Painting over varnish ?

[Philly]

I about at that stage where I about ready to start painting and varnishing. I habuilt a billing dragon and what to finish it with a varnished hull painted below the water line. I don’t intend to sail it so it is a static model only. 
Any suggestions please. 

[End Of The Line]

My experience (not from ship modeling) is that you can apply paint over varnish as long as there have the same type of base.  Water based paint over water based varnish or oil based paint over oil based varnish.  Lightly scuffing the surface with fine sandpaper helps improve adhesion 

[Keith Black]

I paint over polyurethane with acrylic paint and recoat with poly without issue. 

[Bob Cleek]

Varnish will likely produce a gloss finish that is out of scale. You may want to hand-rub it to a mat or satin finish instead. Clear ("white") shellac is another option that is easier to apply than varnish, as well, and if wiped on, or applied thinly, won't result in a gloss finish. The same is true of thinned ("wipe on") varathane.

 

 

Edited March 8, 2021 by Bob Cleek

[Philly]

Thanks guys for the responses looks like I will use poly and paint over with acrylic. 😀

[Keith Black]

Philly, please do a test piece first just to make sure it's going to meet your expectations.