Greasy Gamer uses Science to Answer 4 Big Questions about Varnish and Warhammer Minis

Gloss, satin, or matte? Brush on or spray on? What's the biggest danger, gameplay or foam trays? Do you really need to varnish plastic minis? Let's do some hardcore pseudoscience to figure this out!
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[@BlackMagicCraftOfficial]

Brent. You can just buy and eat Funyuns because you want to. You don't need to create these experiments as an excuse. It's OK.

[@GoobertownHobbies]

this changes everything.

[@supertaco22]

Why did you tell him !!

[@cosmoceratops]

tax deductable funyuns

[@ghostoflazlo]

Lololol

[@defiantparsnip]

When is the Goobertown Magic Craft crossover coming, where Brent makes terrain and Jeremy does Funion testing?

[@ThibChap]

Can we just appreciate how Brent spent 6 hours of his life pushing minis for the greater good of the hobby community?

[@GoobertownHobbies]

for the greater good.

[@tobynoll999]

@@GoobertownHobbies You should have had Guinness there to get the record for longest time at a Monopoly board without flipping the table over.

[@f0rth3l0v30fchr15t]

@@GoobertownHobbies Trying to decide if this is a T'au thing or a Hot Fuzz thing. There's a whole bunch of murderising either way, I suppose.

[@benjaminkingsley3902]

@@GoobertownHobbies Tau'va

[@lennartbauer9418]

@@GoobertownHobbies This is the way!

[@versiononedotzero]

>"These experiments are fun" > moving minis around a monopoly board for 6+ hours. Brent, are you ok?

[@Sigmagnat650]

LOL 'Blink Twice if Frito-Lay is holding you hostage as a way to advertise Funyuns!'

[@Aetohatir]

The man has a PhD. In chemistry this involves 3 years of adding solvents together. Same same

[@PARISONFIRE]

thank the lord there are podcasts ;D

[@jordanscott473]

I’m hoping Brent just goes more Lynchian. Long black and white shots of eating Funyons while he puts out a cigarette on a mini to test something. Close ups of oil-stained fingers dragging across a Monopoly board. Somewhere his cats are eating a rabbit. Brent looks to the camera, takes a drag from a cigarette, “Welcome to Goobertown, no one leaves.”

[@GoobertownHobbies]

check back in a few years :-)

[@Vliegmans]

I'll see you again in 25 years.

[@Pyre001]

"I wonder how he's going to do the abrasion test. Maybe he'll toss them in the dryer or something..." 7:52 "Oh dear lord he's really doing it..."

[@GoobertownHobbies]

awww yeahhh!!!! :-)

[@anthonymaravola3966]

I'm a woodworker as well as a mini/model enthusiast and have been using varnishes/polyurethane/shellacs for years. The only real diference between matte/satin/gloss are the flatteners that are added to reduce shine. No, gloss does not protect better than matte. The reason to add a gloss coat would be to 1 protect paint from being stained by a wash (paints and the flatteners used in matte varnish are easily stained by washes and inks) or to provide a glassy surface for applying decals. That's it. If you aren't doing either, a coat of matte will protect your minis just fine (and yes, you always want to protect them).

[@GoobertownHobbies]

makes sense to me! :-)

[@catyara]

And then wich Varnish or combo is better? I want to paint World Eaters (red colours). Gloss - i hate *sparky* lightly on mini. Matte - bright colours after that looks more darker. Satin = gloss Optimal combo is gloss + matte?

[@anthonymaravola3966]

@@catyara I would go with a gloss coat before the decals and then use a satin finish, especially given the metallics I'm sure you're using for all the gold. A matte finish will flatten the gold sheen far too much.

[@raftai665]

@@anthonymaravola3966 Thanks for the information. Much obliged. For years many have sworn to first adding a gloss varnish and then going over with two thin coats with either satin or matt varnish. Since I still have a bottle of gloss left I'll stick to this method for its remainder.

[@LoneWolf2k1_minis]

First frame: Brent grinning into a camera and holding up a bag of chips. Me: "Oh, it's that time again."

[@AF-kj2zl]

I haven't seen him do this before, all I could think was, "no, no, he's not gonna do it!"

[@laurenzreichelt4911]

Better grab your balloons and invite your friends!

