# Primers that smother details



## mrmurph (Nov 21, 2007)

I'm sure we've covered this [snicker] before, but who has had a bad experience with primers that smother detail? I am putting together a Monarch Nosferatu for my sister and used two brands of primer. Krylon gray - highly recommended on this board - worked beautifully on the clothing and base. Restore white on the head and hands seemed to go on awfully thick and smothered the fine details such as tufts of hair above the ears. 

Has anyone else had this experience, or ( equally likely ), is it simply an error on my part?


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## mrmurph (Nov 21, 2007)

That's "Testors white." It is very late and I am most annoyed at myself.


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## rkoenn (Dec 18, 2007)

I am always careful with how much primer I spray on realizing the stuff is thick and too much could fill fine detail. I use Rustoleum most of the time and Kyrlon occasionally and so far have only had trouble once or twice which I blame on myself more than the paint.


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## djnick66 (May 2, 2008)

Some primers do go on thick and gloppy. I don't like any of the Testors spray paints at all aside from their Custom Lacquer car paints.

I still find the best primer to be Tamiya Grey and Tamiya Fine White. Neither will go on too thick and they don't etch the plastic or have an annoying pebbly texture that other primers can give.


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## Spockr (Sep 14, 2009)

djnick66 said:


> Some primers do go on thick and gloppy. I don't like any of the Testors spray paints at all aside from their Custom Lacquer car paints.
> 
> I still find the best primer to be Tamiya Grey and Tamiya Fine White. Neither will go on too thick and they don't etch the plastic or have an annoying pebbly texture that other primers can give.



I'll 2nd that. Tamiya's primers are very high quality and don't obscure features. Whenever I'm painting models with fine details I only use primers paints which are designed for hobby applications. Krylon, Rustoleum are fine products and I use them for jobs without fine details. They work well for their intended purpose but they are not formulated for artistic applications. YMMV.

Regards,
MattL


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## Tim Casey (Dec 4, 2004)

I use a spray primer called NOW (? go figure.). It's from Sherwin Williams and is found in most hardware stores.

You should only be giving your models a very light dusting of primer. If you're obscuring details, you're using too much, no matter what the brand.


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## mrmurph (Nov 21, 2007)

Thanks to all who replied or even took a gander at this thread. A LHS just down the street carries the Tamiya stuff - very expensive, but worth it for the project. I am happy with Testors Dullcote and the Krylon primer. The white primer I am through with.


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## Mark McGovern (Apr 25, 1999)

Tim Casey said:


> You should only be giving your models a very light dusting of primer. If you're obscuring details, you're using too much, no matter what the brand.


Second that, Tim. If the primer is applied in mist coats, coverage can be built up without smothering the fine details. Also, placing the can in lukewarm water for 10 or 15 minutes prior to spraying makes the paint go on much more smoothly.

The color of the primer does make a difference - so :thumbsup:, mrmurph, on using the gray primer for all but the flesh areas and white underneath the skin tones.


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## djnick66 (May 2, 2008)

I could never understand why a lot of people will buy a $50 or $100 or $150 model then cheeze out and say a $8 can of high quality primer is too much, and will botch the job with a $1.99 Wal Mart econo special. A can of primer lasts a long time and within reason you get what you pay for. That doesn't mean some of the hardware stuff isn't good for some applications, but it may not be best for every application. A can of Tamiya primer costs about the same as a 6 pack of beer or a large size meal at McDonalds.


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## dreadnaught726 (Feb 5, 2011)

Tamiya primers are great but I normally use Testors White lacquer primer.


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## Zombie_61 (Apr 21, 2004)

Mark McGovern said:


> Second that, Tim. If the primer is applied in mist coats, coverage can be built up without smothering the fine details. Also, placing the can in lukewarm water for 10 or 15 minutes prior to spraying makes the paint go on much more smoothly.


I'll third that. Like paint, primer should be applied in several very light coats. I've been using Testors' white primer for several years now, warming it up as Mr. McGovern suggests prior to use, and have never had a problem.


