Where can I find a good acrylic sealer similar to Testors Dull Cote?

Question

I live in Rancho Cucamonga, CA.

I've found only 1 hobby store nearby that sells Testors Dull Cote , but it is too expensive.

Anybody know other stores that sell the same or yet similar product in the area?

Answer 1

If you're looking for an *acrylic* sealer (these clean up with *water*), there are various other brands and types that are as good or better than the brands usually intended for a particular "craft."

(**NOTE: I just noticed that you want a matte or satin sealer instead of a gloss, so see additional info at bottom**)

For example, in polymer clay we often want to give a gloss shine to baked polymer clay pieces or to seal something on the surface, and we must use acrylic sealers since the type intended for "enamels" (which clean up with paint thinner/etc) will begin to dissolve the polymer clay --immediately or over 6 months or so.

There are a few acrylic sealers put out by the companies that make the brands of clay, but one is too thick and gloppy to work really well and the other is way too expensive.  Fortunately, there are very good alternatives to those and clayers (especially those who aren't beginners) tend to use them a lot.

Probably the main acrylic sealer we use is a brand of polyurethane called Varathane (Gloss, water-washup)...polyurethanes are sold in hardware stores for sealing bare wood.  Any of the brands of polyurethane will work but the Varathane has an "interpenetrating network," or IPN-- which means that it really gets down into the surface of the item better than others... it also has UV protection.  (Kelthane is similar --it's sold in Kelly Moore paint stores).

The other acrylic finish/sealer we tend to use is actually a polish for vinyl flooring called Future (Mop 'N Glo is the same thing, and Future has different names in different countries).  It's thinner than a polyurethane but also gives a high gloss (no UV protection though if that matters).

Either one can be used in layers, and either can also be heated in a low temp oven (250 F or so) for 5-15 minutes to make them even "harder" --as long as the object being coated can take that heat.

You can also use things like clear acrylic fingernail polish, "acrylic medium" (gloss) which is intended to be mixed into acrylic paints and can be found at a craft or art store near the acrylic paints, clear embossing powders (melted), 2-part epoxy resins or 2-part epoxy resin glues, and a few other things... even thinned down permanent white glue is a cheap sealer which will dry clear and glossy .

You can read more about those brands and others on this page of my website if you're interested:

http://glassattic.com/polymer/finishes.h...

**to get a "dull" finish with an acrylic sealer, you can either buy a polyurethane in it's Matte, Satin, or SemiGloss version (Varathane's Matte tends to be *very* matte), or the matte version of an  acrylic medium... or you can use one of the gloss versions then "sand" it lightly with 0000 steel wool, or perhaps an abrasive powder like Bon Ami, Comet, etc. (then buff a bit?), etc.

I think there's something on the page I linked to above too about adding a bit of alcohol?? to a gloss sealer to make it act like a matte one.

HTH,

Diane B.