Why varnish?

Why is it important to put a layer of varnish (or clear, or gloss, or whatever name you want to give it) on your model?

A first layer after you've finished painting protects the paint by sealing it in airtight.

• It protects against moisture in the air and handling it with your hands.
• It enables you to add weathering with washes, inks or pigments without accidentally damaging the paint. More importantly, it enables you to remove excessive weathering, again without damaging the paint (more proof in my next post).
• It provides a smoother surface for placing decals. Decals adhere better to a smooth surface than a rough one. Unless your paint is glossy, you might have problems getting your decals to stick.

After applying decals, a second layer of varnish will protect those decals from silvering and make the edges of the clear film (on which the decals are printed) less noticable.

A rather large decal , easily placed on the first layer of varnish.

A second layer of varnish seals in the decal.