To Prime, or not To Prime.....

I've heard various sources talk about the pros and cons of using primer on plastic parts before painting - after washing w/ soap and water of course.

I don't have an airbrush, and don't plan on getting one, so all my painting is done by brush. Typically I prime the parts using a spray can of gray auto primer, but that leaves a pretty "rough" texture on the plastic.

What type of problems will I encounter if I don't prime the plastic parts before brush painting?

Thanks.

john ernst

[Barker]

Hi John -

I brush paint also.

I'd recommend you still use a primer.
Some of the paints you'll use can be delicate, for a bit, and the primer gives them something better than plastic to grab.
My 2¢.

Two primers available at some hobby shops are Citadel's White and Grey spray (aerosol) primer and there is another Miniatures primer I have used...forget the name...but - find a hobby shop that sells figs and get their primer.

Points for:
-it's much finer-grained than auto primer.
-it is not as hot, tho' close.
-it dries tight and thin and if you have been spraying properly, it does not leave rough surfaces or drippy runs (in either extreme).

From there, the model is yours again and you can hazard all the brushing you want.

Again, I brush all mine, but spray the basecoat primer.
If you're careful, it's thin and no detail is clogged. 8)

Thanks. I'll look for it at my LHS.

What type of paints are you brush painting with? I'm using a combo of Ceramcoat Artist Acrylics, Polly Scale Acrylics and MM acrylics.

john ernst

[Barker]

Add these two:
Citadel acrylics - excellent, fine-grain, vivid paints
most especially, their tan/brown range.
The rest are for their game figs...
Bleached Bone is a good start for a CDL, however.
MrKit acrylics - WW1 is one of their specialties and they have done an admirable job of it.
PC-10, 12, the CDL's of various countries, roundel matches, per nationality, etc. They even have an "Albatros" line...Mixed reviews...
They brush on very thin. Expect to recoat one or two more times (thin).
no biggie.
Citadel is ironclad - MrKit paint is delicate and wants successive coats and/or varnish, shortly after coating. I love Citadel stuff. The best.

I coat the a/c with a soft sable #5 brush that chisels, points or flats well. Sometimes, a pointy #2.
Very rarely, a detail #0.

over primer


have fun!

Barry @ Rosemount sells MrKit, when in stock.
Yes, it's a plug.
He is a good guy.

Thanks again. Good info.

Want to hear a sad fact?....Rosemont Hobbies is about 1 hr. drive from my house, and I've never been there. :-(

I think it's just because I know I won't be able to visit w/o spending $$ that I really don't have.

Thanks again.

john ernst

[Barker]

My pleasure.

Go see Barry.

Call first, he may be out of stock on MrKit.

Pretty cool that you can drive to the World Famous.

8)

[StephenLawson]

Greetings all: Most of the time I don't use primers. *I tend to sand all parts to rid myself of the mold seams. *Even the edges of the ailrerons, elevators, wings, and stabilizers forward and trailing. *I sand all union seams that are practical like the fuselage spine & belly. *I also use 600 - 1200 grit on most surfaces overall except where I want to keep details intact.

I don't use primers on plastic, unless I'm going for a high gloss surface. *With resins like figures and aircraft parts most will require some primer because of the eventual pitting that can take place. *Better resins like dental resin pit less but cost more unless you do a lot of resin work and have an outlet like a dentist that will purchase it for you wholesale.

[Copperhead]

KK guys. As they say "art immitates life". My last (best loved job I ever had, before the factory closed), was as a painter in the paint shop at Trailmobile LLC in Charleston, ILL. I really enjoyed it as it helped me refine my spray painting tecknic. I even learned (pay attention all you Jeff Gordon fans), how to spray the infamous "Chroma-Color"! The primer we used was "hot". That means on bare metal it went in deep into the surface. Then any following coats of paint "bit" into it. This helped the paints 'stick' to the surface. This may not be a problem on plastic if you're using enamels (I'd still prime, but for other reasons), but it does help the enamels 'flow' better. If you're using anything else, you need a good toothy primer to attack the plastic and give your paint something to bond to.
If you're using acryllics or such, a good enamel, flat primer would be good. Don't expect a 24 hour turnaround tho. Let it dry at least a week. Otherwise the fumes coming up through the top coat will mess everything up as the primer dries.
Even if you're brushing you should have a primer. Just be sure (even if it's enamel to enamel) for 48 hrs. Trust me on this, as I screwewd up a couple "ground-effect" bogies because I didn't and got chewed for it. Also if you do "Chroma", mist it on in about 5-8 coats. Let the color of the paint come to you. In a normal paint booth lite it looks brassy-silver from all angles. When it looks "right", let it go. When it gets into sunlight or stadium light, that's where the changes come in. John

I brush paint ALL my a/c models....no primer no soap and water...NEVER A PROBLEM.....some models are more than 20 yrs old. Only sanding to remove seams and mold marks.

You may want to consider using Future as primer - I've tried this on a few different parts, including pilot figures, and it seems to work out almost as well as spray primer. Future sticks to almost anything. Just be sure to let it dry for at least a day before painting over it.