Primer brand ruining my paint work?

[magno]

Scope this model.

Oniwaban

Now, some folks have commented on another forum that it looks great but looks chalky, smoky, and grainey.

I live in Michigan, and I clean the model fairly well but don\'t sand them down. Only filing.

I use Armory White primer and I take particular care to spray outside, in low humidity, around 65-75 degrees with the paint can at the same temperature. I shake the can well and spray off to the side until I get a nice uniform dispersal and spray from a distance of about 12\" to 18\".

Am I using the wrong brand?
Should I wash my models after I\'ve handled them with my fingers?

I would greatly appreciate any insight here since its pretty disheartening that this model is recieving a 6.5 when I really feel it could be an 8 or at least a 7.7.

 

[Dragonsreach]

You definitley are showing some kind of granularity in the paint.
Trouble is it\'s hard to tell from pictures if it is the primer or the paint itself.

I\'d suggest that you prime another model and take it\'s picture to compare the surfaces, if they look similar then it\'s more than likely the primer.

But one thing I would suggest is that you read Automaton\'s article on metals specifically about the preparation of minis and burnishing the surface. Here

 

[magno]

Wow, that is a great side by side comparison. At first glance, the well prepared model looks like he already has a coat of metallic paint.

And I just went downstairs and pulled out some primed but not painted models and almost all of them have the \"funk\" on them. They\'ve all been primed at different times and conditions so I think I will be throwing those Armory out.

Any recommendations for a good white primer?

 

[Avelorn]

Well if the scores you\'re after I suggest you put the views together in a multiview/collage and use an aperture setting that allows for the entire miniature to be in focus.

Tamiya have a good white primer.

 

[Einion]

Originally posted by magno
Scope this model.

Oniwaban

Now, some folks have commented on another forum that it looks great but looks chalky, smoky, and grainey.

Okay, good to see a pic rather than having to go on a verbal description only. There is some granularity in the finish which is going to be either primer and/or the mini\'s casting texture, but it\'s not excessive - given the mini is around five times larger than life on my screen it\'s not that bad at all.

Anyone on the other forum suggest the visible problem might be partly to do with the way you paint? If you paint fairly wet with very dilute paint on something with texture it\'ll tend to exaggerate the appearance of that texture. To me that looks like about 50% of it.

Originally posted by magno
Should I wash my models after I\'ve handled them with my fingers?

It\'s advisable but not essential.

I would definitely recommend doing something to smooth off the surface of metal minis anyway, but the way to check if your primer/spray method is the only culprit is to spray something you know is utterly smooth, like an injection-moulded plastic kit or a resin casting, even a scrap of plastic card might be enough. Then compare really carefully with a primed metal mini (take photos even, the texture often shows up better in pics than in the flesh); if you do see the same thing then it\'s not the casting texture.

Originally posted by magno
I would greatly appreciate any insight here since its pretty disheartening that this model is recieving a 6.5 when I really feel it could be an 8 or at least a 7.7.

For what it\'s worth: 6.5 is a bit low IMO but 7.7 would be too high.

Originally posted by magno
Any recommendations for a good white primer?

I actually think your primer might be fine.

Warming the can of primer in hand-hot water for a couple of minutes prior to spraying will help. Try to keep the spray distance down closer to 12\" than 18\".

If you do want to try something new (always worth comparing different products anyway) I generally recommend automotive primers, since you\'re in the US you could also have a look for Rustoleum as it\'s about the same. Both are very likely to be cheaper than the Armory stuff.

Einion

 

[kathrynloch]

I use Armory primer and it does the exact same thing. My problem is mostly high humidity but it can also be caused by not shaking the can enough or holding it too far away (the spray starts to actually dry in the air before it hits the mini). I still use Armory black but am prepared to scrub it off if it goes furry. For white, I love Krylon Primer - goes on perfect every time for me.

PS - I always scrub my minis after handling them with my fingers.

lol! I see Einion ninja\'d me.

HTH!

Cheers,
Kat

 

[airhead]

Krylon white primer = rank & file

Duplicolor primer = better

Tamaya Primer = best.

http://www.maximusinminimis.com/Primer%20Test.html

Throw the armory stuff away. They\'ve had too many quality control issues to even warrant consideration.

***

For what is is worth, I\'d give the mini about a 6. 7 if it was in focus and I could see the front - maybe.

Camera work is easily half your score. Back up a bit and use the zoom. Set your aperatore to the highest number (if you can) or set the shutter to the longest time. That will increase your depth of field.

Backs of minis - unless a second pic below the main - generally score lower. The face is where painters make or break scores.

I like the muted blue wash on each piece of his body. Very French pastel style.

 

[magno]

Airhead,
thanks for the time and effort you put into the primer testing.

To the rest of you, thanks incredibly for all the feedback.

You\'ve helped me incredibly and supplied me with some great motivation.

 

[airhead]

Afraid that is not my primer test. Just one of those things I found while cruising the net.

One day I\'ll have to replicate it with some of my favorite primers.

 

[DXM]

As airhead said, Tamiya is the way to go.
I\'ve used it for more than 15 years and it is idiot proof, I\'m talking first hand experience here. The grey is the best, their white, to me is almost as good as the grey but still the white is miles ahead of the other primers especially Armory.

 

[tomusannonymous]

that happened to me with GW white primer, i had to strip the mini, actually that one never quite recovered it\'s still sitting in dettol

 

[ScottRadom]

I gotta try this Tamiya product out. What makes it superior specifically, or is it just generally a very high quality?

 

[bomba776]

which tamiya primer do you use ?

 

[forge]

\"I live in Michigan,\"
lolwut? that was random