Lately I’ve been seeing a lot of decoden and polymer clay questions about what to use to as a gloss/glaze. Almost every time the first response is “Clear nail polish, duh!”.
This needs to stop if people want to be creating quality items. Sometimes I’m afraid to buy handmade things for fear that they have been sealed with clear nail polish and they will deteriorate over time. I want to buy things that will last!
I’ve reblogged this before – but it’s sooooo important. crafting signal boost
Oh jeez, I didn’t even know that was a thing. No – never use nail polish thats a horrible idea.
Everything in the image above can and WILL yellow, with epoxy resin being the worst (seriously, ever seen a old tabletop with pennies or newspaper clippings in the clear stuff? and said clear stuff is very yellow? that’s old epoxy resin.), and the best being, off the top of my head, Mod Podge.
To put it another way, when I am being a professional artist, I don’t use any of those in anything I sell. Ever.
If you can use a water-based coating, or need no smell or brush application, try acrylic Gloss Medium. Liquitex brand is easiest to find – places like Michael’s carry it.
If you need solvent-based coating, and/or you need to spray it, use one of Krylon’s **Gallery Series** clear sprays. I use these and I like them, but they stink like holy hell – even dry, the art needs to air out for several weeks.
Krylon is tougher, for items that may be touched. Acrylic medium tends to be soft – there are ways to make it harder, but for the moment I am sticking with products that are pretty easy to lay hands on.
If you need a matte finish, look for Testor Dullcote – it’s also pretty easy to find, (Michael’s or Hobby Lobby), look in the model train section. It is also tough, but be warned – it is MATTE. It will dull your colors, but if you want a velvety/soft look instead of a “plastic” shine, it’s good stuff. It is a spray can and also extremely stinky, so use with care.
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Time's Vengeance 