primer or not?

i always give my parts a good soaking in lukewarm soapy water, then rinse and let air dry.  I then figure out what color will be the final finish and give a light coat of flat grey as a primer over everything.  The only parts I might not prime would be light colored parts (wheelwells, landing gear); but that depends also on what the color of the plastic is also.  If it takes a couple of coats of white to cover it, thin coats are better than one heavy one.  Etchings also get a good wash to cut any oil from stamping.  I don't go to all the extremes of wearing latex gloves for assembly except for PE.  Don't want fingers sticking together. 

Just my 2 cents.

Panzerjager got me started using Floquil's Boxcar Red for primer.  It is laquer based and really adheres to styrene.  We usually overcoat with MM acryl and any chipping or wear is very easy to do with this as a base.  Any one of Floquils colors could be used for primer as long as it is correct for the prototype you are modelling.  Washing is definitely a must to get rid of dust and other imperfections.

                                                                                             Pat.

Thanks for the replies guys. I can't go crazy with the prep work even though it would be best to prime and wash everything and handle with gloves. I don't have the patience. I've heard of some people not priming and having no problems. Using acrylics it's probably not that necessary as long as it sticks good. I mean it won't eat the plastic like non water based paints. I was curious because I noticed the plastic is little different from the auto models I'm use to. Where these kits are smaller scale maybe it would be best to use Tamiya thin primer to save detail. But then again, it would be better on the environment and atmosphere not to prime.

Yes- I have kleenex boxes on my feet as we speak.

Seriously, a good post or topic would be about the extreme differences in the answers to questions on here. Sometimes this creates a grey area that precludes a decent resolution to the question asked.

krow113

I always prime, always wash...I soak in Plastic Prep then blow dry with air pressure.The parts are now handled with gloves and primed...The parts are handled with gloves from now on through assembly and mounting on the base. Constant attention to cleanliness and procedure is not too tough...

 

 

I always prime ,always wash , etch the metal if possible .I wanna sleep at night -not worry about paint stickin' or not. After fabrication I soak in Plastic Prep then blow dry with air pressure.The parts are now handled with gloves and primed.After dry time the parts are sanded for the color coat. The parts are handled with gloves from now on through assembly and mounting on the base. Constant attention to cleanliness and procedure is not too tough and the results are that you know you tried your best.

Imagine the feeling of seeing paint falling off because you didn't prime or prepare the surface.

When these questions are asked on here there are extremes one way and the other. Find what makes you comfortable and be happy with that.

RedCorvette

I use the primer to check seams, rough edges, etc.  I'll wet sand and then wash with Dawn detergent and let air dry before the final color coats.

Ditto...most people assume a primer is only a base coat, but like you I use it to "test" the model's finish--ie: detect seams, rough spots, gaps, etc...by the time I deal with those, most of the primer has been removed through the "detail" work in cleaning those issues up...

I prime just about everything.  Testor's flat gray primer most of the time, or flat white if it's going to be covered by lighter colors like white or yellow.

I use the primer to check seams, rough edges, etc.  I'll wet sand and then wash with Dawn detergent and let air dry before the final color coats.

Mark

i never prime anything, except if I'm gonna spray laquer or metallics... I prime then to protect the styrene from the laquer..  As for washing the models first, some do, some don't... I don't unless I can see or feel a film of the parting agent used for mold-release, except on resin kits or parts... They get a pretty heavy coat of release-agent, so they get prepped well, either with rubbing alcohol or enamel thinner..  If you're using metal parts that will get handled a lot after painting, you'll want to clean and prime those though...

With a good surface prep, you shouldn't need to prime when using Acrylics either, unless you're applying a light color over dark plastic...   But do whatever makes ya feel better...  Overall though, I avoid priming if I can because it's another paint-layer...

Enamel...

Okay thanks guys, then primer it is. I suppose it doesn't matter wether it is an enamel or laquer primer?

Yes...

If using acrylics I would recomend priming in something like rattle can flat enamel in a color of your choice. This should "bite" into the plastic a bit and also give a good tooth for the acrylics to hold onto as they seem to lift fairly easy IMO. I personally dont wash the plastic but I know there are some that do.