[@mintyfreshmetagross5437]

Broke: going to the gym to work out Woke: moving metal minis around a board 2,000 times to get swole

[@Pyre001]

Oh boy, the Funions are back... Never thought I'd see Sisters suffering side-by-side with Gretchins...

[@jherazob]

"But will you suffer side by side with a friend?"

[@GoobertownHobbies]

Oh! The Pawn'a'rium kickstarter with those orange dwarfs is still live for a few more hours! I thought the idea of busts as game pieces was pretty fun. www.kickstarter.com/projects/pawnarium/pawnarium-miniatures-1-stl-files?ref=discovery&term=pawnarium

[@wezab]

So it's sell em or bust?

[@efrenchavez0]

thanks

[@tftf60]

Mate, I"m impressed by your determination.... 6 hours moving miniatures.... Did you have visions while doing this?

[@GoobertownHobbies]

You wouldn't believe the things I saw...

[@PhantomJavelin]

@@GoobertownHobbies Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion?

[@cripplelord6383]

@@PhantomJavelin there's no way we can know if it was raining during the experiment, but I can guarantee there were tears.

[@ezradelsman6743]

I feel personally attacked by this title

[@justarandomname420]

I appreciate how you dive in and give gamers the answers they need! You are on the dangerous, cutting edge of Tabletop science.

[@davidcauley9400]

My OCD needs to comment and highlight some variables that may not be accounted for: Back in ye oldehammer days before plastic, the gloss varnish was generally not an acrylic, because its JUST acrylic, received wisdom (from ancient white dwarfs and wargames books) recommended spirit based varnishes, usually from an art shop or an automotive or yacht varnish spray, which is more hard wearing than an acrylic varnish. THEN you would go over with your matt, which also tended to be non acrylic. I'm not convinced of any difference between matt and gloss vanish of any one kind, except that matt is likely to suffer greater friction due to a less slippy surface. From personal experiment there's not really any benefit to priming plastic other than as a nice canvass to work on, GW primers are just spray acrylic anyway, they don't have any actual priming qualities like surface etching, as found in 'real' primers, because acrylic bonds pretty well to Poly Plastic it seems. Metal minis however benefit from a REAL primer for sure (but almost certainly not very much from a spray can of GW acrylic). Next: is the 3D printer resin actually the same as casting resin as used in mini casting? I'd suggest at the very least the difference is that cast resin would potentially leech out plasticisers and mold release if fresh. Maybe.... I don't know anything about 3d Printers but thought I'd raise this FOR PSEUDOSCIENCE. Lastly...it looked like the tape was squashing the foam somewhat, which would create a much firmer grasp on the internal minis, minimising any potential wriggle room (and therefore friction) compared to being placed in a normal case, and I think without the wriggle room you aren't going to get the friction and potential wear on the same level as the real thing. Sorry for all the WHAT ABOUTS, it's a damn fine service you are providing, thank you!. FOR SCIENCE!!

[@GoobertownHobbies]

Hey, the what abouts are important! :-) This is an iterative process. I'll be referring to this list the next time I get hungry for funyuns!

[@Healcraft]

I use Testors dullcote / glosscote and some spray cans that aren't acryllic, as well as some AK interactive "ultra matte" acrylic which is actually ULTRA matte. Don't want to get carried away brushing on that testors stuff cuz it starts to soften the paint

[@Spectra_99]

I recommend 1 gloss 1 matte coat as it reduces chances for fogging and also tells you when and where to revarnish in the future

[@GoobertownHobbies]

Yeah that is a nice bonus! easy to see as you're applying the coats too.

[@DanaHowl]

I'm just happy that you finally got to eat the second bag of funions!!!!

[@GoobertownHobbies]

me too! (and it actually was the same bag from the first vid hahahaha)

[@DanaHowl]

@@GoobertownHobbies A+++++

[@natatar677]

I think Brent might just be making these videos whenever he has a hankering for funions.

[@GoobertownHobbies]

shhh!!!!

[@JEGranberg]

Dwarf Slayer conga line. Hilarious and deadly.

[@johnnybigbones4955]

You legend. Can't believe you repeated this. The dedication is impressive.

[@landotucker]

It's for the love of time lapses

[@matthewhogg5861]

Damn now that's greasy, it's like the Peloponnesian War on that Monopoly board

[@diehard01]

I appreciate your unwavering dedication to science. The Omnissiah would be pleased.

