Properly Using Spray Primers?

[Dasher2k]

I have the problem when I am done priming a mini, even after two coats, I have areas that aren\'t even touched by the primer. I then zapped the area but am wondering if I cam laying it on too thick...My question is how do you properly spray on a primer so it covers the whole model? (Using Games Workshop for those of you that must know)

Also, I am wondeirng if some of you just spray one figure at a time so you can better control where the paint goes or if you just spray a couple of figs at a time.

Thanks in advance,
Guy who needs advice on how to properly use spray on primer.

 

[bayrodney]

Hey, and welcome to the forums

Even though i still amatuerly spray minis ( i am hardly perfect ) i believe the best method is to bluetac your mini onto a small box. and rotate the box instead of moving the spray. And dont hold your spray to close.

Thats just my thoughts......

 

[vincegamer]

to answer the second part, I will brush prime individual minis but if I\'m doing a unit, I spray around 6-8 minis at a time. I line them up in a row on a piece of cardboard and spray one side then spray the other side, wait for it to dry, lie them down and spray one side, wait for it to dry, turn them over and spray the other side.

I still have areas that don\'t seem to get hit, but those are also areas that won\'t get rubbed and the surface tension of the first layer of paint between bits of primer is sufficient to hold til the paint dries.

I don\'t know if it\'s proper, it\'s just what I do.

 

[Einion]

Four steps will help:
Buy better primer
Warm can
Shake lots
Spray directly at figure (not in passes)

But with complex castings you\'ll often get small spots and tight areas that spray, from a can, won\'t get into so either ignore and then paint, airbrush the primer on or spot those areas with a brush-on primer.

Einion

 

[Ogrebane]

@Einion wont spraying directly at mini cause splotches of undercoat?
I will spray up to 5 minis at a time as Bayrodney says blue tac\'d to a paint pot and turn the mini 90 degrees for 4 passes of the mini. I may do this twice but I always give them a wash of white afterwards to cover the bits that got missed.

 

[Einion]

Originally posted by Ogrebane
@Einion wont spraying directly at mini cause splotches of undercoat?

Not if the first three conditions are met

I tried this as a solution to spray not reaching into recessed detail a while back and I do this all the time now.

The general spraying advice - spray in passes, starting and stopping off the figure - just wouldn\'t work unless I was spraying too close and that just made for too thick a coat. Plus I realised that most of the can ended up being wasted the normal way!

I make sure the can is quite warm by using hand-hot water, really shake it properly and spray in short bursts from a range of distances depending on the model, but usually around a foot to a foot-and-a-half away.

Einion

 

[Crackpot]

Actually everything was said before. I spray my minis from all 4 sides and in 2 different angles. Then wait to dry, turn them around and repeat the first step. After this normally everything is covered with primer.
At the beginning I often made the mistake and sprayed directly at the minis to get rid of the last few uncovered areas but especially at plasic minis I got a very bad effect: After drying, some areas on the mini were \"grainy\" and rough.

Meanwhile I am very cautious with the primer. I just use enough that every spot is at least lightly grey (not completely black).
Just my 2 cents...

 

[Legacy Account]

I didn\'t realise there was such a science to using spray paint!

My way:

1. Hold mini.
2. Shake can a couple of times.
3. Spray mini until coated.

Or am I missing something there??

 

[freakinacage]

warming the can is supposed to be a good tip yet i haven\'t tried it. i think the main thing is don\'t hold the can too close to the mini so you only get a light coating

 

[lahatiel]

I suppose this could be considered excessive, but I tend to spray in a total of four passes, either one figure or several lined up in a row. Warming primer isn\'t too much of a concern for me in southern California, but I\'d do it if I lived in a colder climate, and I spray from about 1-1 1/2 feet away.

First with them laid flat on their backs, I spray a quick pass from about a 45 degree angle from the feet end, so them I\'m spraying from a bit underneath them. After letting them dry, I spin them around a repeat from a 45 degree angle from above their heads. Let dry, flip them over, and repeat.

Two quick coats per side, from opposite angles, can cover just about everything without it getting too thick in any one spot. The bonus, when you\'re used to doing it this way anyway, is that it\'s a natural technique for zenithal priming should you choose -- you simply use black primer first when spraying from below the feet, then switch to white when you spin them for the head-first pass.

 

[Einion]

Originally posted by freakinacage
warming the can is supposed to be a good tip yet i haven\'t tried it.

It does two things - increases the pressure and reduces the viscosity of the paint - which add up to a much finer spray. It can make a huge difference on a cold day as I know from experience!

Einion

 

[Legacy Account]

It can also blow your fingers off!

 

[Dasher2k]

I think I\'ll try laying them down flat...that may just work. When ever I brush on white as primer it doesn\'t turn out well.

Spraying them from a further distance isn\'t something that I have tried yet.

Thanks for the ideas, got to get a new batch of minis to try some of this out.