Slitherine

I primed my figures out in the garage(in Texas) using overpriced Games Workshop chaos black and came out with units with some portions with OK prime and some very powdery with black powder that really absorbs paint and causes a lot of painting headaches.

I complained about the Chaos black at the hobby shop and they said it was the heat that was the problem, so I primed my next batch inside in my laundry room with the fan on, i would say the temp was 76-78. I used Krylon flat black and still came out powdery, but on close examination it appears that some sides of the minis are primed smooth and others have the powdered effect.

So now im trying to figure out what am i doing wrong, this phenomina is causing me headaches and making painting much more complicated. any ideas?

Is it the humidity? I hold the can about 18 inches away from target, too close too far?
Poor choice of products?

HEEEELLLPPPPP???!!?

Yeah, your problem that you are holding the spray too far away from the minis. The spray is drying in mid air and clumping up, making a rough bumpy surface. Try holding the can a little closer to the figs (8-12 inches) and priming on cool, dry nights. Also, I use Tamiya "fine" or "extra fine" for small scale minis, as it produces a much finer finish than most other primers (Krylon, etc.).

Interesting. One problem I've had with spray-on undercoats is that the paint sometimes dries in such a way that it is impossible to use an ink wash on the figures. The undercoat seems to be impermeable and the ink just pools in blobs. Any ideas about what causes that?

Julian

jlopez wrote:Interesting. One problem I've had with spray-on undercoats is that the paint sometimes dries in such a way that it is impossible to use an ink wash on the figures. The undercoat seems to be impermeable and the ink just pools in blobs. Any ideas about what causes that?

Julian

Use less primer.

Just a light dusting is generally enough to for the real paint to find purchase.

Also thin your ink and take care to pull the excess out with a brush.

hth

Re ink: use a tiny amount soap (swab the wet brush over a hard soap) or similar to break surface tension on the ink aswell.

Re primer: have used GW:s for ages. Some cans are better than others - if you consistantly get bad results with one try to get it replaced by the shop. I do short bursts at a pretty close range, 5-6", while turning the plate with the minis on for better control.

I've only recently had this kind of problem with the GW primer but I haven't been able to find anything better in canberra.

JCgoose wrote:I've only recently had this kind of problem with the GW primer but I haven't been able to find anything better in canberra.

Just try to get another can from the store - some batches are just bad imho.

Fulgrim wrote:

JCgoose wrote:I've only recently had this kind of problem with the GW primer but I haven't been able to find anything better in canberra.

Just try to get another can from the store - some batches are just bad imho.

Go to the car/auto repair shop. They do primer for metal and primer for plastic.
Always remember to clean the nozzle after spraying and use as little as possible (short bursts with the can moving).

Just don't get auto primer, as I believe it expands as it dries (filling in some detail).

I've yet to hear anything good about using auto primer...

JCgoose wrote:I've only recently had this kind of problem with the GW primer but I haven't been able to find anything better in canberra.

What are you using the primer for in Canberra? I can only think of one good use, and that would involve politicians and replacing their oxygen with the primer.

Ian

JCgoose wrote:I've yet to hear anything good about using auto primer...

I've used it for 35 years, never had a problem due to the paint.
(mostly with 'Halfords' - a large car bits chain of shops - branded paint).

cut off flash; wash off dirt and grease; prime the bare figure.

DaiSho wrote:

JCgoose wrote:I've only recently had this kind of problem with the GW primer but I haven't been able to find anything better in canberra.

What are you using the primer for in Canberra? I can only think of one good use, and that would involve politicians and replacing their oxygen with the primer.

Ian

Hmm I'll have to look into that on

don't bother spraying, just paint undercoat on. I use black gesso from the art shop or Valejo black, very slightly watered down. It's much cheaper too.

I use the Games Workshop overpriced primer
UP until I found Army Builder
I hate "fighting the Black" of the G/W prime
I pick the color of Army Builder (also very expensive) that is closest to the main finish color of the fig in question and go from there