Tamiya grey primer
- Thread starter droogie77
- Start date
DXM
New member
That\'s the only primer I\'ve use for the last 15 years.
It is fool proof . I\'ve sprayed it on my balcony in the middle of winter and in the heat of summer had not have one problem.
Even if you spray too much and it runs let it dry and it will almost disappear and just a quick wet sand it\'s smooth. I have never had the fuzzies, always dries to a perfect egg shell finish......Dragomir
It is fool proof . I\'ve sprayed it on my balcony in the middle of winter and in the heat of summer had not have one problem.
Even if you spray too much and it runs let it dry and it will almost disappear and just a quick wet sand it\'s smooth. I have never had the fuzzies, always dries to a perfect egg shell finish......Dragomir
CrookedEye
Fear the Crooked Eye
There are 2 greys, the regular grey is good but the light grey is finer and better for a smooth finish at smaller scales. I would choose either over GW primer, but if you have a choice get the light grey.
Zach
Zach
plattokeefe
New member
i use both the greys and they are far better than gw, i find the light grey gives an amazing coverage.
dark shaman
New member
i use Halfords grey , dusted over halo style wih GW skull white, this has the advantage of seeing where you shadows and hightlights fall with an overhead lighting, also halfords grey goes a long way and its cheaper then tamiya, also you only need a dusting of Skull white! works for me.
Donga
Active member
I\'ve now used Hycote & Halfords, there really isn\'t a great deal between them (if anything).
Tamiya is a quality product, but by god you pay for it!
I even got some £1.50 Simoniz Grey the other day for scenery and started using it on minis because it\'s so good!
Automotive metal primers are the way forward, more bang for your bucks.
Tamiya is a quality product, but by god you pay for it!
I even got some £1.50 Simoniz Grey the other day for scenery and started using it on minis because it\'s so good!
Automotive metal primers are the way forward, more bang for your bucks.
Jazz is for losers
New member
Rather than make another thread about primers I'll resurect this one (found it searching "Simoniz"), would anyone else like to contribute reccomendations? After yet another abysmal failure trying white primers (used GW, plasticote, and some other generic, all gave a powdery finish) I am going to try Simoniz and also Hycote, both seem good value and can be bought online. I have seen reccomendations for Halfords and Krylon but I can't get either through the mail. Krylon seems to be US only and the nearest Halfords is too far away. I am going to implode if I get another white/grey primer that produces a powdery finish.
DXM are you referring to Tamiya or Hycote?
DXM are you referring to Tamiya or Hycote?
Einion
New member
:good:
I'm totally willing to buy that the GW one could be a bit dodgy, but the Plasticote should be perfectly capable of priming well enough for our needs. Have you tried varying your spraying procedure a bit, see if it's entirely down to the primer and not an application issue?
I've occasionally had problems with orange peel or a slight granular/powdery finish, but they were definitely down to conditions or a user error, not a fault of the primer (since they worked fine before and after).
Halfords can be about twice the price of Hycote anyway so I really don't think it's a runner unless it were all that's available to someone. From what I've seen in articles, including the mention of both, I don't think there's anything between them in quality; they may in fact be identical.
In case you haven't seen the same prices for Hycote, commonly you'll see it for £3.99 online but you can find it for £2.99 per can. No idea of the P&P on top of that though.
Einion
Jazz is for losers
New member
Yes I have given consideration to the theory that I have done something wrong, but I'm not sure what.
I've never had any problems with GW black or even any other cheaper brand of black (currently I'm using Wilko / Wilkinsons black enamel for a first coat and then an acrylic on top of that). The normal procedure for me is to put it on a medium-warm radiator for 10 minutes and then shake vigourosly for 2-3 minutes. Apply in short bursts/passes from 30ish centimetres away, shaking all the while. This is done in my garage. I can do this in any environmental conditions and the finish is always smooth as a baby's bum.
It's a totally different story when it comes to white or grey though, it's always dusty without fail. At first I thought it was just the brand I was using so I shelled out for a £7 (last year) can of GW skull white, since the GW black had never let me down. When this also came up dusty I tried another brand but the same results. I started to get the feeling that it might be user error but I'm wasn't sure how, given my experiences with black.
What would you reccomend? It's a nice warm sunny day here at the moment so I might go and do some experimenting with the many full unused cans I've got idling on a shelf. Could it be the ambient environmental temperature? Temperature of the paint? Not shaken enough? Problems with the distance? I really want to try painting on white but I'm at my wits end with it at the moment.
I've never had any problems with GW black or even any other cheaper brand of black (currently I'm using Wilko / Wilkinsons black enamel for a first coat and then an acrylic on top of that). The normal procedure for me is to put it on a medium-warm radiator for 10 minutes and then shake vigourosly for 2-3 minutes. Apply in short bursts/passes from 30ish centimetres away, shaking all the while. This is done in my garage. I can do this in any environmental conditions and the finish is always smooth as a baby's bum.
