Reaper's How to Paint Quadrilogy

[MChez]

The real work in progress here is me as a painter. Studio McVey and CMON's Sedition Wars campaign has inspired me to take up miniature painting, something I've always flirted with but never gave a go. So, to learn the hobby I've done my homework and now I'm starting out on my first minis. I wanted to document my progress as I muddle through the Reaper How to Paint sets 1 through 4, and the two minis they each come with. I'm watching Laszlo Jakusovszky's Hot Lead DVD's as I go through the project, and I've also purchased and read the CMON Ultimate Miniature Painting Guide in addition to the materials that come with the Reaper kits.

So, to start at the beginning. I've cleaned up the flash and mold lines on the first four minis and primed them this evening. Already running into my first challenge. I used Army Painters Matte White spray on primer. The temperature was in the high 80s and humidity around 47%. The primer was stored inside, air conditioned to about 72 degrees, and shaken (both right side up and upside down) for about two minutes. I sprayed starting off the miniatures, swiping across, and ending off the miniature lineup. While I didn't have a ruler, I judge my spray distance to be about 12" away. Unfortunately, I believe the result has been the grainy surface both the CMON tome and Laszlo warned against. Picture below.

View attachment 14172

I believe the technique I used was correct and environment, while not optimal, within reason. So, I don't know if what I'm seeing is in fact a poor start or just an overreaction. Comments appreciated and welcome to viewers embarking on my little artistic journey.

 

[PegaZus]

Oh wow. Strip it. Primer is not supposed to look that... crystalline. For a frozen warrior fallen victim to the ice queen, perfect.

As for the "formula" you used on the primer (temp, humidity), I've not a clue and can't help you. I usually just pull my can out of the basement (oh, let's say 65°F), then take it outside and spray (15°F to 105°, 0%-50%). Not sure how close really.

Oh, and welcome. You're on the right path (at least by being in the forums).

 

[QuietiManes]

Did you spray inside? Storing the model and the primer in the air conditioning then spraying in the heat and humidity is bad. The cool primer meets the hot air and the water condenses. Recipe for disaster.

Also, you can try spraying closer. The distance listed on the can is for room temperature, like normal room temperature, 21 C. If it's more than a couple degrees off that, you have to make adjustments to compensate. The paint/primer will dry before it hits the model. Looks like that happened to you. Or you got a bad batch of primer. I tend to spray at about 3/4 the distance listed on most cans (down to about half the distance at times), moving across the surface a little faster, which has worked well for me.

Last thing I can think of is to do lighter coats. A couple coats that just barely mist the model are better than one thick coat. Ideally you'd want to still see alot of the model through, under, around the particles of primer on the first coat. Then repeat that after it dries. You don't really need to make your primer a full even block of solid colour. It will do its job even if you just sprinkle or pepper it over the surface.

 

[MChez]

Thanks for confirming my suspicions. Glass half full...now I get to learn how to strip. 24 hours in simple green and scrub with a toothbrush?

 

[Metalhead Minis]

yes soaking the miniature in simple green overnight and then rinsing with lukewarm water and use a toothbrush. That will strip the miniature =)
If there is primer in the recesses after that, you can use an exacto knife to dig that out.

 

[Bloodhowl]

Thanks for confirming my suspicions. Glass half full...now I get to learn how to strip. 24 hours in simple green and scrub with a toothbrush?

You can leave it to soak for 24 hours, but usually it takes less time than that. Check it after 2-3 hours and use a stiff nylon bristle brush (toothbrushes are ok, if you use the firm bristles) but I have found an AP brush (picture in link) works better. You can usually find these with gun cleaning kits in the sporting goods section of various stores and they usually sell for less than $2USD.

http://ondggold.info/all-purpose-brushes-white-nylon-ap-brush.asp

 

[Willdorling]

Welcome sir! Interested to see how you get on and make sure you chronical as much as you can on here because there sure are some helpful people and you'll learn tonnes! That primer problem never happened to me in the UK so won't comment - good luck with stripping!

Over and out
Will

 

[me_in_japan]

good luck, chief I'm a fellow SedWars kickstarter, and I think it's great how the game has sparked so many people's interest in painting minis. I have nothing to add to what folks have said so far (er, strip it and start again) but as you say, that in itself is educational. Now you know what its not supposed to look like, you'll have a better chance of getting it right next time. And once youve got it, youve got it. One thing I would reiterate is to generally go for a lighter coat (i mean, not-as-heavy, not brighter) when you undercoat. It's not an application of colour - it's a surface for the later layers of paint to adhere to.

