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I put together a few documents related to using Bones. I've submitted these to the Craft section of the website, but as it may be a little while before Reaper has the time available to add them, Bryan suggested that I post them here. Bones - Frequently Asked Questions Bones - Preparation (mould line removal, glue, putty, etc.) Bones - The First Coat is the Difference (this document) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Painting Bones Miniatures: The First Coat is the Difference One of the revolutionary features of Bones miniatures is that you can paint them straight out of the package. Because this is such a departure from recommendations for painting metal or resin miniatures, it is understandable that this feature raises questions and concerns for painters unfamiliar with Bones. Painters familiar with other types of miniatures will find that there are some differences in how the first coat of paint behaves, or that there are painting techniques or substances that require a little tweaking to use as a first coat on Bones figures. The Bones material is a little hydrophobic, meaning that it tends to repel water. Paint diluted with water, sometimes even just a little water, may display a tendency to bead up or pull away from crevices or higher raised areas. The more water added to the paint, the greater this effect. The first coat of paint applied to the surface can also take a little longer to dry than usual. The image on the left is a Bones figure straight out of the blister, the one on the right is a primed Dark Heaven metal miniature. Each was painted with a brushstroke of Master Series Walnut Brown paint of various dilutions. From right to left: undiluted; 1:1 paint water ratio; heavily diluted. On the Bones figure, the stripes painted with diluted paint display beading and pulling away, but the stripe painted with undiluted paint covers smoothly with clean edges. Once you apply a first coat of paint, primer or other appropriate surface preparation to a Bones miniature, you can freely use paint of any dilution and the full array of painting techniques! Painters who prefer to use thinned base coats, those who like to start with a dark wash over white primer, and those who use black or custom coloured primer need not despair! The following information will help you find ways to tweak your preferred techniques to work with the Bones material. It also includes information about brands of primer, paint and other substances that are known to work or not work well with Bones, and tests of the utility and durability of certain of these products on Bones. Slightly Thicker Paint Will Not Obscure All the Sculpted Details For years painters have been reading tips and tutorials that exhort them to thin their paints so as not to obscure the detail sculpted into their figures, and to obtain a better quality paint job. While it’s definitely the case that using excessively thick paint can affect detail and paint quality, I think it is also true that some people are worrying too much about this in regards to painting Bones. Reaper Master Series and Master Series HD are produced with a consistency pretty close to ideal for base coats. Several other miniature paint lines are produced in a similar consistency, or require only a small amount of water to reach the correct consistency. Two or three layers of such paint will not clog up all the detail on your model. Also, remember that when you paint metal or resin miniatures, you normally paint over a coat of primer. One layer of undiluted paint on a Bones miniature is equivalent in thickness (if not thinner) than one or two coats of primer on a metal or resin figure. The picture above is of four Bones bases. The tiny text relief sculpted into the bottom of these is a perfect way to test whether paint coats obscure small detail. Each of these bases was given four coats of a substance, and then brushed over with a paint wash to bring out the detail. (The bottles of paint and primer used in this test were fairly fresh, no more than a year or two old.) From left to right, the bases were coated with four coats of undiluted Master Series Pure White, four coats of undiluted Master Series White Primer, and four coats of undiluted Master Series Brush-On Sealer. I prepared a second base with the Brush-On Sealer as the wash didn’t quite turn out on the first. The word ‘Miniatures’ has lost a little detail on the base coated with four undiluted coats of paint, but apart from that both it and the primer coated base still have excellent detail. The text is still mostly legible on the bases coated with Brush-On Sealer, but some detail has been obscured. Wash Bones Figures Before Painting Many people find that the paint is less likely to bead up if the figure has been washed. Also, if you’ve had your figure out of the blister for a while, or you’ve handled it to remove mould lines or otherwise prepare it, you should clean it before painting, as it probably has dust and skin oils on it that may repel paint or cause paint to chip off after it has dried. All you need to clean it is some dishwashing liquid and an old toothbrush. Give it a scrub, and then rinse it really well to get off all the soap. Let it dry before painting. (You can hurry up the drying with a hairdryer set on low.) Black Primer? Custom Colours? Paint One Coat of Paint over the Entire Figure First! Some painters prefer to paint over black or gray primer. Others start with a primer of a particular colour to speed up painting units. For example, you could paint a coat of khaki on a unit of modern army figures and be half way finished painting their uniforms. One way to get the same effect as a dark wash over white primer on Bones is to first apply an all-over coat of white paint, followed by a dark wash. (Keep reading for other ways to do washes directly on Bones.) Some Primers Work on Bones Traditional metal or resin miniatures need to be primed before any paint is applied. Paint applied over bare metal does not adhere well, and rubs off with even light handling. Primer etches into the metal on a microscopic level. Paint adheres well to primer, so using it forms a stronger bond. Bones figures do not suffer from this issue! Acrylic paint painted directly onto the Bones surface is as durable, if not more durable, than if you use paint over primer on Bones. If you still prefer to use primer, Reaper’s Brush-On Primer works well on Bones, and is available in black and white. Another product people sometimes ask about is gesso. Fine arts painters use gesso to prepare canvases for painting. Some people have experimented with liquid gesso as a primer for miniatures, Bones and otherwise. People have reported it working in terms of creating a surface that you can paint thinned paint over. Reports vary as to how durable the material is, so it may not be the best choice for miniatures that are going to be handled. For those who prefer to use spray primer, the best option is to use an airbrush to apply a coat of acrylic paint to the Bones figure. Reaper Master Series paint thins well with Golden or Liquitex Airbrush Medium, and maintains its strong adhesion, though I have found that adding airbrush medium does noticeably increase the drying time of the paint. Aerosol spray primers and some spray paints can have some issues with Bones (and with other plastics). The chemicals in some of these primers and paints do not react well with Bones. The main effect seems to be that the primer never completely cures, remaining tacky to the touch. Some will also fail to form a bond with the Bones material. The following is a list of aerosol paints and primers that people on the Reaper forums have reported testing on Bones. Please consider the list just a guide. The best idea is to test your chosen spray by using it on a small Bones figure you don’t care about a lot. After you give the spray time to cure, carefully look over the figure to make sure the chemicals in the spray haven’t reacted with the Bones material to melt or otherwise damage it. If not, test the primer surface by touching it to see if it stays too tacky to paint over. Also, flex parts of the figure to make sure the primer doesn’t crack. Note: Some people have successfully used Krylon primer, and possibly other spray primers that some people have reported as problematic. And other people have reported problems with primers that some felt worked well. One difference seems to be that a light spray rather than a heavy coating is more likely to minimize tackiness. Environmental factors such as temperature and humidity are also always a big variable with any spray product. Recommended aerosol spray primers and paints: Army Painter white and coloured primers Krylon Dual Paint + Primer Duplicolor Sandable – slight tackiness possible Rust-oleam Painter’s