Best Primer?

drumsfield

I'm currently using valejo primer but it tends to come off easily. Is there anything more durable that's cost effective and that wont melt plastic.

Yeah, that primer is a waste of money.

Try Badger Stynylrez  (Acrylic Airbrush Primer) will not scratch easily, sticks well, can be sanded and comes in 3 shades (white, black, grey).

damouav

 

 

drumsfield

I'm currently using valejo primer but it tends to come off easily. Is there anything more durable that's cost effective and that wont melt plastic.

 

 

 

Yeah, that promer is a waste of money.

Try Badger Stynylrez  (Acrylic Airbrush Primer) will not scratch easily, sticks well, can be sanded and comes in 3 shades (white, black, grey).

 

The reviews on amazon look very good. I may give it a try. Thanks!

Well I use it as a primer, along with MRP Primer. Both sand as a primer should, unlike Vallejo which tears the paint. Just buy a 4oz bottle and give it a wirl, clean up in plain water.

Drys quickly and no smell.

Stynylrez for me too, sprays perfectly, smooth finish, sands better than any others that I've tried. Also resists scratching from handling, so I don't pick up other issues to deal with. Good stuff, recommended.

Rustoleum primer that's wet and dry sandable in rattle can is my go-to primer. Goes on nice and smooth.

There is no such thing as a single best primer.  They all have advantages and limitations.  Some, like general purpose and auto body primers have excellent adhesion and compatability, but are thick and tend to obscure detail on smaller scale models (but great on larger scale).  Others go on thin, but have adhesion and  compatibility problems.  Some primer mfgs change their chemistry often, and what is a great primer at a given time is junk six months later.  Do you care about fast drying?  Low odor?  It is a real tradeoff.

Personally, I use auto body primers for most use, but Tamiya primer for small scale kits with lots of fine detail.  But I frequently try others based on recommendations from friends.

Don and Tojo have put it best-there is no best primer, just personal preferences.

I used to use automotive primer, particularly Walmart's house brand, and Rustoleum primer.  I used them on styrene, but also on resin and on white metal.  My considerations were that they covered pretty well, and gave good tooth for subsequent finish coats.  And they were reasonably priced, for the amount of paint in the cans.

However, I ran into issues with the rattle cans in both cases.  After many years of using the products, I got bad batches of cans, that clogged after a couple of sprays, and were unusable.

Around the same time, I had read about Tamiya's primers, and tried them.  I found that they covered just as well as the cheaper products, and the smaller can went just about as far as the larger cans.  Also, the Tamiya primer provides good tooth, while presenting a finely-grained surface.  So, it's my main primer at this point.

Just my own preference.

As a followup to my previous post-I have also read about using Mr. Surfacer as a primer.  I have not yet tried it, but I may, just to see how it does.

drumsfield

I'm currently using valejo primer but it tends to come off easily. Is there anything more durable that's cost effective and that wont melt plastic?

i am disappointed in Vallejoprimer too. i was hoping to be able to airbrush and prime in the bunker.

i let a test piece sit for 3 days, painted it and let sit for 3 days and tried sanding with 600 and it did not feather well at all. so the colors i have now will be for weathering, color modulation, etc. it airbrushes nicely and the paint on top also looks nice but i spend half a day trying to repaint a small section. ended up stripping the whole panel and redoing it.

i use ACE Hardware NOW. just do not use it in 90+ weather unless you want a pebbled cast effect. i have painted over it with MM, Tamiya, and Vallejo and sanded and feathered with no issues. i will use Tamiya Primer on small ships and planes. i use th e40% coupon at HobbyLobby.

the Baron

As a followup to my previous post-I have also read about using Mr. Surfacer as a primer.  I have not yet tried it, but I may, just to see how it does.

 

I do like the Mr Surfacer 1200 in the rattlecan,comprable to the Tamiya Extra Fine,I would be careful with the 1000 in the can,might be thick. 

Thanks for the advice. I don't prime with my a/b, but maybe should give it a try.

I used to use Rustoleum, but IMO their product has gone bad in recent years. Uneven coating, and their cans seem to stop working when they get about half empty. In hindsight, it wasn't too good.

Here's my haul from the LHS yesterday. It's two hours away so I only stop in when I am going past it somewhere, so I stock up. Or get it online, but I like to support the store.

Tojo72

Many answers,none wrong,it's a personal choice.I use Tamiya Extra fine in the rattlecan

 

I received the badger primers. Im less than thrilled at the quality. I guess i'll  keep looking. I contacted badger, they havent resopnded. Very dissaponted.

