White primers?

[chaos877]

Hello, I've been trying to paint yellow for a while, and have so far failed, but I would like to try priming with white. I tried priming a spare bit of sprue with both Tamiya and krylon white primers, both dried to a thick consistency, and overall poor coverage after multiple passes for the Tamiya. Basically what I'm looking for is a primer that:

1. covers well
2. works well in the cold (it is about 40-60F now where I live)

 

[Dragonsreach]

Basically what I'm looking for is a primer that:

1. covers well
2. works well in the cold (it is about 40-60F now where I live)

Basically at those temperatures, You're pretty well stuffed.
Cans of primer use an aerosol propellent and that has an optimum temperature for best coverage via the pressure of the propellant.
Try increasing the pressure in the can by gently warming the aerosol in hot (NOT BOILING) water.
I'm impressed with the Tamiya white primer I've been using.

 

[generulpoleaxe]

If it's realy cold consistantly where you live then invest in an airbrush and compressor (it will save you money over the years)
for priming you won't need an expensive brush and you will be able to get smooth basecoats relatively easy.

 

[chaos877]

Try increasing the pressure in the can by gently warming the aerosol in hot (NOT BOILING) water.

that makes a lot of sense, thanks!

airbrush

Also this. I do have access to an airbrush, but I never thought of that.

 

[War Griffon]

If you are going to paint yellow then use flesh as a primer and not white, especially if you go for the airbrush option mentioned by GP.

 

[generulpoleaxe]

If you are going to paint yellow then use flesh as a primer and not white, especially if you go for the airbrush option mentioned by GP.

If your airbrushing then you can shade the model by holding it upside down and start the zenital highlights by spraying off white gently from above (then just quickly juice/glaze to smooth etc)

 

[Tercha]

Spray in a heated room?

 

[DaRat]

You could also use a brush on primer (I use the one in Reaper's MSP line), though I usually push it through my airbrush.

 

[mule]

a different approach

this might not be for you, but when I'm looking to finish with yellow, I'll base with purple and build up. It takes a bit more effort, but works really well.

Cheers,

Mule.

 

[Valander]

Up here in Seattle, we have a pretty long wet season which makes spray priming pretty difficult, even if you have a garage or whatever, due to high humidity. Consequently, I've been using brush on primers, and honestly, I don't think I'll go back to spray priming. Sure, it takes a touch longer, but not much and it's much easier to get to all the nooks and crannies on a model that are easy to miss with spray priming.

I've used a few different brands now, so here's a run down:

1. Vallejo Model Color Foundation White. Pretty good coverage, though you have to be careful with your dilution ratio. Adhesion is average, with an average tooth.

2. Reaper Master Series Black Primer. Straight from the bottle, I find this a little thick, and it can obscure details. Thinned to about 50% dilution with water, it's much better, with slightly above average adhesion. The tooth is a little light for my preference.

3. Glass & Tile Medium + Black Ink. Love this stuff. I do about 1:1:2 of medium:ink:water, and it goes on extremely easily, with no detail loss. Adhesion is above average, and tooth above average. Added bonus is that you can tint with whatever color of ink/paint you want, and it can also be used to give almost immediate "zenithal priming." Only hassle is that you can't premix a large amount, because it will start separating and doesn't seem to want to go back together after about 4 hours.

4. Acrylic Gesso. Just started playing with this stuff, after hearing some other forums rave about it. Generally comes in black and white, and some manufacturers make grey. Brand here does make a big difference; don't skimp and get a cheap brand. I use Art Alternatives, which is apparently repackaged Golden, from a local art store, and I've heard good things about Bob Ross and some Liquitex. Stuff goes on incredibly thick, but shrinks to an amazing level. Adhesion is slightly below average, but if you don't handle your mini while painting this isn't a problem. Tooth is well above average; in fact, I love the surface so much I likely won't use anything else from now on. I've found I get better coverage from black gesso than white; the white needs to be thinned just a touch and given two coats, whereas I can do one coat of black straight from the bottle.

I've used several different spray primers, too, my favorite being the ever-popular Duplicolor Automotive Sandable Primer. I hope this info helps!

 

[airhead]

Warm the spray cans in a bowl of warm (NOT HOT) water. Keep the minis inside as well. Rush outside and spray a light coat. This is not house paint. You don't have to cover every nook and cranny - odds are those will be shadowed down to near black anyway. Then, hurry back inside to let the paint cure out.

Other paints:
http://www.maximusinminimis.com/Primer Test.html

Not my work, but good reporting

 

[Princeofcups]

Hello, I've been trying to paint yellow for a while, and have so far failed, but I would like to try priming with white.

It sounds like the real issue you are having is difficulty painting yellow, and for that you do not need to use white primer. For a good yellow, I first brush the area with an opaque white acrylic, and let it dry. White is usually made with titanium oxide (I believe), and should cover darker colors without any problems. Now for the yellow, I have seen acrylics in the past that are thin and shiny and almost transparent when you paint them on. If this is your case, then try to find a better yellow acrylic, one that has more opacity when dry. You should get a nice bright yellow when applied over the white.

For the record, some of the best paints that I've found are also some of the cheapest. I generally use Americana craft acrylics, in this case, they would be snow white and yellow light. I break out the Vallejos only for detail work.

 

[PTS]

Games Workshop Skull White - kinda pricey but a real good primer. Thin layer, just enough to give paint traction. Painting yellow - a mustard colordc yellow is a good base, shade with a brown/yellow or orange/yellow mix, and highlight was a white/yellow mix. Look at the ork on my profile for results.