Touch Ultra Cover 2x – slight tackiness possible Problem aerosol spray primers and paints: Krylon white primer – doesn’t bond, stays tacky Testors Enamel flat black – stays tacky Walmart Valu flat white – stays tacky Krylon Primer red-brown – stays tacky Citadel spray Use a Medium to Thin Your Paint or Make a Wash Water is the element in thinned paint that causes it to bead up on the Bones surface. If you try thinning your paint with a dilutant other than water, you may be able to create a mix that is closer to the consistency you like to paint with. Depending on what you use, you can even create something translucent enough to act as a wash or glaze directly on the Bones. Mediums designed to work with acrylic paints are good products to try. Examples are matte medium, glazing medium, airbrush medium. Reaper’s Brush-On Sealer can be used this way. Note that many of these products are a little less fluid than water, so they may not dramatically change the consistency of the paint (it’ll still feel a little thick rather than watery, but it will look a lot more transparent). You can also test adding just a drop or so of water to your mix of paint and medium to see if you can get closer to the consistency you prefer. I diluted some Master Series Bone Shadow with various mediums to make washes. From left to right, the products are listed below. Master Series Brush-On Sealer: I added one drop of water to a large drop of paint and several drops of Sealer. Worked well. Liquitex Matte Medium: A thick product. I added a drop of water. Beads up too much to work well for a wash. Liquitex Glazing Medium: Another thick product, I added a drop of water to my mix. Took longer to dry than the others. Did not sit in crevices well enough to work well for a wash. Very shiny finish. Folk Art Glass & Tile Medium: Applied well, dried quickly. Even application of the colour. Delta Ceramcoat All-Purpose Sealer: Worked decently, seems a bit more inclined to pool in the crevices with less colouring on the surfaces. Shiny finish. ADDEDUM (not pictured) Golden Acrylic Flow Release (undiluted): Applied well. Took a little while to dry. Shiny finish. Reaper Flow Improver: Applied well. Took a little while to dry. Finish is shiny in areas where wash pooled. Use a Medium as a Primer Because of how well acrylic based products adhere to the Bones material, it is also possible to use mediums as a primer alternative. Once dry, you can paint over them using thinned paint. These are applied by brush, or possibly with an airbrush. I tested a number of different brush-on products on some Bones Cave Trolls. These were straight out of the package and had not been cleaned. After the products dried, I applied a thin coat of paint to see how it behaved over each product. Reaper Master Series Brush-On Primer: Exhibited slight pulling away from some high or curved surfaces, though generally it just required running the brush over that section again to establish coverage. Dried quickly. Reaper Master Series Brush-On Sealer: No significant beading. Dried quickly. Paint was less durable than with the other products, see the durability testing section for more details and pictures. Golden Airbrush Medium: Bubbled a bit when applied, thin enough to pool a bit in depressions. Took more than 40 minutes to dry. This product works well if you use a drop or three to thin paint down for a base coat, although it does increase the drying time slightly. Due to it drying time, this is not the best choice as a primer alternative or for thinning washes that will be applied directly over Bones. Liquitex Matte Medium: Somewhat thick. Minor beading and pulling away. Significant beading when thinned with water. Dried quickly. When paint was applied, there were still some mild occurrences of paint pulling away from higher/curved areas. Liquitex Glazing Medium: Pretty thick consistency. Dried fairly quickly. The paint coat still beaded a little. Folk Art Glass & Tile Medium: Dried fairly quickly. Paint went on quite nicely. Also works on metal miniatures. Delta Ceramcoat All-Purpose Sealer: Dried quickly. The paint layer exhibited slightly pulling way. Folk Art Blending Gel: Extremely thick. Beaded up too much to use. Not pictured as it worked too poorly to continue to the testing stage. Speed Paint Drying with a Hairdryer Whether on a Bones or metal miniature, if you find that your paint is taking too long to dry, you can speed up the