[@Stuartino]

I just saw this, a little but what a great video! I love and appreciate proper testing, thanks for taking the time to do this. Looking forward to reviewing your other videos.

[@johnkelley9877]

That was an interesting experiment and helps to confirm what I have been doing in the past such as priming, painting and clear coating. Thanks for taking the time to do this experiment and sharing the results.

[@darkwave9345]

0:37 seconds in and im asking myself..."am i tripping or is Brent using some crazy warp magic"

[@gowiththeflowbee8053]

love putting your videos on in the background when painting man. Got back into the hobby last year and your videos have been a massive help. Keep up the great work :)

[@SixPieceNoNuggets]

I love your content, the perfect blend of informative, wholesome, relaxing, with some humor thrown in. I almost always have your videos on in the background while I paint or model. Your videos have helped me become a better painter, and a more patient person, you even inspired me to pick up the paint brush after a long hiatus from fighting off the black dog. Much thanks for the videos and I'm looking forward to your next video.

[@mikee9464]

Dude thanks so much for the time and effort you've put into these tests and videos. The discipline involved and time put into it is amazing. Thank so much man. I will def be sharing this video my friend.

[@jherazob]

I've been loving these tests, the conclusions keep being similar but not quite what you expect, and i love being surprised by the results :D

[@MikeNmurdoc]

Brent, thank you so much for taking the time to make these videos for us. It can be difficult finding concise info for some of the more obscure aspects of hobbying but hot damn you always come through for us with that awesome science brain!! Cheers :D

[@euansmith3699]

Imagine if Brent ever decided to use his amazing science powers for EVIL!!! :O

[@SirH82w8]

Haven’t been watching KZbin for a while as I have been worrying about and writing my dissertation. This instantly puts a smile on my face and I feel relaxed, thank you for your content and relaxing voice!

[@daemonofdecay]

Watching that model shuffle around the board is still hypnotic. Give us a 10-hour cut with some gentle music as a sleep aid!

[@chemgeektim]

A new word for my vocabulary: "Funyunated" and as someone who likes Funyuns, I am glad to see them being useful in scientific endeavors. And of course, glad to see your cats are properly supervising your work.

[@madaslue]

Thank you so much for the time you spend in testing so I don't have to. Your rigor and dedication are among the many things that make this my current favorite channel on youtube. And your cats help quite a bit with that too!

[@GoobertownHobbies]

Hey thanks! glad it's sort of useful! :-)

[@jrdchemist]

Next: how different varnish’s protect minis being used as cat toys.

[@sharonothefae]

"not the hero we deserved, but the hero we needed!" OMG I can't believe you spent over 6hrs on this your arms must be knackered.

[@ataerus3066]

Man, I totally love these videos, thank you Papa Goob 🙏

[@28fabianz1]

Thank you for all you do! I'm new to this all and trying to do everything as correctly as I can.

[@FragorCaelestis]

Ah, the ancient tech of fried onions is back. And now I'm hungry even if I had dinner 20 minutes ago.

[@GoobertownHobbies]

Never a bad time for funyuns! :-)

[@ChuckCanada1]

thats really cool that the sprayed matte and sprayed gloss both held up the same. im new to the hobby so i dont have any superstitions :p so ill spray matte for protection and just use my gloss varnish when i want to cause something to run like a mad man when im using oil washes.

[@knightterrain6936]

I Love these types of experiments! Keep em coming!

[@maxmcgrath4672]

Please keep making more videos! Not to many youtubers keep up the great content like you do. This is obviously a passion hobby for you. That is what counts!

[@isaacwalton7999]

I really appreciate these practical tests you do! Excellent content :D

[@johnhale6079]

I love this one giving me ideas to paint Gandalf and the Balrog on Bridge of Khazad-dûm love it, you always fire me up to paint and push myself

[@johnekare8376]

Man! Your dedication is astounding!

[@taylord6043]

Now I want a bowl of funions! Never painted with medal minis before. Thanks so much for the appreciation you show to your craft. These experiences make us all better hobbyists! You rock Brent!

[@CamelRage279]

This video and the last deserves my like and a comment just for the sheer commitment to thorough testing.. also, I really need to sit down and varnish the rest of my minis!

