Guide to BJD Sealants and alternatives (with in-depth testing)

So whether you are dipping your toe into faceups or you just want to spray a protective layer over your doll, people in the hobby always ask- “What sealant should I use?”

In the beginning there was MSC…

When I first started in the hobby back in 2009 there were very few choices. MSC or Mr.Super Clear was the go to sealant. They even created a Mr.Super Clear UV Cut that could help protect your dolly from the harmful UV rays. Knowing that this was a well trusted product was great but getting a hold of it wasn’t easy or cheap.

Like most things in this hobby you had to order it online. This also means paying a bit more for shipping because it is a flammable/hazardous material. I would internally cringe when I would shake my near empty can knowing I would have to go on the MSC hunt again.

Fast forward to today where hobbyists have found alternative sealants that are easier to find and are very low cost.

The other contenders…

So here is a little list of the alternative choices that are out there right now that have been experimented with…

• Mr. Super Clear or Mr. Super Clear UV Cut (MSC)
• Testors Dullcote/ Testors Clear Coat
• Citadel purity seal also known as Munitorum Varnish
• Zoukeimura Finishing Powder
• Gunze Mr. Topcoat
• Tamiya Color Clear Flat
• Vallejo Acrylic Matt Varnish (spray can)/ There are also drops for the airbrush too

Things not to use:

• Krylon Varnish Spray
• Armory Clear Matte Spray
• Mod Podge Matte Spray
• Fixatives meant for paper and pencil work

A closer look- Testors, Tamiya, Vallejo, and Armory

Recently I went to my local hobby store and picked out some clear matte sealants. Some of these I really haven’t heard too much about being used for BJDs. I wanted to test them out on resin and see how they looked and felt. Get ready for some science experiments…

Testors Clear Coat

I know a lot of people use the Testors Dullcote and I wanted to try this clear coat. It is a small can with a small nozzle. When I sprayed the product onto the resin it went on very easily and quickly. I let it dry for about 25 min before I started to experiment putting pastel on it and trying to erase the watercolor pencil I used on the resin piece.

The initial feel was a smooth matte. It did not leave the resin piece shiny or have any residue. The color of the resin appeared to stay the same.

For the pastel test I got some shaved pastel and brushed it on. It stuck to the resin effortlessly and made for a smooth application. This tells me that it was matte enough for the pastel to grab onto it and make the pastel really pop.

When it came time to erase the watercolor pencil I had to put some muscle into it. After several scrubs the letters started to come off. This tells me that the spray is very strong on the resin and that once you pack on more layers, you will need to clean it with some strong solvents. (Winsor and Newton or a high percentage of rubbing alcohol)

Vallejo Acrylic Matt Varnish

I have seen people swear by the airbrush version of this sealant. However, if you do not own a airbrush like me, this might be an option. Also just a odd side note…I always feel weird writing out matt vs matte…but that’s what’s on the can.

I really like that it is a big can with a ergonomic type nozzle. It was very misty and easy to spray onto my resin piece. Because the airbrush version was highly recommended I had very high hopes for this one.

The pastel test was very curious. The pastel did go onto the resin piece but the texture was a smoother matte and therefore needed rub it in more with the brush to get a saturated color.

I feel like the layer was so thin that you could actually easily stack more layers on it without it getting too thick on the resin. When it came time to erase the watercolor pencil I was shocked at how much I had to scrub at it to get the letters to come off. This was amazing to me because it felt so thin. Granted I did choose a purple color pencil. Since it was a darker color, it may have caused it to be more resilient to come off.

Tamiya Clear Flat

I tried my best not to be prejudiced because I am a big fan of their paints and gloss. This could mean that their sealant should kick butt too right?

The can was small and sprayed on like a champ. After letting it dry the texture that it left was very similar to MSC. It was truly matte and left no shine on the resin.

Onto the pastel testing it caught to the resin well. It really honestly felt like I just was using MSC. When it came time to erase it was sturdy enough that it did take some swipes to remove it. I was very pleased with it and it felt so nostalgic that it made me wonder if they used the same things MSC puts in their cans, since it was also from Japan.

Armory……never again

When I got the can I was pretty happy because it was a big can. The nozzle was small though and felt like it didn’t belong. I was eager to try it because I couldn’t find anything online if people had used it or not.

Oh boy was I in for a can of disappointment. It sprayed on fine but when it dried it left a cloudy look on the resin. When I went in to touch it there was a ashy residue on my finger that I swiped off.

ALERT! ALERT! ABORT! ABORT!

That alone made me strike it off the list, but for science I continued. I went ahead and tried…key word…tried to put on pastel. It was in a major battle with the ashy residue and had a hard time applying to the resin piece. In the next test of erasing the pastel it came off easily. Maybe that could be a good thing, but it also could be a bad thing. You want a sealant that is going to keep your faceup on for a long while. You want it to protect your BJD’s butts from dark jean color staining.

In conclusion for the Armory…

Getting a clearer look

Have you ever wondered what sealant actually looks like…I mean if you could see through your resin? Well I went ahead and sprayed them on clear plates to get a clearer look. (haha? have I said clearer enough already?)

Here is what they look like next to a clear clean plate so you can see the difference.

As you can see above, Testors gave a very consistent coat and it did make the plate go matte. It was a bit concerning though on how heavy of a matte it was. Would that be too much to layer on? I feel like maybe if it was like 3 coats it may not be too bad.

Vallejo gave a consistent coat and looked like it could dish out some more layers and be fine.

Tamiya looked good here next to the clean plate. It was a slight lighter than the Vallejo and more evenly spread throughout.

WOMP WOMP…so now you can actually see what was really going on. It was crazy cloudy and left a residue on the plate too. The overall look was blotchy and nasty looking. I wouldn’t want that on my BJD.

Who’s the winner?

Honestly I love me some Citadel Purity Seal but since they changed it I feel like I want a more matte finish. MSC is always a good go-to but hard to get a hold of sometimes. Of the sealants I experimented on I actually really like the Tamiya and the Vallejo. I would put Testors up there too but I got a tad worried about how strong it was. Tamiya just felt so close to MSC which is the bread and butter of sealants in this hobby. I actually even got to use the Tamiya on a tan skin doll and it didn’t cloud it up either. Hence I will give a crown to Tamiya and a tiny crown to Vallejo.

Have you tried any of these sealants before? Tell me about it in the comments section below!

If you would like to see more of my experiment in depth feel free to check out my video I made on YouTube!