I love tamiya fine .I decant it ..and spray it ...way more control then spraying with the rattle can ..but if im going to prime everything on the main spru then ill use the can .I think tamiya is best ..little expensive but whorth it .also been useing future as a primer ..it works great ...mix a little bit of the same base color ..just a little to match..sands well ..drys rock hard . It's what works for use ..happy modeling 

So, what are you less than impressed with?

Your image links dont work, so very hard to gain perspective.

Did you shake the bottles, and shoot at about 25psi.

First time I used the stuff I achieved a silk like finish, no issues.

damouav

So, what are you less than impressed with?

Your image links dont work, so very hard to gain perspective.

Did you shake the bottles, and shoot at about 25psi.

First time I used the stuff I achieved a silk like finish, no issues.

 

I can't get my images to show up here but theyre posted on Amazon below

https://www.amazon.com/review/reviews-lightbox//ref=cm_cr_dp_mb_img?ie=UTF8&asin=B00K3KGUME

If your the review about the thick product return it or request new product be sent.

If your the reviwer about the bottles sticking to the wrapper... not a review of the product.

I bought my product from Amazon and had it delivered to Australia, it arrived in a box, with not packing around it and works well. I placed my order a little under 12mths ago, used 1 week ago and its fine.

The product is thicker than other primers, but AB perfectly with the correct pressure.

I wouldn't give up on the product.

I am less impressed these days with Krylon primer. I first heard of it from the old newsgroup, rec.models.scale.  Tried it, it was great!  Lots of modelers used it.  Over the years they kept changing the chemistry.  Now I never use it. It used to be very similar to auto body primer. I still use some brands of the later.

Tamiya Primer, and Mr Surfacer by Gunze are both good products in my experience. I also like to use Humbrol enamel primer as well. 

I can understand not wanting to try a product again if it is not usable when received and the company is not responding to emails. Of course a phone call or two might be in order. But they should get it right the first time. In cases like that, it’s time to look for something else. As many primers as there are available, that’s not a problem. 

GMorrison

...I used to use Rustoleum, but IMO their product has gone bad in recent years. Uneven coating, and their cans seem to stop working when they get about half empty. In hindsight, it wasn't too good.

Good, I'm glad to see it's not just me, then.  I had to wonder if I was doing something wrong, when it started happening with consistency.

I used to use the Vallejo primers but was always dissatisfied with their lack of sandability, poor finish, and overall general fragility of the coat.  So, I tried the Badger Stynylrez and absolutely love it.  It's a solid, tough primer that sands very well even 1 hour after I shoot it.  Loved it so much that I bought a bottle of the white from Amazon.  What I received was much like what an earlier poster showed in his amazon review.  So I requested a replacement, that one came to me in good working order.

The issue I had with the badger primer is that it arrived cured in the bottle and the paint was rock solid. Badger did reply to my email saying that they are aware of an issue with the primer when it freezes so they do not recommend having it delivered in cold weather. So if I had ordered it again, most likely it would have arrived in the same condition since temperatures around here have been below freezing for a while now. I think I'll stick with Tamiya primers for now. Thanks.

Phil1947

Not knowing any better I made the mistake of using Vallejo primer on a Hellcat F6F-3. Upon removing some masking tape there were quite a few spots of paint that lifted off. Needles to say I’ll never make the same mistake again in using Vallejo primer.

 

I then purchased a bottle of black Stynylrez from Amazon and sprayed it on yesterday straight from the bottle using an H&S Evolution with a 0.4mm needle and was amazed at how smoothly it went on and how fast it dried! Granted, it’s somewhat on the thick side (ergo the 0.4mm needle), but really not any thicker than Model Master or Tamiya acrylics straight from the bottle, which of course I always thin down. Of course the jury is still out on how well it will hold up to masking tape, but I’ll keep you posted if I have any issues with it.

 

From what I've tried, using Tamiya masking tape and 3M delicate surface masking tape, it holds up great.

drumsfield

The issue I had with the badger primer is that it arrived cured in the bottle and the paint was rock solid. Badger did reply to my email saying that they are aware of an issue with the primer when it freezes so they do not recommend having it delivered in cold weather. So if I had ordered it again, most likely it would have arrived in the same condition since temperatures around here have been below freezing for a while now. I think I'll stick with Tamiya primers for now. Thanks.

 

The first bottle of the white primer I got was exactly like that.  The second bottle was what it was supposed to be.

Phil1947

 

I then purchased a bottle of black Stynylrez from Amazon 

 

What is it with folks buying hobby stuff from Amazon when you can find them cheaper in various online hobby stores like Squadron.com.

I never shop at Amazon due to their ridiculous S&H charges. 

Give Mission Model brand primer a try. I’ve heard nothing but good things about their paint line and primer. I’ve got a few colors in my paint stash and they spray like a charm straight out of the bottle.