[@jeffjensen8]

3:56 The bust minis really gives me some Battle Brothers vibes. Very cool! And that reminds me I need to play that some more..

[@RandomDude-jq9mu]

This is great (and also a very good use of a monopoly board). Keep them coming! I love your hobby science stuff! As for the video wishes- It would be great to see something about re-basing figures without damaging them too badly in one of your future videos.

[@grunchch7485]

9:10 I like watching the dice migrate across the board in the time lapse

[@grud8495]

"these little experiments are fun" .... we need to get this poor, poor man some dire help :'(

[@Boodoosh69]

Catching up on these - top stuff Brent again useful stuff to get a definitive view on - Thanks :)

[@suulix4065]

Your commitment is truly appreciated, science (and the community) thanks you for your sacrifice!

[@garyjeffery6378]

Getting hypnotised by the dice movement at the end !

[@anthonyhargis6855]

Brent, your dedication is incredible and an inspiration. Wow!

[@joeman123964]

i do have a request maybe for a special occasion in the far future. i loved the random figure and dice roll you've created. you remember the video where you had the bar and multiple figures? what if you have a few building and furniture that is randomly decided (like the bar setup) then 2-3 figures randomly decided. you'll then have to roll dice for the theme as usual. the biggest challenge would be creating a scene. maybe you have a cottage with a royal guard and assasin. is the royal guard hiring the assasin for a dark deed? possible treason against the corrupt king perhaps? dwarf and high elf at a pub arguing who is the mightiest? you're amazing at combining and creating stories. it would be an awesome event in my opinion. I'm sure it's expensive, but maybe once a year special or a one time thing. you're creation has no limits! I love this channel.

[@Guild0fGamers]

The incremental movement of the dice as you move the minis around the board look so cool under time lapse.

[@JPWestmas]

I thought I was slightly nutz for doing a D20 dice probability test, rolling two sets of 4 dice 100 times. I found that one brand rolled slightly higher. Not a big difference.

[@kaotictube]

Your dedication to this craft is unrivalled! Thank you!

[@jnaiman22]

This is some next level nerd mad scientist stuff. Incredible.

[@mythzerous]

I love it! You are quickly becoming the miniature myth buster!!!

[@GoobertownHobbies]

wooo!!! :-)

[@marcwittkowski5146]

While the results were pretty much what I expected, it is always good to have confirmation. And your videos are just so relaxing...

[@MeanderingMikesManCave]

Awesome experiment! Thanks for doing this!

[@archfrank]

Oh yeah! Greasy gamer is back!

[@Yellonet]

Just got my first orderd varnish today and I was planning on spraying it. Great timing on the test Brent! :) Also, the fast time-lapse looks very nice.

[@GoobertownHobbies]

woooo!!! protect them!!!

[@El-Rico]

Kudo's for pushing mini's in such a way that it looks good when speeded up (and thanks for the results, very insightful-I usually do two coats of gloss over a metal mini). And also kudo's keep on moving the mini's it even when your cat tried to sabotage the vid :D

[@GoobertownHobbies]

hahaha, those cats do love funyuns! :-)

[@stratking86]

Oddly satisfying watching the sped up video at the end, and seeing the dice shuffle across the board from the vibrations of the pieces moving around.

[@GoobertownHobbies]

right? makes it all worth it :-)

[@Chodor101]

I'm glad that I've switched to sprayed varnish, thanks for the video!

[@TheBrokenPast]

My arms and my carpal tunnel weep for you and yours! Great video. Loved the time lapses and thoroughly detailed experiments to come to your conclusions. Thanks for doing this, so we don't have to! Oh, and Funyuns rock! Glad to know I can keep eating mine when I'm painting and handling my minis. :).

[@oliverhafez7908]

I must say Brent... I really love your videos. I know this was a while ago but I really liked the video when you picked a model to paint that sparked your excitement at the moment. This video (the one today) was very creative and your cats are adorable! :)

[@GoobertownHobbies]

hey glad you're having fun! Me too :-)

[@mjpete27]

Well Sir this was an interesting video! I applaud your efforts and Geeeez! that's a lot of moving mini's! My muscles got tired just watching you do all the motivating too! I am enjoying my delve into your video library, Thanks!