 

[TrystanGST]

One thing to watch with stripping and scrubbing - how long you can soak it depends on the mini. Metal can sit forever, but plastic (and probably resin) will start to soften after too long and the brush can then do some damage.

 

[roninjr]

Hello,
I like to buy minis from eBay, often they are painted very badly so the first thing I do is strip 'em. Now, I don't like Simple Green, brake fluid or anything that takes long to work or leaves me needing to pick off paint with pointy objects. Below is a photo of a mini I bought on eBay and striped. I used two differant products. For the metal miniature I use 100% Pure Acetone Nail Polish Remover and an old tooth brush. Dip the model in a small glass jar with enough acetone to cover the mini and wait about two minutes or just dip the tooth brush and scrub the mini with it. I can't use acetone on plastic or resin, it'll melt it. For plastic and resin I use Dawn Power Dissolver! It works great and doesn't damage them at all. Just squirt some in a tiny ziplock and drop in the mini. It should only need about 30 minutes to soften up all the paint. Then take that tooth brush to it and your done. I don't need to pick off paint with these two methods. For your miniatures which I believe are metal, I'd use the acetone. It will take you maybe 5 to 10 minutes to clean like the one in this photo. You can buy both these products at your local Walmart.

Good luck, keep painting and stay frosty!

 

[twodiced]

So far everyone has given great advice. I would like to chip in my two cents. First I would warm the spray paint can to atomize the spray primer. I do this buy heating up some water in a microwave. You want the water to be above luke warm and below boiling. If you heat the water to much you can blow up the can which is no bueno for you or the surronding area. Shake the can as normal and you should notice a big difference. Another household chemical that strips metal minis well is pine sol. Works great on metal horrible on plastic. Hope that helps.

 

[MChez]

Thanks everyone for the great advice. As I started the stripping process early, I'll have to file the more recent suggestions away for the future. The brush is a great suggestion and I'll pick one up soon.

So, I let simple green do its work and soaked it for about 24 hours and took another shot. I also moved my primer up the garage and out of my painting area so where I spray (just outside in the backyard) would be the same environment as where the paint was stored. Today’s temp was in the high 90's and about the same 50% humidity. Also, I previously didn't take notice in Army Painter's recommendation to spray around 8" away vice the 12" or so I used before.



While not perfect, this is far closer to what I expected. Unless advised otherwise, my intent is to move onto the next step and base coat.

View attachment 14208

 

[TrystanGST]

It might not be what you want to hear right now, but getting the priming coat right is essential to a good finish. He really needs another bath.

 

[me_in_japan]

Trystan's advice is sound, so if you want to produce a nice, quality paint job it is (frustratingly) necessary to strip it and do it again.

However, it's important not to disregard the annoyance of doing so. Sometimes ya just gotta say "meh, it ain't perfect this time, but t'hell wi it." and just slap some paint on. Sometimes a bit of progress is good for the soul, even if you know you screwed up back there and it'll impinge on the final result.

 

[TrystanGST]

Another thing to remember - less is more. The primer doesn't have to be a solid coat. You just want something for the paint to adhere to.

 

[MChez]

Thank you for the advice, and yes, I'm certainly ready to strip and go again. This time though, I'm not sure I understand the reason. Too much coverage? Still not a smooth coat?

 

[TrystanGST]

It's still frosty.

See how smooth the primer coat is? There should be no frosting.

 

[MChez]

Got it, thank you. He is back in his tub. Spray even closer then? Can was so shaken it was almost spraying without touching the nozzle. Temp wise I don't think I had any crystalization due to temp differences. Other than distance, I don't know what variable to correct.

 

[TrystanGST]

I usually spray about 4-6 inches away, and make several passes to ensure coverage. Start before the mini, and don't let off until you're past the mini.

 

[Gepzo]

Some cans are just bad. It happens. I just had a can of GW white primer go all powdery on me. I am just doing tabletop, so a rinse in water and a scrub with a toothbrush removes most of the loose stuff. It will rub off easily when it is caked on like that, leaving powder on your hands, shirt, etc. If you try and paint it, the primer will draw in the paint, absorbing it, and making whatever brush strokes you make look messy.

good luck to you!