Primer

[Meg]

I\'ve been using Armory white primer for a while now (\'while\' used loosely - I\'m a new painter ) but I\'m not really happy with the way it\'s working out. The texture is coming out (for lack of a better description) fuzzy, and I\'m losing some detail - despite my best efforts not to spray thickly.

If anybody could help me out, either with ideas of how to help my Armory along (would heating the can a little have any affect on the paint? Or would it explode?), or with some suggestions of some better quality white primer to use, I\'d really appreciate it.

 

[calabdark]

its supposed to have a rough texture(but not to rough) what ive started to do now is brush on primer on special minis and just spray raf and plastics

 

[supervike]

Kaboom...

Heating the can might help a little, but you have to be careful how you do it.

Obviously, you cannot just put it in the microwave.

lollol

If you had a bowl or bucket filled with very warm water and then let your paint can sit it in for a few minutes. it may help with the viscosity of the paint.

Also, you may want to be sure your shaking the can enough. Make sure you can hear the agitator and then shake it for at least a minute, maybe more.

I have heard people talk about the virtues of many different brands, from cheap-o Wal-mart to Games Workshop. I don\'t think there are major differences between them all.

Myself, I could never get the \'right\' coverage on the minis, so I also have been brushing on primer lately.lollol

 

[finn17]

Try increasing the distance...

Temperature and humidity seem to have a considerable effect upon the performance of spray paint. I would not recommend heating the can up as apart from the obvious danger of blowing yourself up, the paint is likely to spatter. It is however, probably a good idea bring youc and to ambient temperature of where you are going to spray. Some people keep their cans in a cold basement/shed etc and them bring them out and use them straight away.

There is not a lot you can do about humidity however.

If the paint is going on too thick, try increasing the distance between can and mini. This might seem obvious, but I have seen loads of people holding it too close with the obvious result that detail is obscured.

Also, don\'t aim for 100% level coverage. Spray very lightly and then fill in the crevices with watered-down brush-on if necessary. It is generally whilst trying to get the recesses undercoated that you lose the detail in the raised areas.:bouncy:

 

[Chrispy]

I said it once, I\'ll say it again: Rustoleum is abou $3 a can and it prevents leadrot. I\'ve also never had a prblem with fuzzy paint.. One time I got too close and it came out globby, though. The only problem is you need to let it sit overnight, as it will be touch dry but you\'l notice it\'s slightly sticky. That means it\'s not ready yet and no amount of paintng will make it be ready!

 

[Coyote]

This is a problem with this brand of paints. I used to use it myself, because it was cheaper then GW, but it is fuzzy, and their black is more grey then black.

I just tried Krylon, which many recommend. The black was fine but the white is very glossy. Wonder how well paint will stick to it.

 

[finn17]

Saying things again...

Originally posted by Chrispy
I said it once, I\'ll say it again: Rustoleum is abou $3 a can and it prevents leadrot. I\'ve also never had a prblem with fuzzy paint.. One time I got too close and it came out globby, though. The only problem is you need to let it sit overnight, as it will be touch dry but you\'l notice it\'s slightly sticky. That means it\'s not ready yet and no amount of paintng will make it be ready!

Unfortunately Chrispy, no amount of saying it and saying it again is likely to make it available outside the USA. This might not be a problem as far as Meg is concerned however.

I wonder if CA could make giving your location a compulsory field when you sign up. It would make things a lot easier when trying to give advice to folks.

 

[Beelzebrush]

I tend to use either the brush on vallejo primer, which is pretty good. Or GW primer... just shake it for the stated 25 minutes and all is well

 

[Coyote]

what is the difference between vallejo brush on primer, and just paint?

 

[mouse]

Run for your lives!!!!

Originally posted by supervike
Heating the can might help a little, but you have to be careful how you do it.

Obviously, you cannot just put it in the microwave.

lollol

If you had a bowl or bucket filled with very warm water and then let your paint can sit it in for a few minutes. it may help with the viscosity of the paint.

Now that\'s funny! lol

Ahem, of course it\'s dangerous!
What are you thinking Meg?!?!
Never heat up a spray can or puncture it...or else you can add your entry in the thread...\"Injury during painting\"...if you are still able to type.

The roughness of the spray happens for me too but frankly speaking, it works wonder for me. Otherwise, I don\'t bother to use spray-cans. For metal, I use metal primer. For plastic, I simply use watered down paint.

Otherwise, try cheaper alternatives like RJ or Bentex. Honestly GW is too expensive and they clot too easily.

For a smoother finish (somewhat glossy), try Nippon spray...but be warned, it\'s slightly on the thick-side and hence, increase your spraying distance.