[@krorycanning5583]

As Always, very informative and I love these videos as I always learn something new, and something that is very relevant. I didn't know about varnishing the models and now after watching both videos I know to varnish, which one to use And! how best to apply it. Like I said Very! informative video.

[@AceSpec]

Your tedious labours are appreciated.

[@linkerss]

Just gon hit this with a like and comment for the sheer amount of work you put into this

[@RyanEdwardsVA]

Awesome! I have been waiting for this video since the last one, it left me with a burning desire to know matte vs gloss vs combo. Love it! Thank you for your service. We will remember the sacrifice of the fallen Funions fondly.

[@GoobertownHobbies]

anytime! happy to help :-)

[@infraREDsky]

Wow, I didn't expect you to do a test like this. Respect and thank you. What a hassle.

[@EonFigure]

I like how kitty wanted to participate throughtout this experiment. and also yes, thank you sir for this *VERY* time consuming demonstration, your labors are well noticed and appreciated. 😎

[@suicyde240]

Thank you for all the effort you take to make us these videos!!!

[@DJRockford83]

That's some serious dedication to the experiment/time lapse shot 👌😂

[@fedemotta3]

Love this series of experiments

[@TRivera0517.v2]

The dedication is insane, thank you for this!

[@chrisjordan6129]

Such dedication. You Sir are a hero.

[@MrCowabungaa]

I respect just how long that bowl of funyuns lasted. That's some self-control!

[@GoobertownHobbies]

Right? funyuns are delicious!! :-)

[@m22152]

I appreciate that you've only got 2 ads for a full video unlike other youtubers that throw 9 ads in

[@Ducknuck84]

another experiment that could be interesting is what is the best way to clean of Cheeto of Funyuns dust without damaging the paint. maybe see if there is a difference between if you clean them right away, like when you got home from a tournament vs if the oil and dust was left to sit for a few days

[@GoobertownHobbies]

hehehe, that would be a lot of fun!!! Must start acquiring cheeto dust!! :-)

[@GooglyEyedSkull]

Maximum Effort! Kudos to you sir!

[@matthewhopson964]

Thanks again Brent for another informative video. Your tests were reasuring in that they confirmed what I'd always suspected about varnishes. How do you feel about the types of foam for storage trays, whether you feel that polyurethane does , or not pose a threat from volatiles to minis?

[@kl1thedominion]

I love how the time lapse makes it look the dice are slowly trying to run away while you aren't looking at them.

[@storploin3860]

I noticed this too! xD

[@nikotillmann9764]

Thanks for doing these things so we don't have to! Very useful and interesting. Looking forward to more of this kind of content! 👌🏻

[@DrMallfatto]

Hey Brent! I love your videos! Especially the age of sigmar ones! Just a quick question, what’s your favorite brush for detail work? I’ve got a couple of fine tips but they all seem to fray when I get paint on them. Any help you could give would be greatly appreciated! Keep up the amazing work :3

[@WoofyMcDoodle]

I have never seen anybody with that much dedication move miniature figures around a monopoly board

[@adrianj8370]

Fantastic job! I love this video

[@DtB171]

Good effort mate! Thank you!

[@MatchaMakesThings]

Thank you for your dedication to science.

[@arnequedens366]

Wtf.... Thank you so much for your effort. You pretty nice and crazy gamer dude. Love you, you are the reason I'm back in the hobby since I saw a video from you a few years ago

[@danielthehause]

For science! Great stuff man. Genuine question: how much do you script your narration? Do you write the whole script beforehand and stick to it to the letter?

[@bicskeiz]

Very useful thanks for Your efforts!

[@snowconesyrup2698]

The scientific funions return! I'm super excited for this I love learning about all the different aspects and oddities of my art supplies

[@GoobertownHobbies]

Yeah! always good stuff to know! :-)

[@rubyfire3297]

Your dedication to mindnumbing tasks in the name of science and for our entertainment is absolutely astounding. You really earned that bag of Funyuns.

[@SuperMdscha]

I love your experiments! We're gonna have to start a gofunionme fund if you keep doing these! Not to create more work but I think the foam abrasion test should be placing the minis into then taking them out of the foam tray. It seems like that's when the most wear and tear would occur. Great stuff, keep it up! Have you done the chemical break down of varnishes yet? I'd watch it. I really enjoy your science videos.