Which is the best primer to use?

If you are going to use Alclad then you want to use Krylon Gloss Black as your primer. Alclad works just fine through an airbrush - no thinning needed. For the Krylon use a straw to decant the paint into a collection cup then transfer to your airbrush, it doesn't need thinning either. For enamels and acrylics I like to use Model Master primer gray as my primer of choice. I thin it with lacquer thinner to give it a little more bite into the plastic.

My approach is a lot less high tech than Swanny's. I use Testors spray enamel in light grey. If it's given enough time to dry, acrylics go down very nicely on it.

Regards,

-Drew

For Alclad you MUST use a lacquer based primer or you will destroy your model. Any enamel primer will shrivel right up when lacquer is put overtop of it. The Krylon Gloss Black is lacquer based.

Is Alclad not a primer? It says on the bottle it is a primer/filler.

Ah, Swanny, I didn't know that. Thanks for the additional info. :D

Regards,

-Drew

QUOTE: Originally posted by jroden144 Is Alclad not a primer? It says on the bottle it is a primer/filler.

Just what do you have there? Is it Alclad's own primer? All the Alclad paints that I have (6 or 7) are extremely thin and require two or three coats over proper primer to get good color density. When I did my 1/48 B-29 with Alclad Aluminum it took almost two bottles and I had maybe 4 coats of Krylon on as a primer already. Alclad needs the surface to be very smooth or every defect will show through.

Yes, this is an actual Alclad gray primer/filler as it says on the bottle. That's why I was wondering if anyone had used it and if they had good results with it.

I have heard mixed results about their primer. I have never used it myself. Krylon is just a lot cheaper and has never let me down.

Where would one find Krylon? Surely it's not the Krylon spray paint sold at Wal-Mart, is it?

Be careful when buying Krylon spray paints. Their gloss blacks come in acrylic enamels, latex enamels, lacquers and epoxies (high-heat and appliance applications). I think the gloss black Swanny is referring to comes from their industrial line of paints. The Krylon number is KO1631 (should be on the can). Unfortunately, I don't know if Wally World--oops!--Wal Mart sells this line or not.
Gip Winecoff

In addition to the acrylic gloss black primer for alclad you can also pick up spray cans of primer gray (acrylic or enamel), white and a rust red brown in large krylon(or whatever brand) spray cans. If you're spraying large (or small) areas of primer it's the cheapest way to go. Hold the model at arms length, wear a rubber glove (been there, had gray arms), and spray several light coats. There's no flow control with a can, so hold that model far away! You're blasting an area with paint. Let it dry, and you're ready to fire up the airbrush. Good luck......
G.L.

QUOTE: Originally posted by jroden144 Where would one find Krylon? Surely it's not the Krylon spray paint sold at Wal-Mart, is it?

Surely it is!
G.L., that's why you spray it through a straw into a collection cup. Then transfer to your airbush, no thinning needed.

This is it...

product #1601 Glossy Black

Swanny: My wife's a nurse, I got those laytex exam gloves by the box. I also got those long arm exam gloves that my vet uses to go up my horses uterus. I started using can spray and gloves when I was doing a 1/350 battleship, lotsa area to cover. It's just easy to primer that way once you can force yourself not to get the can close to the model, I've learned by letting it dry and sanding out the paint drips too many times.
Now I just smack myself upside the head before I primer (ex-marine here) so's I don't get to close. take care guys...
G.L.

I'm glad of this thread, I'm going to be using some Alclad shortly. Is there any difference from a primering standpoint between some of the colored Alclad (prismatic sapphire) versus the nmf colors? I'll be painting my Bugatti with that sapphire color and haven't used any Alclad paints before. It should look great when it's all said and done, the paint color shifts from deep blue to ultraviolet. I'm just a bit nervous about ruining the plastic now though. I'll hit the wally world first and pick up some Krylon I think.

madda

Since Metalizer is a laquer, would it be possible to lay down a good coat of that as a primer prior to painting with alclad? For instance, if I put down a good coat of non buffing aluminum metalizer, and then sprayed my alclad over the top of that? I don't want to ruin my kit, but at the same time, I want the color to be bright, and I don't know that prismatic sapphire would block out the black primer well enough. I think it might work very nicely over a silver primer though. Does Krylon make a gloss silver laquer I could use as a primer if metalizers won't work?

madda

By way of kicking this back up to the top, and another query as well. I've seen spray cans of Tamaya laquer paint, would this work as nicely as the Kyrlon maybe? I don't have any experience with Alclad or painting with Laquers, except for some metalizers, so any imput here is greatly appreciated. Any of you guys who use Alclads have tips or thoughts on the last couple of questions?

Sorry for replying to myself like this, I feel shame.

madda

I thought I replied to this last nite, guess I was sleepier than I thought...

As for the original question, I like PlastiKote Touch Up Primer that some auto parts stores and some WalMarts sell in 1oz bottles. It's lacquer, light grey, and lays down very nicely. I thin it about 50/50 or sometimes a touch more with inexpensive, medium temp thinner that I buy at WalMart. Same as finger nail polishes but that's a different subject. And while it clings tenaciously to the plastic, if you do have to strip the model for whatever reason, it barely leaves a trace behind. You can hardly even tell the kit's been painted.

However, while it isn't really expensive, $2.99 per 1oz bottle around here, very soon I'm going to break down and buy a quart of automotive primer. Not sure which one yet.

I have a bunch of spray cans of different primers that I use from time to time but with all the overspray they waste the filters in my paint booth very quickly so I don't use them very often. Some of them are very hard on the plastic too. One other thing about primers, if you're working on a kit that's molded in color you'll want to prime, then use a primer sealer over that to keep the plastic color from bleeding through to the topcoat.

Maddafinga, if you haven't already, go to www.alclad2.com and read their directions for using their paints. They have some good tips. Tamiya paints are one of their recommendations for a base coat. If you want to use them they should work just fine but they are considerably more expensive than the Krylon paints mentioned. Any acrylic lacquer paint would work as a base except with the Alclad Chrome, you need to use an enamel base for that.

Using different color basecoats with most any paint will affect the color of the topcoat. If you do want to try the Metalizer paints as a basecoat I think you'll need to seal them. Otherwise you'll have a layer of what is basically very fine metal dust and there may be a reaction with the Alclad which is basically the same thing I think. Take an old body or another piece of scrap and experiment.

No need for shame...

One other thing, when I tried the link to Alclad I first got their site and then was transferred to some other site. Someone maybe hijacking their link. When I tried again it was unavailable. The site is there though.

Hmm, good info there, thanks. I appreciate the help on that. After looking at their sight, I may just look for that PlastiKote, I'll have to look around the wally world this weekend and see what kinda damage I can do. I don't think I'll use the metalizer, because sealing it would just sort of be counterproductive I think. The alclad guys seem to reccomend a dark or black color under the prismatic colors, I think it might look better over a sliver or white, so I might pick up a couple of colors of primer, and experiment a bit.
Thanks again.

madda