely flat and leaves the smooth surface I want for washes, filters and weathering. I have gone with a glossier clear and then couldn't get it back to a flat finish afterwards so I won't be doing that again.

[Panzón]

Not an AFV modeler, but I tend to abuse and weather the models I build. I use matte or satin paints, and I don't gloss before decals, but I do use setting solutions to ensure the decals lay down properly. I usually do an initial wash to grime things up a bit before the decals because otherwise, any clear film on the decal will cover pristine paint, and I find it difficult to match those areas to the rest of the model afterwards if I haven't dulled them down before applying the decals. Once I have decals on, I overcoat them with a couple thin coats of matte varnish, and then proceed to chip and weather. I paint on all chipping, scratches, rust patches, etc., with a brush and matte acrylic paint. I bring things together with more washes of various colors as needed, and then finish up with dry pigments.

[aur0ra145]

This question really gets into some personal techniques.

I use alclad aquagloss prior to decals. I'll then seal the decals with the aquagloss as well. Next comes the weathering, usually a wash first, then pigments. Finally I'll apply the top coat of whatever finish is desired.

[digger303]

Yep I go gloss....decals.....weathering....pin wash....pigments....mostly.
BUT as Stokesy says get your paint flat and gloss before decals is unnecessary .