Looking for Tips and/or Advice for using Krylon Primer

Depends on the model, gray suggests a ship or a modern US. aircraft.

Rattle cans can produce excellent results, the drawback is sometimes the paint won't reach the 'nooks & crannies' For large simple surfaces like a submarine or a high gloss car body they cannot be beat.

ALWAYS spray a piece of wood or something with texture to ensure that can is not spitting blobs and covering the detail without obscuring it. If in doubt try a different nozzle. If not satisfactory DO NOT USE on your model!

Start the spray before the model, pass across in a fluid motion 90 degrees to the model and end the spray past it.

Another tip is to warm the can in hot water (tap NOT boiling) and shake while warming then shake at least 1 minute before use. You can actually feel the can tighten up, DO NOT OVERHEAT as the can is a pressurized vessel that is fail will cause severe damage or worse.

Masking is very important with spray cans, the paint cannot be controlled so if painting a small area the entire model must be masked. Also something to hold the model is a must, note the stick to hold this 1/144 scale Me 262.

I use the Krylon primer for almost everything. I do have a can of their white.  But I only use it OVER the gray.  I find the white does not have the tooth that the gray has. I use the white under gloss white or yellow.

The Krylon spray can nozzles are fairly good, and I find I can put down a pretty light coat, which will still give good adhesion but not obscure the detail very much.  If I am filling a seam, or checking my work on seam filling I put it down heavy.  Krylon gray primer has a lot of body and will fill in scratches and low spots quite well.

You should sand it out as it goes on pretty rough. I find sometimes I can just burnish it with a paper towel and not waste expensive super fine sandpaper.

Thanks to you both for replying.  Some very good tips / info.

Don -- just to clarify, since my base color is a light gray (Tamiya XF-12 JN Gray, to be exact), do you think the color of the gray primer is too dark, and hence I should go over the gray primer with Krylon white primer first, or should I be fine just with the gray primer alone?

(As a possible alternative, I've read that Duplicolor makes a light gray sandable primer that is supposed to be quite good.)

For reference, here is a picture of the exact product I've purchased.  As stated it is not the Krylon "Fusion" line made for plastics, it is just their regular gray primer.  Is this the stuff you use?

...and here is a color sample of the J.N. Gray I will be airbrushing as the base color for my model.  As you can see it is a light gray with a green tint.

Thanks again guys!

-Kizzy

I have used the Duplicolor primer. It is okay, I just prefer the Krylon.  Easier to find, and cheaper per ounce.  I think you should have no problem putting down a light gray over it. It may take a couple of coats with an airbrush, but that is always a good idea anyway.  I only use the white primer under white or yellow.

Agreed Don,

'If its bright, prime with white'

Red and orange are other colors that require a white primer.

Don Stauffer

I use the Krylon primer for almost everything. 

Don do you use the "Fusion" for plastic or just plain Krylon?

Just the regular "primer."  BTW, for you old timers, I first heard of using Krylon for models on the old Usenet newsgroup, rec.models.scale.  A number of folks there used it and I tried it. Have been using it ever since (about twenty years).

Don Stauffer

Just the regular "primer."  BTW, for you old timers, I first heard of using Krylon for models on the old Usenet newsgroup, rec.models.scale.  A number of folks there used it and I tried it. Have been using it ever since (about twenty years).

And do you use white, grey, "rust", and/or black?

EDIT - Bought some grey. Used it on 1/144 Space Shuttle. So...I sprayed the parts in my "portable spray booth" (the kind u see for sale on ebay etc.  Seems like lottsa over spray to me BUT I'm about as green as u can be with the hobby.  

Now I'm wondering:

1) Should I spray "outside" with these rattle cans? I notice a LOT more over spray in booth and odors in the room, much more than when I airbrush.  

2) Should I be covering the inside of this booth with "removable" paper or something?  The inside of my "booth" is really caked with the over spray and the pretty new filter looks really covered right away. 

You could decant the primer into a jar for use in your airbrush if you wanted. That's often what I do to avoid all the overspray and resulting fumes. Just a suggestion.

Bearcat57

You could decant the primer into a jar for use in your airbrush if you wanted. That's often what I do to avoid all the overspray and resulting fumes. Just a suggestion.

Any secret way to perform that task?

I cut a small length off a drinking straw and tape it to the nozzle of the can of primer. I also place a piece of plastic wrap over a small jar and secure it on with a rubber band. Puncture the center of the plastic wrap. After shaking the can well I poke the other end of the straw through the hole in the wrap and unload desired amount of product. Remove the plastic wrap and place jar cap loosely over the top and let it sit at least a couple hours until it gasses out. Pour the primer into your airbrush color cup/jar and spray as normal -no thinning required. This technique has always worked for me.

You should certainly decant it and spray it from an airbrush if you can.

As for the primers from Krylon...I don't like them. They dry grainy and you HAVE to polish them off. I don't have to do that with Tamiya Surface Primer, so it's my go-to.

As for what color it really just depends on your preference. I actually "prime" everything with Krylon gloss black

I frikkin' love that stuff. Believe it or not a black base makes coverage easier on just about every color. Want to never have to worry about spraying white again? Black base.

But my favorite thing about it is using it to create depth and "wear" to enhance weathering.

I do one coat. I also usually do the "wave the model through the cloud" approach. Laying it on from the Rattler is risky.

Use a primer color that is not close to the finish coat. In other words, use gray for a white airliner, use white for a gray ship. Otherwise it gets difficult to judge coverage of the color coat over the primer.

Hokey

 

Now I'm wondering:

1) Should I spray "outside" with these rattle cans? I notice a LOT more over spray in booth and odors in the room, much more than when I airbrush.  

2) Should I be covering the inside of this booth with "removable" paper or something?  The inside of my "booth" is really caked with the over spray and the pretty new filter looks really covered right away. 

 

You'd better spray rattle cans outside.  If you want to airbrush a primer, there are other very good options beside decanting Krylon such as Tamiya liquid surface primer and AK acrylic primer.

I use my spray booth for all rattle can work. In fact, that is why I have the booth (a homemade one).  I get so little overspray during airbrushing I do not use the spray booth for that- I just airbrush at my regular modeling bench.

Since Hobby Lobby began selling Tamiya primer I've been stocking up using their coupon.

It really is some good stuff. I save it to use on surfaces with fine detail or something I plan to give a smooth high gloss surface.

If the project is going to be a weathered battle scared surface grainer primer may actually be preferable.