drying by using a hairdryer on the low setting on the paint. If the paint you’re drying is a wash, you should let it dry naturally for a little bit, or you risk blowing the paint out of the crevices and depressions you want to darken. Testing the First Coats for Durability Once you get your paint applied, you want to make sure that it stays there. In my experiments, the most durable Bones miniatures are those where the first coat applied to the miniature is undiluted Master Series paint. Several of the other substances I tested were pretty close in durability, but it should be noted that there were a few that performed poorly. I painted these ghosts in August 2012. They accompanied me to Gen Con and Pax Prime 2012, stored loose with some unpainted Bones in a plastic container I carried in my backpack. Their travels included a six hour car ride and return plane trip. At the conventions they were handled extensively by dozens upon dozens of people, including being tossed on tables. The paint jobs were stressed pretty much equally through the Gen Con trials. The ghost painted only with Reaper Master Series paint was handled a lot more than the others during the Pax Prime trials. The ghost sculpt has some thin and thus particularly bendy areas, most notably on the hood and where it meets the tombstone. I flexed these parts by hand repeatedly to additionally stress the paint. Unfortunately I chose poor colours to easily be able to see all the damage in the photos. After the first coat I used painting techniques of thinned layers and washes with no difficulty and with the same effect on each of the miniatures. From left to right the first coat on each miniature was as follows. Undiluted Reaper Master Series Paint: Displayed the least damage during the Gen Con trials. Following Pax, has some chips at the flex point on the hood and near the tombstone. Was handled a lot more than the other figures. Reaper Master Series Brush-On White Primer: A few very small chips at the flex points, and some paint has scraped off a few sharp protruding areas. (Edge of the hood, finger tips on one hand.) Dupli-Color Sandable White Primer Spray: The unpainted base stayed slightly tacky to the touch for weeks after priming. The figure has several small areas where paint was scraped off, but only one chip on a flex point. Testors Dullcote Spray: This product created a good surface for painting, but performed very poorly in the paint durability tests, and I would not recommend using it as a primer substitute if you plan to use your Bones for gaming. Chips formed on the major flex points early in the Gen Con testing, and the paint has flaked off extensively from there. The figure also has some small areas of scraping damage, but those are no more notable than on the Brush-On Primer or Dupli-Color figures. I wanted to perform a similar test with the other surface preparation products I tried. First I painted on an additional coat or two of paint. Then I placed the figures loose in a plastic box with some other Bones, a wooden, MDF and plastic base, and a metal figure. After wrapping the box in a towel secured with rubber bands, I put it in my dryer on the air setting for 10 minutes or so. The green painted areas on each figure are those that were painted over the primer alternatives. The brown painted areas are Master Series Paint directly on the Bones surface. (These were part of tests for methods to remove mould lines.) The brown areas on each exhibit very little damage. Some have none, some have a few small chips or scrapes. (However it should be noted the brown area of this sculpt has far fewer surface protrusions than where the green was painted.) From left to right: Reaper Master Series Brush-On Primer White; Reaper Master Series Brush-On Sealer; Golden Airbrush Medium; Liquitex Matte Medium. Three of the four show pretty similar levels of damage. The figure painted with Brush-On Sealer as a primer displays the most paint damage of all figures tested in this series. From left to right: Liquitex Glazing Medium; Folk Art Glass & Tile Medium; Delta Ceramcoat All-Purpose Sealer. Damage levels are pretty similar to the better performers above. The Folk Art Glass & Tile Medium and Liquitex Glazing Medium performed the best of the seven products tested. (The Folk Art Glass & Tile Medium performed better in terms of acting as a primer, and is inexpensive, so would be my recommendation between those two.)