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## mgh (Jun 6, 2011)

Are you that are suggesting the Tamiya primers buying the spray cans, or bottles like this?

http://www.hobbylinc.com/htm/tam/tam87096.htm

I would like to find a good primer I could use in an airbrush. Right now I walk outside and use a rattle can bought at the hardware store.

Thanks


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## djnick66 (May 2, 2008)

No that stuff is akin to Mr. Surfacer. Fine White and Grey spray primers are good for general use. The Liquid Surfacer is handy for filling hairline gaps, pin holes, air bubbles, etc.


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## Mark McGovern (Apr 25, 1999)

mgh said:


> I would like to find a good primer I could use in an airbrush.


You can always decant a primer or other paint you want to airbrush into a jar. Some guys tape a straw over the nozzle to spray the paint while holding a rag over the open mouth of the jar to keep the fumes and overspray down. The paint has to stop outgassing the propellant before it can be transferred to the airbrush reservoir. When the bubbling in the paint ceases, it's good to go.


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## djnick66 (May 2, 2008)

Mark McGovern said:


> You can always decant a primer or other paint you want to airbrush into a jar. Some guys tape a straw over the nozzle to spray the paint while holding a rag over the open mouth of the jar to keep the fumes and overspray down. The paint has to stop outgassing the propellant before it can be transferred to the airbrush reservoir. When the bubbling in the paint ceases, it's good to go.


Yes and DO NOT put the decanted paint into a sealed jar to gas out. Let it sit uncovered. Otherwise it will pressurize itself in the new container and spray out when you open it.


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## irishtrek (Sep 17, 2005)

Aint had any primer smother details that I can recall but I've had parts trees dipped in chrome with details smothered as a result and the most recent is the chromed trees on the Amtronic.


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## mgh (Jun 6, 2011)

Decanting won't work for me because I do not have a spray booth. I only use acrylics through the AB. I keep hoping to find a good acrylic primer, but maybe there is no such thing.

Thanks for the advice, much appreciated.


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## SteveR (Aug 7, 2005)

djnick66 said:


> A can of Tamiya primer costs about the same as a 6 pack of beer or a large size meal at McDonalds.


It's all about perspective. 

I dig the Tamiya gray spray. Smooooth and thin.


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## Mark McGovern (Apr 25, 1999)

djnick66 said:


> Otherwise it will pressurize itself in the new container and spray out when you open it.


Good point, deej, I should've mentioned that. :hat:


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## djnick66 (May 2, 2008)

don't ask me how I know that...


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## TAY666 (Jan 8, 2000)

djnick66 said:


> I could never understand why a lot of people will buy a $50 or $100 or $150 model then cheeze out and say a $8 can of high quality primer is too much, and will botch the job with a $1.99 Wal Mart econo special. A can of primer lasts a long time and within reason you get what you pay for. That doesn't mean some of the hardware stuff isn't good for some applications, but it may not be best for every application. A can of Tamiya primer costs about the same as a 6 pack of beer or a large size meal at McDonalds.


Well, YMMV but I go through a lot of primer when I work on kits.
Most of my kits have a ton of nooks, crannies, scales, hair, and other details.
It takes a lot of misting to get coverage into all those areas.
I know I used more than a whole can just doing my Lindberg Godzilla
Between trying to get full coverage, checking progress on the seam work, and checking the putty work transitions.

Which is why I use $1.99 primer. But I get the K-mart brand.
It goes on nice and thin. goes on smooth, and bonds extremely well.
Just wish they still made the brown/rust colors stuff. They only have black and gray now.
And I think I am down to 6 cans of brown now, so I only use it when I really need to.


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## irishtrek (Sep 17, 2005)

mgh said:


> Decanting won't work for me because I do not have a spray booth. I only use acrylics through the AB. I keep hoping to find a good acrylic primer, but maybe there is no such thing.
> 
> Thanks for the advice, much appreciated.


Back a few months ago I discovered that Future floor polish will act as a primer, even with acrylics. I had painted something with an acrylic with no primer and used a piece of masking tape to see if the paint would come off and it did so then I did the same experiment after aplling Future to the plastic and the paint stayed on the model when I removed the masking tape!!
And it makes no difference what so ever if you brush or airbrush either the Future or the acrylic paint!!


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