It's a totally different story when it comes to white or grey though, it's always dusty without fail. At first I thought it was just the brand I was using so I shelled out for a £7 (last year) can of GW skull white, since the GW black had never let me down. When this also came up dusty I tried another brand but the same results. I started to get the feeling that it might be user error but I'm wasn't sure how, given my experiences with black.
What would you reccomend? It's a nice warm sunny day here at the moment so I might go and do some experimenting with the many full unused cans I've got idling on a shelf. Could it be the ambient environmental temperature? Temperature of the paint? Not shaken enough? Problems with the distance? I really want to try painting on white but I'm at my wits end with it at the moment.
Jazz is for losers
New member
Hmmm, checking this stickied thread http://coolminiornot.com/forums/showthread.php?t=27399 I seem to be doing the reccomended action. Possibly spraying a little close, though I had heard that the paint can "particulate" whilst travelling through the air if you leave too much distance. Looks like I might just have to experiment a bit.
Jazz is for losers
New member
ok I did a quick test, results were definately better than they were the other day. Warmed the can to slightly above room temperature and then shook it for about 15 minutes. I was very careful to maintain a 20cm distance from the mini and was a bit more light-handed with the paint, it seemed to do the trick. It's not as perfect-smooth as I might expect from my usual black but this might be just the interaction of light with a white surface. I suppose I got a bit lax over time and thought that my usual method was bullet-proof. Hopefully the nice warm day didn't contribute to the success because I do 90% of my hobbying in the evening.
/(used Plasticote grey, I'll probably check out GW white later)
/(used Plasticote grey, I'll probably check out GW white later)
CrookedEye
Fear the Crooked Eye
Not being in the UK I have no experience with Simoniz or Hycote, but I have never had a problem with any of the Tamiya primers going fuzzy, either white, light grey or grey. Gunze Mr Surfacer is another good one.
Zach
Zach
doyme
New member
Hi Jazz,
I was going to say before you did the 20cm test that 30cm is a little too far away. Then you did your test and got better results, good stuff! I find I can get good results with just about any automotive primer it doesn't have to be halfords.
I did get a lot of experience when doing up cars. If you think minis are difficult then just try spraying a car with a can! Unbelievable sensitivity to daylight, wind, temp, distance... whether you had a bacon or sausage sandwich yesterday etc. The car industry gets around it by using spray guns which are just effectively very large airbrushes. This is how they get the showroom smooth finishes and I've seen a BMW bodywork expert do it (after he did my car he even did a mates oven with a heat resistant matte paint!).
I think the moral of the story is that if you want ultra smooth undercoats every time then an airbrush might be in order. I know I'm going to try to get my hands on a good one soon.
I was going to say before you did the 20cm test that 30cm is a little too far away. Then you did your test and got better results, good stuff! I find I can get good results with just about any automotive primer it doesn't have to be halfords.
I did get a lot of experience when doing up cars. If you think minis are difficult then just try spraying a car with a can! Unbelievable sensitivity to daylight, wind, temp, distance... whether you had a bacon or sausage sandwich yesterday etc. The car industry gets around it by using spray guns which are just effectively very large airbrushes. This is how they get the showroom smooth finishes and I've seen a BMW bodywork expert do it (after he did my car he even did a mates oven with a heat resistant matte paint!).
I think the moral of the story is that if you want ultra smooth undercoats every time then an airbrush might be in order. I know I'm going to try to get my hands on a good one soon.
Jazz; having used Plasicote in the past I've learned the hard way that it can take up to 24 hours to set before it'll be ready to paint on.
Einion
New member
FWIW that's pretty much how I spray primer, except for the distance; I get the can a little warmer than body temperature.
I think I'd try two things: spraying in passes only (although I use bursts too, but it's worth seeing if not doing it helps) and spraying a little closer. Powdery results are usually due to the paint drying partly on the way to the surface as you know and distance seems to be the culprit. I presume that very warm and dry air is not an issue for you!
BTW, when you get a powdering finish do you have a fix, do you live with it or do you strip and prime again? There's a partial fix that, while not ideal, is better than living with it and might be preferable to stripping and having another go.
:rotfl:
There's a bit more to it than that though - some slight orange peel is present even with expensive sprayjobs.
Einion
Jazz is for losers
New member
Thanks doyme, yes air brush would have been my next port of call, I really need to check those out.
Mike, agreed plasticote drying time is long.
Einion, generally I'll soldier on after a dusty undercoat, though the mini is about 3x more likely to find it's way to the un-finished cupboard. What do you suggest short of stripping? I do attack the mini with a large medium soft/stiff hogshair brush and then give it a rub down with my fingertips. A scalpel is used during painting whenever I find a large clump. This is all barely adequate though compared to a smooth surface.
Mike, agreed plasticote drying time is long.
Einion, generally I'll soldier on after a dusty undercoat, though the mini is about 3x more likely to find it's way to the un-finished cupboard. What do you suggest short of stripping? I do attack the mini with a large medium soft/stiff hogshair brush and then give it a rub down with my fingertips. A scalpel is used during painting whenever I find a large clump. This is all barely adequate though compared to a smooth surface.
