How do you prime?

I've heard that the color of your primer can slightly effect the overall look of a finish. For instance if you prime with a dark gray or silver primer, the overall paintjob might have a cooler tone to it, whereas if you use tan, or gold, it can have a warmer look. Also priming in silver/alluminum can aid in whethering if you are simulating chipped paint.

I've experimented with a number of primer coatings and found many of them to be too "soft" or porous. For example, I found the Floquil primers to be too porous. I then switched to the the Aeromaster #8005 primer, which I find to be very good. It allows for a thin (not hiding details and or panel lines), hard finish primer. However, while I bought several of the larger 2 fluid ounce bottles, before Aeromaster stopped selling their enamel products, it won't last forever. Interesting enough, this primer was manufactured by Floquil, yet their respective products differ in their final finish.

For most primer coating now, I use one of two products: (a) Testers' "Boyd Color" (their auto paint line) white primer, no. 52719. I especially like to use this primer whenever there will be a covering color over the primer (especially reds, yellow or white). This primer provides a very "tight," smooth and hard finish. It is not chauk like, rough or difficult to work with. I almost double the volume of primer with thinner. In any primer, I want the primer coat to be very thin, allowing for the coating to cover fine sanding blemish marks, take further sanding and provide for an even completed primer coat.

(b) the bulk of my priming (especially for larger areas, like wings or fuselages) is an auto body paint product, Sherman Williams "Ultra-Fill" (prod # PZA 43). This is an acrylic primer - surfacer. It's initial cost (about $25. per quart can) seems high at first. However, when yo realize how many small bottles of primer you will decant from the original quart can - especially when thinned, it become considerably less expensive than the model paint alternatives. I thin this about 4-5 times the amount of thinner (DTL 876, see note below) than I have of the primer.

Thinning: I thin all my model paints (including the occasional auto acrylics) with another expensive product, Duracryl Thinner, # DTL 876. This is the higest quality thinner I've ever located (via th efforts of several other local modelers, all of whom have switched to the Duracryl products as well). Again, it runs about $26. per gallon, which goes some distance, when using it thin modeling paints/thinners. It is absolutely high quality laquer thinner and will effectively on Testor's, Floquile, Humbrol, artist oils and any other paints I've used. It mixes well with everything I've tried to date. I love it. Due to it's expense, I don't use it for airbrush cleaning and stick with very inexpensive "home" laquer thinners (which I have found as cheaply as $1 per gallon).

Lot's of luck. Bob LaBouy