 

[KatieG]

Originally posted by Coyote
what is the difference between vallejo brush on primer, and just paint?

Primer sticks to the metal better than just plain paint, and it gives a surface for the paint to adhere to. A figure that is primed with primer vs one that is primed with paint is less likely to have paint chip or just plain rub off.
--Katie G.

 

[Meg]

Thanks for all your help and info, everybody - I\'ll soon be setting forth again on the right track. :flip: Without microwaving or exploding my paint.

finn17 - thanks especially for the tip about not going after 100% coverage with the spray, and coming back later with the brush-on - I never really thought about that, but it makes sense!

 

[finn17]

Glad it helped.

I am only speaking from personal experience. Probably like most mini painters, I tend towards being a bit obsessive. I always wanted to achieve a perfectly even coverage when spray undercoating and suffered from a similar problem to the one you described. Once the recesses etc were perfectly covered, the raised areas were clogged up.
It is hard to be able to \'relax\' enough however to be happy with what looks like \'less-than\'perfect undercoat. But as you are going to paint over the top, it actually makes no difference.

 

[Sand Rat]

About the hot water thing - I have tried it and it does work well. Just dont let the can sit there too long lol

 

[airhead]

???

Originally posted by Coyote...but the white is very glossy. Wonder how well paint will stick to it.

If it is glossy, I would question if you got primer or paint. There is a difference. I use the white primer all the time & it is dead flat.

I have recently tried the gray primer and will post my feelings on it after a few minis.

 

[WaferThinNinja]

Primer is not the same as paint - it contains microscopic \"spiky\" grains which allow it to bond with both the metal and the paint. It is kind of like liquid velcro.

With spray primer, shaking well is essential, otherwise all these grains will be clogged together and you will end up with a grainy finish. The spraying distance is important. Don\'t spray from *too far away* - the droplets can dry in mid air and this gives a grainy texture to the finish. Spray from about 20-30cm away and have an old brush ready (don\'t use a good brush as primer is not kind to brushes) to quickly (make that instantly - primer dries fast) clear any surplus from the details.

Alternatively, I would avoid spray entirely and just brush on. It doesn\'t take long - it is worth spending an extra 5-10 minutes priming when you are going to be spending hours on the paint job.

I have always got on well with grey primer (I have only seen brush on primer in white or black, but you can add black or white paint to make it grey) - I find both black and white can make detail hard to see, the grey makes everything stand out nicely. You can always reprime an area with white if you are after the luminosity that that provides (or if brushing on, just prime that area using white in the first place).

Hope this is useful.

 

[katamaran]

I had a few cans of GW black primer go fuzzy on me a couple years ago. The worst case was on an Inquisitor mini that I\'d done my first real sculpting/converting on. Not only was he now furry, but the places where the prime was smooth suddenly began cracking like Death Valley. I curled up in a ball and gibbered mindlessly for an hour or so before I finally got up the nerve to strip it (didn\'t strip too bad...and made $200 on the mini on eBay )

I read on someone\'s website a few weeks later that when you\'re prepping a can to prime, don\'t just shake the can up and down. All that does is move the paint in the general area of the ball bearing. Shake the can to get the ball moving (about 15 seconds). Then hold the can by the top rim area and twirl just the bottom of the can...like swirling a bottle of soda. That creates a vortex effect that mixes everything in the can, from top to bottom. Do this for 30 seconds, then shake 15, then swirl 30. Then you\'re ready to prime.

I\'ve followed this religiously since the great mini disaster of 2001, and haven\'t had a bad prime since then.

 

[aon14]

Originally posted by Meg
I\'ve been using Armory white primer for a while now (\'while\' used loosely - I\'m a new painter ) but I\'m not really happy with the way it\'s working out. The texture is coming out (for lack of a better description) fuzzy, and I\'m losing some detail - despite my best efforts not to spray thickly.

If anybody could help me out, either with ideas of how to help my Armory along (would heating the can a little have any affect on the paint? Or would it explode?), or with some suggestions of some better quality white primer to use, I\'d really appreciate it.

Bit late now...
But.

I used to use halfords spray primer all the time.
Stick the can in a bowl of hot water for 5 minutes to warm it up and increase the pressure.

I\'ve now changed to using the sort of paint-on primer is used on galvanised metal.
Specifically: Blackfriars Interior and exterior priming paint, galvanised metal primer.
This is spirit based so you thin and wash brushes with turps substitute. You can now get low-odour thinner from art shops which is far less likely to kick off allergies and annoy partner/mother/pets.
This is great stuff, dries a dark cream colour.
I use pre-shading techniques so the colour doesn\'t figure much in my thinking.
HTH