I have some wood I stained with alkaline dye from Craftsupply.
What would be a decent Matte finsh that can be sprayed with an air brush.
This is no going to be something that gets handled much at all.
Check out
Enduro-Var it's easy to spray and has a slight amber tint. Readily available from Woodcraft and most lumber lards in pints. Normally I'd say shellac but converting it to matte it tedious at best.
GF's Enduro Clear Poly would be my choice. Sprays great and you can get it in Flat (10), Satin (30), SG (50), and Gloss (80).
John
Most resinous finishes, if not all, are naturally glossy. The glossy quality of a finish is simply the result of a resinous finish laying flat and reflecting light from its surface.
Speaking directly about nitrocellulose lacquer, (which I'm most familiar with) flatting agent can be added. The role of flatting agent is to disrupt the material's ability to form a smooth surface along its top.
Imagine an ice rink at a hockey game. After the players have skated, the ice is dull. Countless tiny scratches, all over the ice, forbid a fidelity of reflected light. It appears dull because the reflected light is dispersed. After the man grooms the ice with the zamboni machine, the ice is glossy and "bright." The smooth ice allows fidelity of the reflected light. The ice is the same in both cases; H2O @ 32* F, or less. The "two" "different" things you see are, in fact, the same thing.
That's how flatting agent works. Flatting agent inhibits the lacquer's ability to form a smooth top surface.
See if you can get flatting agent for your chosen finish, whatever that might be. Make sure that it is compatible. Your vendor can point you the right way with that. In the case of lacquer, remember, flatting agent is a contaminant. It does not contribute to the strength of the coating material; it detracts. Use in limited quantities per manufacturer's recommendation.
As a side note, I offer the following:
Some (psychos) choose dead flat material to obtain the best, truest gloss. Remember, I said flat and gloss aren't two separate finishes, but the same finish with a different surface quality. The reasoning is, "I will rub to a gloss. The flat finish will tell me where I haven't achieved gloss, and the gloss will tell me where I'm done." I don't share their views.
I will check out the products that were suggested.
While looking at the euro site I noticed sanding sealer. Would this not leave a matte finish if left un-sanded?
As I first stated,I don't need added strength, just a little protection from moisture in the air and maybe a little UV protection.Would sanding sealer provide this?
Sanding sealer is not needed nor useful for most WW! It will not do anything useful for you at all. AFAIK it is only needed by commercial shops using NC lacquer to save on sand paper.
Don't use sanding sealer.
If you want UV protection use GF's High Performance Poly. Sprays or brushes great, has a very good UV package, and is beautiful. It's the only consumer clear coat I know of that has one.
John
Crystalac Poly-Ox has UV protection but not as sophisticated as High Performance Poly. I thought that Endurovar did as well but checked and it apparently does not.
OK I will see about the GF's High Performance Poly.
As long as they have quarts of the stuff. I ain't paying $150 just to see if I like it.
Yes, HP Poly is available in quarts from Rockler and both quarts and pints from Amazon.
John