Watering down Mod Podge?

[Former_Member]

I'm currently trying to seal my shrink plastic keychain designs with Mod Podge but I can't stand how thick and gooey it is. I cannot get it to smooth out if I use it straight from the bottle. It's streaky and blobby. Before Mod Podge I was using nail polish which flowed very nicely and had very smooth coverage, but it's too expensive and I want to use something actually intended to be used as a sealant. I noticed Mod Podge is water based, so I was wondering if it would still dry and seal properly if I mixed it with water to make it run and lay smooth. Also, is Mod Podge waterproof after it dries? It's important to me that these are waterproof. Will mixing it with water change that?

[BlueTurtleCrafts]

I think you could definitely thin it with water. With that said, I know a lot of people love mod podge but I can't stand it. It never dries properly for me, stays a wee bit tacky forever.

Maybe try a water proof varnish of some kind. I know the polymer clay folks like verathane and future floor finish (it's varnish for finishing your wood floors) and that is suuuuper thin (watery even).

Good luck :)

[Former_Member]

Thank you, BlueTurtleCrafts, sounds like an interesting alternative. If this doesn't work out for me, maybe I'll try that next. I'm glad I went with the smaller bottle. It seems it's going to take me forever to use it all and I hate being wasteful.

[TheTinyFig]

You can't use anything water based to seal shrink plastic. No mod podge, no Varathane, no floor wax. I have tried them all over the years and it will ruin your image.The only thing that will remain water proof is resin.

[Former_Member]

Bummer! Thank you for the warning, TinyFig! My images seem to be turning out okay, but who knows what will happen in the long run. Now what do I do with all of this Mod Podge? LOL, maybe this is an opportunity for me to explore other mediums?