"Liquid varnish with airbrush or hand brush?" Topic

I got this gloss varnish based on recommendations I saw on a scale modeling forum. It's Alcad II liquid Gloss Clear ALC 600:

But I noticed on the bottle it has instructions for airbrushing it on a model but doesn't mention brushing it on by hand.

Has anyone used this and can you tell me if this will work as brush-on or if it only works with an airbrush?

I use Vallejo liquid primers which can be used with either method, and I also use Vallejo gloss varnish which I believe is also a dual-method varnish.

Which leads to a more general question. Can liquid varnishes as a rule be used with BOTH airbrush and hand brush? Are there specific liquid varnishes out there meant to be airbrush ONLY? I don't own an airbrush but am considering getting one. But for now I am limited to either spray can varnishes or brush-on.

No airbrush paint or varnish is airbrush only, brush it on to your hearts content.

As McWong73 wrote but airbrush paints, matts and varnishes might be very thin. So if you think you need to add another coat, or two after it dries, do so.

Thanks guys!

Varnish intended for airbrushing may be thinner. Varnish intended for brushing may have instructions for how to airbrush (thin with this recipe etc) which gives you a starting baseline but you still have to experiment a little to find the best combination of mixture/pressure for your airbrush. Or it may have no airbrush instructions, in which case you have to experiment more.

But generally, paint is paint, and varnish is essentially paint with no pigment. All can be applied with whichever method.

I note the "varnish" you ask about is actually lacquer. Lacquer dries by solvent evaporation versus paint which "dries" by a chemical reaction (curing). Typically lacquer is thinner and dries faster than paint and leaves a more glossy finish.

For model painting purposes, think of lacquer as a thin fast drying paint.

In my experience (applying Testors Dullcote lacquer over acrylic paint) another advantage of lacquer "varnish" is its solvent is different so it doesn't reactivate any paint that hadn't cured completely.