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Please forgive me if I’m posting a question that’s already been answered.
I’ve gleaned TONS of helpful info on PYO dragons, and touching up our beloved Melody originals 🙂 especially thanks to the PYO forum.
But I have yet to receive a strong recommendation for any particular brand of sealing top coat. I only have dragons, so I need a top coat spray or brush-on that I can use to 1)touch up my flea-bitten originals without creating an uneven finish or having weird little spots that are too glossy or too matte,
and 2) to spray over a finished PYO to prevent flea bites, paint rubs and chips, will dry even and clear with a gloss similar to the WE originals, and runs no risk of yellowing (I know some that even have UV blocking protection to prevent sun fading). Can we get our grubby little hands on the same stuff our WE store-purchased originals have? If not, any suggestions on what’s commercially available that will have the same quality? I know Golden makes a spray on “archival varnish” that’s about 3x more expensive than Krylon, Valspar, etc – worth the price? any thoughts? 😕Jerusha wrote:Please forgive me if I’m posting a question that’s already been answered.
I’ve gleaned TONS of helpful info on PYO dragons, and touching up our beloved Melody originals 🙂 especially thanks to the PYO forum.
But I have yet to receive a strong recommendation for any particular brand of sealing top coat. I only have dragons, so I need a top coat spray or brush-on that I can use to 1)touch up my flea-bitten originals without creating an uneven finish or having weird little spots that are too glossy or too matte,
and 2) to spray over a finished PYO to prevent flea bites, paint rubs and chips, will dry even and clear with a gloss similar to the WE originals, and runs no risk of yellowing (I know some that even have UV blocking protection to prevent sun fading). Can we get our grubby little hands on the same stuff our WE store-purchased originals have? If not, any suggestions on what’s commercially available that will have the same quality? I know Golden makes a spray on “archival varnish” that’s about 3x more expensive than Krylon, Valspar, etc – worth the price? any thoughts? 😕I think Windstone uses an air brush sprayed sealer. I believe, but not sure though.
There are so many top coats that it’s really your preference which you want. I use to use Kylon spray sealer, but now I’ve taken an extreme liking to Duraclear brush on sealer. Super high gloss, and much easier for me to use than the can sealer! But I know a lot of people have expressed their dislike for brush on sealer. So, preference!
It is up to your preference. The only thing I would definitely recommend would be to a) make sure it’s a Waterbased one. Much easier to clean up and low ordor. and b) test it out with your paints before putting it on. some seem to react with certain paints. A piece of Ceramic bisque works well for testing. Most of the clear coats I’ve worked with don’t yellow over time, and stay clear of Shellac! That has a yellow tinge from the start.
Personally I’m not that into Spray sealers, I prefer a brush on. Though I will use a spray if I’ve done any chalk or powder pigment work as a first coat and then go over it with the brush on. I had to change mine recently since the one I liked was discontinued 🙄 . I’ve settled on Varathane’s Satin clear coat and had good results. It is relatively inexpensive and dries quickly. It also come in a spray. I’ve also heard people say they like the Krylon Spray thoughJerusha wrote:Please forgive me if I’m posting a question that’s already been answered.
I’ve gleaned TONS of helpful info on PYO dragons, and touching up our beloved Melody originals 🙂 especially thanks to the PYO forum.
But I have yet to receive a strong recommendation for any particular brand of sealing top coat. I only have dragons, so I need a top coat spray or brush-on that I can use to 1)touch up my flea-bitten originals without creating an uneven finish or having weird little spots that are too glossy or too matte,
and 2) to spray over a finished PYO to prevent flea bites, paint rubs and chips, will dry even and clear with a gloss similar to the WE originals, and runs no risk of yellowing (I know some that even have UV blocking protection to prevent sun fading). Can we get our grubby little hands on the same stuff our WE store-purchased originals have? If not, any suggestions on what’s commercially available that will have the same quality? I know Golden makes a spray on “archival varnish” that’s about 3x more expensive than Krylon, Valspar, etc – worth the price? any thoughts? 😕I’m sorry, I didn’t see this question!
I am not an expert on hand painting the PYOs. I think any clear acrylic will work as well as any other, however, I don’t have first hand experience with any specific brands.
Is “Krylon” acrylic or laquer based?
We use an airbrush to put on our acrylic finish coat. We buy it in five gallon buckets- the product is called “Hydrocote”.For all of the Windstones I paint then send to the Factory I cannot use their brand since I’m not at the factory, so I use Krylon brand products. They are acrylic based and not laquer based.
STAY AWAY FROM LAQUER/SPIRITS/MSA/SOLVENT BASED SPRAYS. They are excellent for varnishing finished paintings, but NOT good for Windstones, which need to ‘breathe’ because they are cast in gypsum hydrostone! I love the Golden brand archival varnish (at $16 / can here) for my paintings, but never spray this or Kamar, or any other varnish that is MSA/spirits/laquer/solvent based onto a Windstone. They may not ever dry properly and over time could bubble, peel or otherwise have other finish problems as the moisture in the Windstone gypsum freaks out.
MSA means Mineral Spirits Acrylic, which can be a bit deceiving as it has the word “Acrylic” in there. However it uses spirits and is solvent based (not water based) and thus can potentially lead to problems!
These are the products I use:
http://www.krylon.com/products/categories/artist_clear_coatings/As a special note, when trying to achieve a matte, semi-matte, satin or semi-gloss finish… I have found that it is greatly beneficial if possible to spray first with a gloss finish, let it dry, then do a light coat of your desired finish. The matting agents in the spray have a tendency to cloud or get weird when you build up layers…. spraying the first few layers with a gloss then spraying matte afterward keeps this from occurring and still gives you the desired finish!
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My art: featherdust.comYou guys are awesome! Thanks for all the help. I could only wish we had access to the Hydrocote that Melody mentioned – but of course, 5 gallon tubs are a bit much to store 😀 I will try out the Krylon when I’m lucky enough to get my first PYO painted. And thanks for the clarification, Jennifer, on the MSA topcoats – I was a little confused about those and wondered if they’d be ok, it’s good to know in advance that they’re NOT!
Again, thanks for all the help! :hi:
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