A good, all around, matt/flat varnish??

can you apply artists oils over alclad 

I thought they were mineral spirit base and would react when weathering 

I embarked on a similar exercise trying to find a good top coat. So I went out and purchased the smallest size available in many brands and tried each one. I normally used MM enamel so I wanted a acrylic top coat for the finish. I wanted a top coat that dried fairly fast and the sheen was as I expected. I also wanted a product that I could spray or brush on.

For a flat finish I settled on MM 4636. I use this for aircraft's for armor I'm using Valor matt vanish, 26.651. If I want a gloss finish I have Alclad Aqua Gloss Clear, ALC600. I tried others and I'm sure they would have worked but based on my testing I found these to work for me. I should note the only product i would not recommend is the micro flat product. I like the other micro products but the clear finish just didn't pass my testing.

Vince

Alclad is fantastic stuff..........single handedly making everything else obsolete.  I use their gloss for decaling but still like my good old Testors Dull Coat for the final finish.  I've never experienced yellowing.  Perhaps I'm old school

Joe

I've always good results with testers dull coat

Thanks!

It's good to know I don't need to thin it out.

This will be my first time using the  Alclad II

One of the great things about this stuff aside from how well it works is that it's ready to use as is.

I'm going to place an order for the Alclad II's  soon.  So I have a question.

Do I need to thin them for my airbrush or do I use them out of the bottle.

If I need to thin them then I need to know what to order at the same time.

Thanks!!!

I presume that it will do the same thing- give a flat finish.

I met the  Alclad  matt finish.

Would that work better on my Saturn V than dullcote?

do a search for PollyScale links on here, or in Google

I have provided the links to get them and Aeromaster paints, including the clears, about every two months since I switched to those as my primary paints less than 3 years ago.

I switched AFTER it started being claimed that you couldn't get them, and have been buying them consistantly since.

over 500 of my 783 bottles of Acrylics are PollyScale or Aeromaster,,,,200-300 of them in the last six months.

Rex

As is said, there is more than one way to skin a cat. But from all the good feedback on here, I may have a look at the Alclad stuff. It sounds promising and a couple of the LHS stock their product line.

I use Testors newest clear lacquer products, (who knows what they'll be replaced by next week,) they're OK but PRICEY and I don't think worth the $$$. The Polly Scale was good but isn't around any longer. Vallejo seems fine but I have to order it.

Though some have reported displeasure with Micro Scale, no doubt for entirely valid reasons, I have used it for many years with good results. To me it seems really critical to stir completely and ensure just the right amount of thinning, not always easily done straight away, sometimes a bit "fiddly" and requires some adjusting either way. Two things I really like about Micro Scale, I have never seen a reaction with any paint medium and never any reaction to any decals. Age yellowing has so far not been a problem, some of the models are decades old, but not exposed to sun, maybe that has helped.

I'll order some Alclad, never tried it but it sounds promising. Thanks for the tip.

Patrick      

I use Vallejo's matte varnish for a flat finish, usually over a lacquer gloss.  I've used it quite a lot with a badger 105, no issues there, and thin with their thinners.  That being said, I have a tough time getting ahold of aclad products so I've never got to try them.

+1 for the Alclad flats too.  They are amazing and super easy to work with (already thinned).

Another vote for Alclad here

I like Modelmaster Flat Clear Laquer

+1 for Alclads flats.

Alclad II's assortment of flat finishes are the best I've used, are readily available, and work very well over Future.  I use them exclusively. 

I use Aeromaster's three sheens, and PollyScale's,,,,,you can get them by searching Amazon and Ebay.

They also work as thinners for the paints. (Brett Green's tip)

Rex

ps, as soon as I remember the poster's name, I am going to PM him about his using the Vallejo "non-modeling" PolyUrethane clears, to get item numbers off of his bottles.

Micro scales Micro Flat... Horrible stuff! Almost ruined a build... Threw the stuff away. Gunzes' flat clear never gave a dead flat finish, and occasionally would get little tiny white flecks in there. No matter how much I varied the thinning ratios. Testors rattle can dull coat has a tendency to turn amber with age, and also over time shows interaction with decal setting & solvent solutions. Polly Scale dust, while giving a beautiful sun faded dead flat finish, also once the bottle got older also had a tendency to get those tiny white flecks in there as well. I have had none of those issues in the past 5-6 years since I switched to the Humbrol clear coats in the little tins.

Thank you for the reply!   What are some products that you have not had luck with (if you can remember) ?

I am a huge fan of Humbrol's Matt Clear & Satin Clear. Great stuff in my experience. I use Testors universal enamel thinner to thin it, and have never had a problem. Unlike other products that I used previously....

I would also like to apply it over Tamiya acrylic and Model Master enamel