I put together a few documents related to using Bones. I've submitted these to the Craft section of the website, but as it may be a little while before Reaper has the time available to add them, Bryan suggested that I post them here. Bones - Frequently Asked Questions (this document) Bones - Preparation (mould line removal, glue, putty, etc.) Bones - The First Coat is the Difference (primer, primer alternatives, paint durability) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Bones Miniatures: Frequently Asked Questions What are Bones Miniatures? The Bones material is a polymer plastic. It is light-weight and slightly flexible, and is very durable. You can paint a Bones figure straight out of the package, and that paint job will also be pretty durable. Bones figures are as detailed as metal figures, for a much lower cost. Bones miniatures are produced with integral (built-in) bases, but it is easy to cut the miniature off of the base if you prefer to put it on something else. It is also easy to cut the figures apart to convert them into different poses or change weapons. What is the bare minimum I need to know to start painting my Bones right now! If you want background on why these are the recommendations or what other alternatives might also work, read the rest of this document, Painting Bones Miniatures: Preparation and Painting Bones Miniatures: The First Coat is the Difference. Remove Mould Lines Remove by slicing just under the mould lines with a hobby knife, in a similar motion to paring vegetable or hand-sharpening a pencil. Files work best if you file in one direction, then remove burrs by filing in the opposite direction. Reshape Bent Parts Dip the misshapen piece in boiling water for a minute or two, remove and move into desired position, then immediately hold in ice water for a few minutes. NOTE: Read additional information in this document for safety recommendations! What Glue to Use Superglue aka cyanoacrylate works best to glue Bones to itself or other materials. What Putty to Use All major brands of putty tested work with bones. (Green Stuff, Milliput, etc.) What Works as a Paint Stripper Soak figure in Simple Green Concentrated All Purpose Cleaner for 12 – 24 hours, then scrub it with an old toothbrush. Best Primer None. Start with a first coat of undiluted Reaper Master Series Paint, then paint as normal from there. This is the best choice for durability and a good painting surface. Other acrylic paints that work with miniatures should have similar results. Paint can be applied with a brush or airbrush (diluted paint seems to work with an airbrush.) Best Primer if You Want to Prime Anyway Reaper Master Series Brush-On Primer in black or white, or Folk Art Glass & Tile Medium (also brush-on.) Best Spray Primer Many aerosol primers will not cure completely on Bones. Reaper forum members have reported good results with the Army Painter sprays. How to Do a Wash Directly on Bones Thin your wash with one of the following mediums and just a small amount of water if necessary: Master Series Brush-On Sealer, Folk Art Glass & Tile Medium, Delta Ceramcoat All-Purpose Sealer. Can you really paint Bones miniatures straight out of the package? Absolutely! However, if you’ve ever painted metal, resin or plastic figures in the past, you may notice some differences in how the first coat of paint behaves. Paint diluted with water (even just a drop or two for a thinned base coat) may bead up and pull away from crevices. The more water you add to the paint, the more you’ll notice this effect, so water-thinned washes used directly on the Bones material don’t really work. That first coat of paint may also take a little longer to dry. Most people find that the paint applies a little better if you first wash the figure. Just scrub it with a little dish soap and a toothbrush and allow it to dry before you start to paint. Another alternative is to apply a primer or another surface preparation that works with the Bones material as the first coat. Once you get that first coat on, you can use highly thinned paint in subsequent layers and it should behave pretty much the same as on any other figure. For more information, methods to use thinned paint directly on the Bones surface, tips for quicker drying and a list of primers that do (or don’t) work with Bones, please see the Craft document Painting Bones Miniatures: The First Coat is the Difference. What kinds of paint work on Bones Miniatures? The Bones material is designed to work with Reaper’s Master Series and Master Series HD lines of paint. Internal testing and feedback from customers suggests that Bones also works well with the other major miniature paint lines, including Reaper’s discontinued Pro Paints, Vallejo Game Color, Vallejo Model Color, Privateer Press’ P3 Paints, and Games Workshop. Artists’ acrylic paint are also likely to work on Bones. However, please note that Reaper does not offer any guarantee or assurance that the Bones miniatures will work with any particular paint other than Master Series and Master Series HD. You are advised to test your preferred paint on a Bones figure to decide for yourself how well it works. If your paint does not work well on bare Bones, you can prepare the surface with a coat of Master Series paint and it will likely work over that. How do I remove the mould lines from a Bones