[Chinxy]

OK all! :freak: Now this is really driving me nuts! So I would like to ask your advice! I just bought a new can of primer from the hobby shop. It was a white can that has a cartone on it and says Army Black Primer! Now I dried it and all it did was make more work for me. When I used it, it simply put a very heavy thick layer of black dust on the kit. Then I had to wip it off. It was black underneigth but not very good.
So here's my question????
What is a good primer, what do you guys use and where do you get it?

 

[modelgeek]

I used Krylon most of the time..Jeff

 

[gaz91]

Hi Chinxy, i use Humbrol acrylic matt grey spray primer, never had any worries, just does the job,

 

[Chinxy]

gaz91, where do you get it?

 

[djnick66]

Humbrol spray primer is not sold out of the UK

I use Tamiya white and/or grey spray primer. It is excellent. The white is smoother/finer. In a way I prefer the grey... it has a little more tooth. I use the white mostly for things I am going to paint bright colors, like red or yellow.

 

[Mark McGovern]

Chinx',

I'm an amalgam: like modelgeek, I like Krylon sandable primers (Wal-Mart and Michael's carries Krylon; you can download a 40% off coupon from Michael's web site almost every week to get the paint a little cheaper). I use the Gray primer for general applications and, like djnick66, I spray the White primer when I want brighter colors - superhero costumes, normal flesh tones, and such.

 

[Chinxy]

Thanks Mark, I need to stop at Michael's today so I'll pick some up and try it.

 

[Mark McGovern]

Thanks Mark, I need to stop at Michael's today so I'll pick some up and try it.

Chinx',

There was a discussion way back about spray paints. Here's a digest of what I posted then and still adhere to now:

The "grittiness" of the primers can be reduced if you place the can in a container of lukewarm water for a few minutes before spraying. Also, it takes a little practice to learn how fast to move the can across the surface of the model, and what distance from the surface to hold the can when spraying. I haven't used any spray paint yet that didn't work better when applied in several light mist coats as opposed to a few heavier ones. All spray cans may "spit" the paint out in globs when the nozzle is depressed or released, so it's a good practice to start and stop your painting stroke off the model.

In addition to protecting the surface of your model from the possible effects of whatever paints you're using, primers are formulated to adhere well to the surface, and therfore provide better adhesion for the finish coats. A primer coat will reveal any construction flaws that need to be addressed before the critical color coats are applied. And primers can cover a variety of surfaces - styrene and putty, for instance - which makes a level playing field for the color coats. That prevents the various surfaces from showing through the finish paint.

Hope this helps.

 

[Magesblood]

I prefer plasti-kote sandable primer. Great stuff. Thing is, I can't find it anymore. Michaels used to sell it but got rid of it in favor of some Christmas stuff.

 

[Dave P]

Plasti-Kote or Duplicolor scratch filler/primer (auto parts stores or auto section of your local department store) is great to fill minor imperfections when wet sanded, sometimes followed with a top coat of Tamiya or Mr. Surfacer for an ultra smooth surface.

I love the Tamiya primers, but they are more expensive so I've started being a little more selective on what projects I use it on. I experimented with the $1.34 (at least it is here) Wal Mart brand and was pleasantly surprised that it went on pretty smooth when build up slowly - which you should do in any case.

Also tried the Rustoleum brand scratch filler. Not too bad either.

Ditto what Mark said. Start & finish your strokes off the model.

 

[rkoenn]

I personally use Rustoleum gray primer. It is a light gray and easy to cover with most paints including, obviously, model acrylics. I love Krylon in general but the thing I don't like with their primer, and I used lots of it in the past on model rockets, is that if you need to sand it, especially large surfaces which is more typical for model rockets than plastic models, unless it has cured for 3+ days I found it clogs the sandpaper very quickly making the paper almost useless. The Rustoleum is usually reasonably sandable in just a couple of hours or so. For both the longer you let them cure the easier it is to sand on but I don't like to wait 3+ days on a piece before I can reasonably get back to work on it. Just my 2 cents worth, on model rockets for the painting itself I love Krylon.

 

[Mark McGovern]

...I don't like to wait 3+ days on a piece before I can reasonably get back to work on it...

Which is why it's a good idea to have more than one project going at the same time, so you can work on one while waiting for something to dry on the other. Me, I got a couple dozen in various stages of completion...

 

[Magesblood]

3 days? Where are you, Ecuador? Humidity mixed with the aresolized spray will do that. Best to spray when the humidity is low.

I generally have to wait about half an hour before I apply the paint coat.

 

[rkoenn]

Which is why it's a good idea to have more than one project going at the same time, so you can work on one while waiting for something to dry on the other. Me, I got a couple dozen in various stages of completion...

I usually have 3 or 4 projects going at the same time. I mean I don't wait around on that one project for the primer to dry and I do even better using the Rustoleum. I have used both in the same environment and can work on the Rustoleum painted model without waiting too long at all. All I remember is working on some model rockets it wasn't the drying time, the Krylon was dry very quickly, to the touch. But once I really hit it with sandpaper it would "clog" the sandpaper very rapidly and if you wanted to continue you had to get a fresh piece in an infinite loop. If I waited for at least a couple of days it would sand like normal. With plastic models that is probably not as critical since the sanding of the primer is usually minimal. But to remove the body tube seams in model rockets you spray/sand/spray/sand until the seam is filled. So you don't want to wait and you are working with large surface areas which clogs a sheet of sandpaper very quickly on non-cured Krylon primer. But I almost always used their colored paints for finishing the rockets, they were great and there was no sanding involved at that point in the build.

 

[Mark McGovern]

Well, the shortest - and best - answer would be, go with whatever works for you. Rustoleum is a well known brand and if it dries faster for you then there's no reason not to use it.

 

[djnick66]

I live in Florida where humidity (even in winter) can approach 100%. Tamiya primer dries in an hour or so, even then. I did have good luck with Plastikote primer but Wal Mart, Michaels etc all quit carrying it.

One cause of a gritty, sandy finish is spraying from too far away. The paint is drying in the air and hitting the model as a powder. The paint should hit as a liquid so it will flow/level on the surface, then dry. If you were air brushing, the problem can be caused by too thick paint being sprayed from too far away and with too much pressure (pressure is a common can problem too).

 

[Chinxy]

Mark - I took your advise and went to Michael's. I bought the Krylon sandable primers grey and I'm using it on the Klingon Cruiser. It is working great. No dust or extra paint to wipe off the kit. It goes on smooth and doing what I want it to do. Show me the seams! So good advise. Thanks! I just thought it was a darn schame that the hobby shop changed their primer. I would love just to take it back and show them what it was doing. But I'm sure they would just tell me to go pound sand. They are really a train shop with just a few models.

 

[beck]

i swear by Krylon sandable grey . :thumbsup:
can be had at wal mart or hobby lobby .
hb