There is an amazing amount of disinformation out there.
I didn't post on your other topic because you were just linking to Vexilla's article (which has been posted on TMP before, by Vexilla in fact, who is a TMP member) and asking what we thought. There isn't anything technically wrong in his article, it just suggests a slightly different approach than what other people do. (Most other people build up several thin coats of varnish until they feel their protective coat is thick enough; Vexilla agrees thin coats are better than thick. His main point is he feels he's found a varnish so strong one coat is enough. Who is to argue with that, unless you've used the same varnish and tested it and found it not very strong? Which I haven't … used that particular varnish, that is.)
The basic rule with EVERY paint product is to follow the manufacturer's instructions. If there are no instructions to be found … either guess and don't be upset if you're wrong, or set up a scientific experiment to test for what you want to know, or switch products to something with better documentation.
So, on to your questions:
I've been looking for a finish I can protect my war gaming miniatures with that absolutely will not:a) Yellow over time (cough, Krylon Clear Coat, cough)
The general rule is we can trust a manufacturer's claims, because there are truth in advertising laws to protect us consumers. So if it says "non-yellowing", it really means it won't yellow. Artists and professional painters and decorators rely on these products for their livelihoods. If the product does yellow over time, it's easier for the manufacturer to NOT call it "non-yellowing" than it is to lie about it and get sued.
Anyway, Krylon Crystal Clear Acrylic spray DOES say it is non-yellowing.
Krylon Crystal Klear Acrylic: link
b) Discolor the acrylics I apply it over
Well yeah. But most likely you're confusing your root causes here. If a clear varnish discolors a painted model, it is probably because the paint wasn't fully cured, and the solvent in the varnish reactivated the paint and caused it to blend or (less likely) had a chemical reaction with it which caused a color shift. So make sure the paint on the model is fully cured before you apply varnish.
This is probably one of the reasons so many of us hobbyists have success with Testors Dullcote. That product is a lacquer, so it uses a different solvent than either acrylic paints or enamel paints. So it is less likely to reactivate not-quite-fully-cured paint. That's my theory anyway.
Discolor the acrylics … (I'm looking at you, Liquitex Matte Varnish)
Now I KNOW you are doing something wrong. Liquitex is an artist paint brand, very high quality. Their varnishes are designed specifically for artists to apply on top of acrylic paint to protect the paint. Their Matte Varnish certainly says it will "Resist discoloring (non-yellowing, non-fogging)" and further says it is "archival", meaning it does not deteriorate over time.
I'm sorry to say, if you have used it and it has colored your paint, you are probably doing something wrong.
Look at the instructions: "Apply as a final varnish over dry acrylic paint" and "Acrylic paintings must be completely dried and cured for a minimum of 48-72 hours before varnishing". Did you do that? I'm guessing no.
Liquitex Matte Varnish: link
Any suggestions?
Testors Dullcote. Any Liquitex product. Some people use Future (an acyrlic varnish sold for floors) which is glossy but they mix mattting agent in it to make matte varnish; search TMP for the many topics about Future, Kleer, and "magic wash" and look for a web page called "The Complete Future".
In addition, does anyone have any experience with:
Not me, not those.
I've used Rustoleum's Specialty Lacquer before as a gloss protective coat I overcoat with Testors Dullcote. It doesn't say it's non-yellowing however (I didn't used to know about that). I haven't noticed any yellowing, but then I store my figures away from light.
who can tell me about the application or appearance differences (if any) when it comes to using UV-resistant finishes instead of non-UV resistant finishes
?! UV-resistant means it doesn't yellow or (with paint) fade over time from exposure to sunlight. That's it. Other properties will depend on the brand and formulation. So unless you have a brand of finish that comes in both UV-resistant and non-UV-resistant versions, you can't say anything specific as far as UV resistance causing some difference in the product.
Good luck to you.
