Hello all
I just received my little 17ml bottles of Vallejo Gloss Varnish 70.510, Matt Varnish 70.520 and Model Color Thinner 524.

I'm completely new to Vallejo colours so i'm treading carefully at the moment

I've read online that the Gloss can be applied directly or mixed with water or thinner. Is this correct? And is my 524 thinner a suitable mix? What ratio? Mostly Gloss Varnish? About 80-85%?
Can I use this particular Gloss Varnish in my airbrush?

I want to gloss up my tank for decals and washes before applying the later of Matt Varnish after. Same ratio of mix for the Matt Varnish (if mixed)?

Sorry for all the basic questions, fellas

Just want to take this next step really carefully

DG

Both brush on nicely, I usually thin with a bit of water. I'd say there's no need to airbrush if you just need glossy areas for decals. The airbrush guys will probably chime in soon enough with mixing ratios.

Kimmo

Thanks Kimmo!
I'll need to do washes too so I will apply the Varnish all over.
I hope the stuff I have is suitable for the airbrush
Have a great weekend!
DG

Doug

I use those as well and have used them both straight out of the bottle through my airbrush (Iwata Eclipse HP-CS and Grex Tritium TG.3) without any issues. I probably should have thinned the gloss out a little, maybe an 8:2 ratio of varnish to 524 thinner as that would allow for a little lower pressure (usually I'm spraying between 14-18PSI).

I also have the varnishes in Model Air form, but to the naked eye (watching each drip from the dropper) and mixing with a toothpick, there isn't much difference in consistency between the two.

Great stuff, BigSmitty!
That's great advice. I'm going to chance the gloss directly out of the bottle without a mix, I think. My compressor and airbrush are both Tamiya, so I am clueless when it comes to PSI and such like Thanks again, mate. Feeling much more confident about the next step now

I use their satin varnish all the time. I'm not sure if it is Model Air or Model Color. However, their Satin varnish MUST be thinned for correct application. If used straight from the bottle, the varnish will dry with a noticeable white hue. I thin the varnish 20% varnish to 80% Ammo acrylic thinner. You can probably use water and a touch of dish soap for thinning. I would test the spray on a dark painted surface to test if it wI'll turn white or not. Since the mix will be very thin, use a low pressure setting. Every airbrush likes a different pressure. I would start at 15 psi and work up or down from there.

Thanks Jon!
Really appreciate your input!

Hi guys. I have a similar question if I can jump in. What do you use to clean your airbrush with these varnishes? Will an acrylic thinner do, such as Tamiya?

I planned to thin them down and clean up with a local brand of acrylic thinner similar to Tamiya. Will I have any problems with that?

And these are varnishes, right? That you spray on? Not bases that you mix with paint? I made that mistake once.

Thank you kindly.

Vallejo make their own brand of airbrush cleaner- I would definitely recommend it if you are using any of their products in your airbrush.

Hi. What's the difference between airbrush cleaner and airbrush thinner?

Every paint consists of pigment and carrier. Thinner should help the carrier become less dense without affecting the way it holds pigment. Cleaner on the other hand destroys the carrier so cleaning is easier. While you can use cleaner to thin, the paint will behave much differently, in case of Valejo the paint will dry sticky.

Thank you for your reply. I tried some Vallejo Thinner Medium and it doesn't actually thin the paint. On the label it even states it doesn't alter the paint's consistency. But that's what you want in a thinner, isn't it? So what does it actually do?

The cleaner is a little more harsh to clean up the airbrush. The thinner is designed to work with Vallejo paints and I think the thinner also has some retarder to slow down drying. I have found when using Vallejo, which I paint with a lot as well as Ammo brand, that if I am thinning the paint a lot, it will be too thin and break. I have found adding a little bit of Vallejo flat medium to the mix helps the paint stick and not break. I do this when I make up acrylic filters with my AB or I am thinning to do some highlights.