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Vallejo varnish tacky to the touch?

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  • Member since
    March 2018
Posted by italian77 on Monday, April 9, 2018 3:26 PM
Great to know. Thank you
  • Member since
    May 2013
  • From: Indiana, USA
Posted by Greg on Monday, April 9, 2018 12:12 PM

italian77
Is is there a way to take the aqua gloss and full it down just a bit if I did not want s high flies finish on my project?

I've wondered this myself, perhaps someone has an answer. In the meantime, here is an alternate idea for you to kick around.

As much as I am trying to avoid solvent-based painting in the house, I have taken a strong liking to the regular solvent-based Alclad clears. So when everything is done and it's time for that final coat, that's what I use.

As a bonus, it dries fast and is really durable. (and back to the original question, the rubbery-feel Vallejo is buried below, to cure in it's own time).

 

  • Member since
    March 2018
Posted by italian77 on Sunday, April 8, 2018 2:45 PM

I think I will order the water based aqua gloss from Alclad. I only see they make gloss finish in water based. It looks like the only semi gloss is solvent based. 

 

Is is there a way to take the aqua gloss and full it down just a bit if I did not want s high flies finish on my project?

  • Member since
    May 2013
  • From: Indiana, USA
Posted by Greg on Sunday, April 8, 2018 10:31 AM

I think "rubbery feel" describes it about perfectly, Patrick.

  • Member since
    March 2013
Posted by patrick206 on Saturday, April 7, 2018 5:57 PM

Greg calls it right. As a former Vallejo user, (before intensive re-hab,) I really liked the system, but found the Model Air takes a very long time to fully set up. As in a couple of weeks or more.

I would describe it as a "rubbery feel", not sticky, but neither is it fully cured paint. I wish the characteristic was not present, as otherwise I liked the system quite well. To clarify, I only used their proprietary thinner and other Model Air products, in a temperature controlled environment.

Patrick

  • Member since
    May 2013
  • From: Indiana, USA
Posted by Greg on Saturday, April 7, 2018 4:04 PM

You're welcome.

  • Member since
    March 2018
Posted by italian77 on Saturday, April 7, 2018 3:13 PM
That was helpful. Thank you
  • Member since
    May 2013
  • From: Indiana, USA
Posted by Greg on Saturday, April 7, 2018 10:32 AM

I hate to say this, but the tackiness you refer to is a pretty common thing with Vallejo acylics. I wish thier varnishes didn't do this, but they do. I use Vallejo paints almost exclusively but I don't use thier varnishes with the exception of little details that will never be handled. For the rest I prefer clear coats that cure hard like Alclad (both thier solvent-based and acrylic).

I suspect in time the Vallejo varnish will harden, I've never had the patience to wait.

On the second part of your question, I don't have any idea, sorry.

This whole Vallejo tackiness issue baffles me. The paint is popular and widely used, and certainly by gamers painting pieces that will be handled a lot.

I don't know that this is very helpful, but I've shared what I can.

  • Member since
    March 2018
Posted by italian77 on Saturday, April 7, 2018 10:08 AM
Just wanted to bump this up to see if anyone had advice.
  • Member since
    March 2018
Vallejo varnish tacky to the touch?
Posted by italian77 on Thursday, April 5, 2018 10:43 PM

I just finished air brushing my project. It is a plastic gameboy shell. I used all acrylic primers and vallejo paint. Since I will be handling it I thought it would be a good idea to varnish it. I tested satin and gloss finishes on a spare piece of plastic, but I ended up using a 50/50 mix of the two and liked that finish a lot. I air brushed one coat and waited 24 hours for the second coat. It has been dry for four days now and it has a slight tacky feeling to it. It just feels a bit "off" over all since I airbrushed the varnish.

It is not sticky. If you run your fingers over it, it does not stick. It is when you hold it with pressure, as it normally would be held, that you can feel that it's a bit tacky.

 

Can I fix this?

 

I also noticed that there must be slight imperfections in the plastic that got even more highlighted after the primer and paint. Some areas look great, but other areas have an dull/dry look to them even after the varnish.

 

Any way to fix that too?

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