"Dullcoat/Matte Woes" Topic

After I paint my figures I use Testor's gloss varnish and then ink (army painter acrylic inks from the eye droppers) after the varnish cures. I base my figures and hit everything with a matte varnish, normally Testor's dullcoat.

Normally this gives me a nice matte result but yesterday i noticed that the dullcoat barely took any shine from the figures. I tried a second time and hardly any difference. I then used a Rustoleum matte spray and this only gave it a stain appearance. I don't know what I am doing wrong. I am spraying indoors in a climate controlled area and spraying from about 12 inches away. Anyone have suggestions?

In my 40 years of using Testor's Dullcote, I have had a few bad cans. Some don't dull the models, one exploded in my hand. It happens. Try a new can :)

.yeah ..I have had a bad can on occasion.

Presumably, you shook it before you used it, as the instructions provide for?

yes, shook for approximately 45 seconds. used the recommended distance. I will pick up another can of Testor's tomorrow.

I have had an occasional bad can, also.

Not to be a jerk, but are you sure it was Dullcote?

I picked some up at Michael's last month, and the current packaging for the Testors Gloss and Dullcote cans are almost identical. The slightly-less-clear plastic cap on the Dullcote cans is the only thing that was different. I almost bought the wrong one. They really do look that similar.

Sometimes you really have to shake the *^%#&^# out of the can to get it matte.

I prefer to brush it on from the bottle. That way, I can use a chopstick to really stir in the sediment before I apply. Testors Dullcote is great stuff even in a humid climate, but does have a tendency to form thick sediment at the bottom over time.

New one on me. I thought you were going to say you got "fogged" which dullcote is notorious for in humid weather. Could just be a bad can, like others have said. Shake for 2-3 minutes and try again. A lot of paint instructions say shake for 30 seconds unless it is the first time the can has been used. They usually say a minute or more in the latter case.

Perhaps you put the first coat on to heavy (as I have done). One light pass repeated several time with at least one day of drying time before the second pass.

Definitely Testor's dullcoat and Rustoleum matte. I will shake longer and try again. If that doesn't work, I will pick up a new can. I've been using dullcoat for over 20 years and this is the first time I've experienced the phenomenon.

I mention this with caution, but here goes.

I used to belong to a now defunct military model building club here in Austin which had some truly skilled modelers and painters. They could be pretty demanding about getting just the right flat finish to put on their figures, vehicles and dioramas.

These guys liked Testors Dullcote too, but at least one of them, Bob, warmed up his Dullcote cans in his oven at home to ensure that he got an ultra-flat, ultra-clear finish before he sprayed his work.

Please don't ask me how long the cans stayed in the oven or at what temperature; I don't know. Furthermore, this is something that I don't believe I could bring myself to do, nor would I recommend that anyone else do this either.

Jeff

I gave up on Dullcote a few years ago as I had similar troubles. This was after using it since it first came out in the 60s or 70s. So I don't think it was operator error on my part. It was not my first rodeo.

There have been a number of threads here on TMP on the Dullcote topic with many people having the problem of it drying glossy and many saying they have no problem.

At least one poster claimed the problem started from a change in formula to meet EU standards. If there was a change in formula, it would seem everyone would have the same problem. Perhaps some special steps now have to be taken such as VCarter suggested with light passes.

But the mainstream spray paint versions of a clear coat that are labeled as Matte, are usually, if not always, a satin or semi-gloss.

I have had great success with Krylon's Flat clear coating. They have changed the label a year or so ago and the Krylon name is harder to see. The most obvious word on the can is MAXX in large letters.

I put the Krylon Flat over a very heavy coat of gloss, currently Rustoleum, and it does the job.

What's more this is a lot cheaper than Dullcote. I can often find it at WalMart, but not always. Last time I bought six cans of it.

Good luck.

Tom

Re Jeff's suggestion: I would never put any high pressure can in an oven as a moment's distraction scuh as a phone call could be disastrous You can get the same effect by placing the can under hot tap water for a minute or so and then shaking Over time he spray material can solidify at the bottom ad that is what may be causing your problems

A heating pad would also safely warm up a cold can.

If you're ever uncertain of the ID of a can of Dullcote versus glossy Testors varnish, look for the number 1260 printed on the underside of the can. That's Dullcote's code.

Thanks for that tip. I've almost been burned more than once because a Gloss was in the Dullcote rack.

The can I bought last month does have 1260T stamped on the bottom. The only place that it says Dullcote is on the Michaels price tag. Worst packaging ever!