figure? Like all miniatures, Bones figures have small mould lines as a result of the manufacturing process. You do not need to remove these to paint or use a Bones, but many people prefer to remove them for aesthetic reasons. You can remove these with the same tools you would use on a metal figure – hobby knife, files, and/or sandpaper. However, you may find that you need to use these materials in a slightly different way. Hobby knives work best if you slice under and along the mould line in a paring motion rather than scraping them along the mould line. With files and sandpaper, file in one direction perpendicular to the mould line. If you find you have burrs of material remaining, lightly file those off moving the tool in the opposite direction. How Durable is the Bones Material? Bones figures are remarkably durable, and not just in comparison to metal and resin figures. People have dropped Bones from a height of one storey, ground them underfoot, driven over them with a car, carried them loose in backpacks and pockets, and they’ve sustained no damage. The light weight of the material means drops and falls hit with much less mass behind them. The give of the material means it’s much better able to absorb impact, where a brittle material like resin will likely break. They’re not indestructible, but they can take an impressive amount of damage. We had several Bones figures out at the PAX Prime 2012 convention for people to examine and abuse. We bounced them off the floor, and invited dozens of people to step on them. One of the small kobolds with narrow diameter legs did break at one ankle on the third day. Another figure suffered a very small area of damage due to the friction generated by someone’s shoe grinding it across the floor. If Bones are so durable, is it hard to cut them up for conversions? What glue should I use? The Bones material cuts easily with a sharp hobby knife. Cuts have smooth edges and do not deform surrounding material as often happens with metal. So it is an easy matter to swap a head from one figure to another, or cut off an arm and reposition it slightly so you can customize individual figures within a unit. All it takes to glue them back together is regular superglue (cyanoacrylate). You can also use superglue to adhere Bones to metal or wood. Green Stuff and other two-part putties work well if you need to fill gaps or sculpt on additional details. Pinning is a good idea when attaching metal parts to a Bones miniature, as the added weight of the metal will otherwise make the join weaker. The plastic parts are quite stable when glued together, but pinning doesn’t hurt in plastic-to-plastic conversions, either. How durable is a painted Bones figure, though? Bones miniatures painted with Master Series and Master Series HD paint are surprisingly durable. You probably don’t want to grind one underfoot or drive over it with your car, but you’ll be amazed at what they can handle. Figures are unlikely to experience notable damage to the paint from regular handling, bumping against each other on the table, or getting knocked over, even when playing with the most ham-handed of players. My painted test figures survived being tossed unsecured in a plastic box with a bunch of unpainted Bones that was carried around two conventions (PAX Prime and Gen Con 2012). They were handled by hundreds of people and literally and repeatedly thrown onto tables from heights of several feet. They have some dings and chips, but the bulk of the paint jobs survived. The paint on these figures had not been coated with any sort of protective sealer. The durability of other brands of paint may vary. I have not done the same sort of extensive testing with other brands of paint. In my limited testing of how well other brands of paint apply to bare Bones, I did notice that Vallejo Model Color paints seemed to rub off the figure pretty easily. I did not notice that happening with the other brands I tested. (P3, Vallejo Game Color, Pro Paint, Adikolor.) Can you remove unwanted paint from a Bones figure? Sometimes painting a figure doesn’t go exactly as planned. If you would like to strip the paint from a Bones figure so you can start from scratch to paint it another way, just drop it into a dish of Simple Green Concentrated All Purpose Cleaner for 12 – 24 hours, then scrub it with an old toothbrush and it is ready to paint again. Some paint colours may leave a stain on the Bones material, but should not leave any texture or affect subsequent layers of paint. Simple Green in an eco-friendly cleaner sold in most hardware stores and some grocery stores. Brake fluid also works, though is a much more toxic material. Are Bones figures less detailed than their metal counterparts? Bones figures are bright white, which makes them hard to photograph. A number of people who have lacked confidence in the product quality based on the photographs in the online store have been pleasantly surprised by them once they can look at one in person. However, there are also a few people who feel the quality of the Bones is a little less than that of their metal counterparts. When available, Reaper’s online store includes photographs of painted versions of the figures that may give you a better idea, but looking at Bones yourself in person is really the only way to find out how you feel about them. I compared one of the smaller Bones, Dwarf Warrior 77011, against his counterpart, Fulumbar 14146, under magnification. The only real difference I noted between the two was that the texture of the chainmail loin cloth and the laces on the gloves were a tiny bit shallower on the Bones figure. You can see a comparison of a Bones and metal figure of the same sculpt painted identically in this thread on the Reaper forums: http://www.reapermini.com/forum/index.php?