Dustcrusher Posted August 24, 2012 Report Share Posted August 24, 2012 notmikehill's thread here got me thinking- we haven't had a primer thread in a while. We had White or Black primer here, but verily, we don't have a lowdown on the different primers available to us, and what works best for what (brand/formula-wise). So what do you use to prime your minis? Anything work well/poorly on metal, plastic, resin, or plastics incompatible with model cement? For sprays, I use Army Painter colored primers for lazy mass painting work, and I have been trying Krylon and it seems to be doing fairly well. My one Valspar experience was "worthless for metal, excellent on plastic." Brush on, I have ancient Ral Partha primers I should probably throw away (haven't used them in a while so I don't know if they are usable anymore), Reaper's brush-on primers are good, and the new Vallejo brush-on/airbrush is supposed to be excellent. I've been considering an airbrush and a big bottle of of that new Vallejo primer instead of spray priming in the future. Can I use a standard color as an undercoat with an airbrush? Is there a priming medium you can add to normal paint to make it a good undercoat? Let's hear it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
randombystandr Posted August 24, 2012 Report Share Posted August 24, 2012 Krylon for the win! or at least thats what i use whenn i dont feel like painting... if i do though, i krylon the most abundant color, matte spray it then paint on details Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dgraz Posted August 24, 2012 Report Share Posted August 24, 2012 I've been using Krylon grey for years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebarbalag Posted August 24, 2012 Report Share Posted August 24, 2012 It's a little pricey, but I use Citadel primer. It always goes on silky smooth, giving an absolutely perfect texture to paint on. I've just primed my Storm of Shadows Neverborn with it, and the plastic seems to take it with no problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boshea Posted August 24, 2012 Report Share Posted August 24, 2012 Lately I've been trying Black Gesso. Stays on metal pretty well, and I figure after I get everything sealed it'll be pretty durable. Heard good things about sandable auto-primer, but I've never tried it personally. Considering I'm willing to put more time into my skirmish size models I should switch over to white primer to get better highlights, I just suck at highlighting. Also if the Gesso experiment works out I'll probably give white gesso a try, but I've heard its a lot less forgiving than black for applying. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aeth Posted August 24, 2012 Report Share Posted August 24, 2012 I've mostly been using the Citadel stuff and Army Painter. AP spray seems like a mixed bag. Their dragon red was great but the white was aweful, it's left a chalky gunk on the models. I have heard good stories about Halfords own brand and Plastikote but I've not tried them myself yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fetid Strumpet Posted August 24, 2012 Report Share Posted August 24, 2012 Has anyone tried Krylon on the new plastics? I remember one post had mentioned that it destroyed some detail on Mr. Tannen, and seemed to react with the plastic to make it more rubbery. Does anyone have any experience using Krylon Flat Black on the new plastics that was different from that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
harbinger Posted August 24, 2012 Report Share Posted August 24, 2012 Has anyone tried Krylon on the new plastics? I remember one post had mentioned that it destroyed some detail on Mr. Tannen, and seemed to react with the plastic to make it more rubbery. Does anyone have any experience using Krylon Flat Black on the new plastics that was different from that? Am a devout Krylon user so always interested in hearing more on a possible issue here... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
osoi Posted August 25, 2012 Report Share Posted August 25, 2012 I use gesso for my minis, mainly black but I will sometimes use the white depending on colour scheme. It works well on plastics and metals and you dont have to worry about the temperature or other weather condtions when priming. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iron Heel Posted August 25, 2012 Report Share Posted August 25, 2012 "Duplicolor sandable primer" found in the automotive section of your nearest big box store. It goes on smooth and tight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ispep Posted August 25, 2012 Report Share Posted August 25, 2012 It goes on smooth and tight. That's what she said. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Viruk Posted August 26, 2012 Report Share Posted August 26, 2012 I use Army Painter primers, different colors depending on what I'm working on. In general I start with black primer over which I lightly spray a grey one. AP stuff works great both with metals and plastics. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the imp Posted August 26, 2012 Report Share Posted August 26, 2012 I've lately been using Krylon Outdoor Spaces arena sand in satin finish. The color is similar to bleached bone, it covers well without obscuring detail and the finish takes paint beautifully. