Other primers

Rustoleum primer is my go-to primer. I'd stay far away from Krylon brand. I've had a few kits ruined using Krylon brand paint and primer. 

My . The only thing you have to remember about those kinds of primer is that they are lacquer based and have to be put on in light coats as the lacquer will eat into the plastic if put on too heavy. Otherwise, they are OK to use and some of them are really very good.

Good luck with your search.

Jim  

P.S. If you don't get your answer here, go to the painting section of these forums. You will probably get a lot more answers there.

I used to use Krylon sandable primer as my go to primer.  Folks on the old rec.models.scale newsgroup used to think highly of it.  However, Krylon changed the formula in the last few years and I no longer like it. I had been using Rustoleum recently, but it attacked the plastic on a recent project.  Now, I am searching for a good primer.  I find most model paint primers ridiculously expensive and not enough body to them.

There are two main uses for what we call primers.  One is to aid adhesion of paint to the basic material of the kit (styrene, urethane resin, brass, whatever).  Several brands of model primer do this okay.  The second use is as a micro filler, to fill very fine surface irregularities (scratches, tiny holes, etc.).  This is where I find most model primers inadequate.  But that is a tough job, as too thick may obscure fine detail, too thin and it takes umpteen coats to get a really smooth surface.  This filler function is more or less important to different modelers, so becomes mostly a matter of preference.  However, aiding adhesion is very important.  So is not eating the material of the kit, and not being eaten itself by subsequent paint!

calmo2

Hello; I am just getting back int model building after about 40 years. I live in a small town and the nearest hobby shop is 100 miles away so I was wondering if I could use other primers( like Krylon, Duplicolor) that I can buy at my local hardware store and are they OK to use on plastic kits so I don't have to wait and pay outrageous shipping charges from the nearest hobby store.  PS. We do have a Canadian Tire store in town. Thanks.

Thanks guys! I have a bottle of Tamiya's Surface Primer. Maybe I will just try to airbrush it on the parts and body. I am new to airbrushing and thought that maybe a spray can would be easier. Any idea if I should thin it and if so with what? Thanks again guys! I am learning so much from this site.

calmo2

Thanks guys! I have a bottle of Tamiya's Surface Primer. Maybe I will just try to airbrush it on the parts and body. I am new to airbrushing and thought that maybe a spray can would be easier. Any idea if I should thin it and if so with what? Thanks again guys! I am learning so much from this site.

That's a good question; I only use the rattlecan version.  But I just had a look at Tamiya's website, and in the article for the 40ml jars of surface primer, they note that it can be thinned with lacquer thinner:

http://www.tamiyausa.com/items/paints-finishes-60/finishing-supplies-62000/liquid-surface-primer-40ml-87096

http://www.tamiyausa.com/items/paints-finishes-60/finishing-supplies-62000/liquid-surface-primer-40ml-87075

That makes sense, I guess.  If you do apply it this way, please do let us know how it comes out!

Best regards,

Brad

I'm a big fan of teh Tamiya primers but sweet MOTHER they're expensive around here. And that being said, I'd now have to get them shipped to me :( 

I'm also walking distance from a Canadian Tire store, I've been using Krylon Ultra-Flat Camo paint a lot on anything that I can buff out afterwards as it just doesn't lay down as smooth as the Tamiya rattlecans. If only they had arctic colours - no gray or white in that range so I usually grab the sand colour.

I've yet to see it attack any plastic that I've sprayed it on, but I do try & use the barest amount possible.

Thanks Guys: I have a bottle of the white Tamiya Surface Primer and I am going to try airbrushing it on. I seen a video of a guy that says to practice a little on a plastic spoon, so that is what I plan on doing. This is my first attempt at airbrushing so I would rather screw up a few times on plastic spoons untill i get it right. I may end up ordering another bottle by the time I get it right. LOL! I will let you guys know how it turned out. Thanks again.

Tamiya. I look at the fact that I usually put 50-100 hours into a model. Times my professional billing rate at $ 100/hr., it makes sense to get it right the first time.

the Baron

 

 

 

Also, I started getting bad rattle cans of the automotive primers.  Specifially, the valve where the nozzle is installed would clog with about half of the paint left in the can.  That happened to me with the last can of Rustoleum primer I ever used, so I switched to Walmart's primer.  Their product worked for a while, and then I ran into the same problem. Brad

 

Many spray cans now do not rely in spraying with can upside down and clearing nozzle of paint.  They now rely on the cap fitting so well that very little evaporation of solvent occurs.  However, for this to be effective, one must replace the cap immediately upon finishing spraying, and must make sure the cap perfectly seats onto the can, else the nozzle will clog.

Don Stauffer

 

 

the Baron

 

 

 

Also, I started getting bad rattle cans of the automotive primers.  Specifially, the valve where the nozzle is installed would clog with about half of the paint left in the can.  That happened to me with the last can of Rustoleum primer I ever used, so I switched to Walmart's primer.  Their product worked for a while, and then I ran into the same problem. Brad

 

 

 

 

Many spray cans now do not rely in spraying with can upside down and clearing nozzle of paint.  They now rely on the cap fitting so well that very little evaporation of solvent occurs.  However, for this to be effective, one must replace the cap immediately upon finishing spraying, and must make sure the cap perfectly seats onto the can, else the nozzle will clog.

 

 

Thanks for the tip, Don, but it's not the nozzle, it's the valve or opening at the top of the can, inside the can.  I've swapped nozzles from cans where the paint flowed freely to the ones that clogged, but it didn't help.  I also do replace the cap after I'm done painting.  I even tried using a piece of wire to depress the piece inside the valve (fully aware that it could have ended up like a "Three Stooges" short) but didn't get anything out of them.  But it has never happened for me with Tamiya or Model Master rattle cans.  So for me, it wasn't a big deal, I just stopped using the other brands.

Well guys, I tried to air brush the Tamiya Primer today and it did not turn out tooo bad except after it dried it felt a little gritty. I guess I might have put it on a little thick! Oh well I will just wet sand it down a bit till it comes out smooth. I used a cheep airbrush I have had for awhile and after cleaning it I noticed the needle valve the paint comes out if is not in the centre but off to the side. I just ordered a Dual action gravity feed air brush and I will try painting the car with that after a little practice on something else. I have bought 10 little glass jars and was wondering if I thin a whole bottle of the Tamiya acrylic paint according to the instructions and then put it in one of these jars so when I need some I could just pour a little into the airbrush when I need it rather than thinning a little at a time as I need it. Do you think the paint would start to dry out in the bottle?

Personally, I wouldn't store thinned paint ready for airbrushing. I'd doubt the paint would be good anymore being stored for a period of time. Thin paint for airbrushing as you need it. 

Thanks BlackSheep. I was just thinking that the paint in a spray can is thinned enough to spray so I thought maybe thinned paint in a jar with a tight fitting lid would stay freash like that in a spray can. I might just try a little thinned paint in a jar and see how it turns out later on. Thanks again.