/topic/47477-bathalian-bones-vs-metal-challenge/ Do Bones have sharp edges on weapons? Weapons and the like on Bones figures are cast at pretty much the same thickness as similar parts on Reaper’s metal figures. However, since Bones is a flexible plastic material, you will never be able to shave or file down an edge or a point to the same sharpness that you can achieve with a metal figure. Are the photographs of Bones figures in the online store and catalogue the same figures as the ones for sale? The online Reaper store and catalogue photographs of Bones miniatures are taken of production run figures – the same figures that Reaper packages up to sell. Can I do anything about a bent spear or sword on a Bones figure? You may find that sometimes the thinner parts on Bones, like spears and swords, will look a little bent. Or the figure might be leaning back or forward too much on its ankles. If you want to straighten those out, hold the figure with tongs or in a colander, and dip it into boiling or near boiling water for at least a minute or two. Remove it from the water, reposition the part, and immediately dunk it into a bowl of ice water for at least a minute. It should hold in the new position. If you expose the figure to heat at a later time, it may revert to its original position. For this reason, if you want to wash the figure with soap and water prior to painting, you should use cool water or wash it before you heat it to reset a warped part. Important safety notes: Please exercise caution! The Bones material may get hot when dipped in boiling water, so you should use protective gear rather than touching it with your bare fingers. The Bones material might be damaged or damage your pot if placed in direct contact with the pot surface. If you are under the age of 18, please ask your parents for permission and have them read this section before boiling Bones figures. Are Bones made in China or the United States? All Bones figures made prior to March 2013 were produced in China. In March 2013, Reaper installed the machine necessary to produce Bones in its factory in Texas, and began the process of transferring production in-house.

I received a commission to paint some lovely porcelain Santa figures by a friend of mine, and I'm not sure what primer to use, or whether I need to use primer at all. Does anyone have experience with this? Is a spray primer likely to cause damage? I'd use brush-on, but given that each figure is 10 inches tall, that's a bit more hand-priming than I want to do! Here's one of them as an example (there are 7 in total): Any advice would be greatly appreciated! Huzzah! --OneBoot :D

In the Reaper Live videos, it's been mentioned that most rattle primers are ok to use. But no one that I've seen has mentioned their results of spray priming their bones black, so I thought that I would post my results here. I hope that others will post theirs as well. Cleaning and prepping mold lines on bones black is very different than regular bones. I would compare it to other gaming companies hard plastic while still having a little bit more flexibility. So far I've used the following primers, I'll add to this list as I use new ones: Krylon Colormaster White primer- quick drying time with light spraying, no stickiness, no granular texture associated with light dusting. The white stayed relatively white unlike on other plastic models. Rustoleum 2X Paint+Primer Satin Poppy Red- Smooth coverage, no texturing. However, after 24hrs is still slightly tacky to the touch. In places where I've scrapped mold lines away the plastic underneath is not tacky. I'll give it a few more days to cure and then I'll try stripping it and see how that goes. The tackiness maybe due to the satin primer rather than the more commonly used flat primer. ETU: 60 hrs and no change in the tackiness so I used isopropyl to strip it with no issues.

I know that Bones do not take spray primer without staying sticky but have read that the vallejo brush on primer works well. The question is that if you put the bush on primer first can you add a spray one primer after without the mini staying sticky? I know that the vallejo's can be airbrushed on but because i don't have a dedicated painting area its kind of a pain to drag out the airbrush to try out two tone priming.

I’ve got some of both these products, but I’m not sure exactly how they’re supposed to be used. I’ve tried the primer a few times, but compared to spray primer it’s very liquidy (not a surprise, since it’s a liquid). The issue is I don’t know if it is being properly applied or just running off into the cracks. It doesn’t turn the metal white, but I don’t even know if that is supposed to happen or not. Am I using it correctly? As for the brush-on sealer, what is it for and what does it do? I’m assuming it goes on at the end, and if that means I don’t need to buy yet another aerosol product, that would be swell.