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dsmiles Posted August 27, 2012 Report Share Posted August 27, 2012 I use Rustoleum brand double coat gray, mostly. I use white on some things (Super Dungeon Explore minis), and black on others (things with a LOT of metallic bits, like warjacks), but mostly gray. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yazza Posted August 27, 2012 Report Share Posted August 27, 2012 armypainter white is horrible! i sell it and wont be takign it n, the other colors though are great! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Memento Mori Posted August 27, 2012 Report Share Posted August 27, 2012 The Vallejo primers are really good as they self level but very temperamental through a airbrush. It's Said that you can spray straight from the bottle but I've found it's a really easy way to clog the airbrush up(even at 30psi) so use about 3:1 with thinner. Just ordered German grey for 30% off at maelstrom games. Other than that cheap car undercoat works amazingly well switched from gw and there's no way I could ever justifiy £10 a can over £3.50 for car paint Oh and I only use grey Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fetid Strumpet Posted August 27, 2012 Report Share Posted August 27, 2012 I just tried Rustoleum's Spray Camo line of paint (in black). I'm most likely a convert if it does what it did on the plastic on metals. It covers exceptionally well, doesn't obscure detail, doesn't react with the plastic, and it takes some concerted effort to get it to come off the mini once it's on, so no flaking. I started painting Mr. Graves last night and the spray also is one of the better surfaces I've used PP and GW paints on. Very good stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kuro Posted August 27, 2012 Report Share Posted August 27, 2012 I've tried a variety of primers over the years, and I have to say the highest quality stuff is Citadel black primer. It's not cheap, but like many things in the hobby, you really get what you pay for. It's much more forgiving than other brands, since the only way to screw up a mini with the stuff is to just drown it with too much paint. So it's obviously designed for new painters who don't know what they're doing, but it still goes on smooth and maintains a high level of detail. I've never had a bad prime with the stuff, and consistency is important. Last night I actually ran out of Citadel primer while working on some terrain, so I switched to this Board to Pieces gray primer that I had lying around. I used it in the exact same conditions, spraying from the exact same distance, and it nearly ruined everything. While Citadel primer went on smooth, this garbage went on gritty and left a fine sand-like dust all over the place. Most of it didn't even bond to the surface of the plastic I was spraying. There were some spots where it was smoother, but the paint went on way too thick, like it was spurting out unevenly. I took every precaution and shook the hell out of it... so it's really just a bad product. Stay away from Board to Pieces primer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhellion Posted August 27, 2012 Report Share Posted August 27, 2012 I use them as well (grey, black, and white) and they are fantastic. Pick them up cheap down the street at the hardware store too, in case I am in a pinch and need primer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ispep Posted August 27, 2012 Report Share Posted August 27, 2012 I've tried a variety of primers over the years, and I have to say the highest quality stuff is Citadel black primer. It's not cheap, but like many things in the hobby, you really get what you pay for. It's much more forgiving than other brands, since the only way to screw up a mini with the stuff is to just drown it with too much paint. So it's obviously designed for new painters who don't know what they're doing, but it still goes on smooth and maintains a high level of detail. I've never had a bad prime with the stuff, and consistency is important. Last night I actually ran out of Citadel primer while working on some terrain, so I switched to this Board to Pieces gray primer that I had lying around. I used it in the exact same conditions, spraying from the exact same distance, and it nearly ruined everything. While Citadel primer went on smooth, this garbage went on gritty and left a fine sand-like dust all over the place. Most of it didn't even bond to the surface of the plastic I was spraying. There were some spots where it was smoother, but the paint went on way too thick, like it was spurting out unevenly. I took every precaution and shook the hell out of it... so it's really just a bad product. Stay away from Board to Pieces primer. The last 4 cans of GW primer I've used have been a complete waste. Spray maybe 5 models and the cans just stop spraying. One of them the nozzle clogged despite following standard practices for keeping it clean, and nothing would clear it. Also went on way to heavy, dusty, and just all around bad. And it wasn't just a bad lot, as 1 was white, 3 where black, and they were all bought at different stores/at different times. Been extremely pleased with Krylon Indoor/Outdoor Primer. Cheap, covers well, hasn't given me any trouble at all. Did I mention 1/5th the cost of the GW garbage? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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