At my friendly national chain home improvement store I found they sell mismixed paint colors at deep discounts. There I bought a 8 oz.(237 ml) sample pot of premium interior/exterior flat "paint and primer in one" for 50 cents. So I'm experimenting with using it as a primer for Bones. I will report on how it goes. In the meantime, feel free to discuss your budget alternatives.

Quick question regarding Bones and Greenstuff. I have a couple of Bones minis I'm going to be painting up here shortly that desperately need some gap filling done on them. I know that Bones minis generally do not need to be primed (other than maybe a thin layer of liner) but how does the GS used to fill gaps interact? Do I still need to hit it with some primer? On a related question, have any of you used the liquid green stuff? I'm assuming that it is also potentially pretty hard on brushes, much like brush on primer, but was curious as to what your experiences were. Some of the areas I want to fill are actually fairly small gaps, so the liquid GS seems like it would be a good match.

I know there's a painting forum, but it seems to be dedicated to the Reaper Minis, not to the hand-sculpted ones. I see most people use acrylic paint. I've also seen some people they use primer or paint directly on, but they usually don't specify which material they used. I was wondering if you use primer, and specifically, on which materials? Are the various brands of putty different? Clay? What if you have used more than one material on one sculpture? For example, I made this, which is ProCreate/Apoxie with the top layer in Super Sculpey. Oh yeah, and I've also made a base out of Milliput. I've painted Super Sculpey before just by putting down one layer of paint and more or less using that as primer. I was thinking of just spray painting the whole thing black and then painting on top of that. Thoughts?

I stumbled on this while looking for something to prime my new foam terrain set. http://www.krylon.com/products/craft-foam-primer/ An internet search later and I found some locally, purchased and experimented. It says it creates a thin durable primed surface that seals the foam and makes it safe to spray with other aerosol paints. Well, it is definitely thin and is not going to hide any detail, I will apply two coats just to be safe. It dries pretty quick, this is two coats with one hour between coats then one hour to dry. Here is the true test, black aerosol spray paint.... ...and it worked. There is no bubbling, melting, deformation or even softening of the foam. For all of us foam using terrain-oholics out there we finally have a way to spray primer our terrain.

I have seen a lot of forum members state that they use the brown liner as a base coat for all their Bones minis. I was just curious how many actually do this? Do those who do this also use any of the other liner colors for their base coat? If so...why brown liner specifically? Also, when using the brown liner are you fully base coating as if you were priming or do you do a lighter coating? I like the idea of using the brown liner to sort of "prime" my bones mini's but I just was curious as to how most people go about this. Thanks for your input!

Even though Bones does not require primer, a lot of us still base coat it for paint adhesion. We've noticed that some paints are more likely to come off easily than others. I'm going to start playing around with several common and hobbyist spray primers and report the results. Baphomet did some preliminary experimentation here: http://forum.reapermini.com/index.php?/topic/48669-bones-the-first-coat-is-the-difference/?p=1047003 First up will be Armory Grey Primer and Armory Clear matte sealer. So far, the Armory Grey is amazing. It dries fast and seems to adhere really well. I think I like it over gray gesso and any of the normal acrylic model paints i've used. No tackiness, even after 24 hours of sitting. For this experiment I'm using Narthax.

Hey all, I had something odd happen the other night. I was priming a bones figure and the primer has set up glossy and a bit tacky instead of the normal flat finish I get. (I primed in black). I thought it was maybe the can of primer but I did another figure that night and no problems whatsoever with the same can. Im going to strip and try again but I was just curious if anyone had this happen to them as well. Thanks! -Gunz

This may have been asked before, probably has a few times I would wager, but my basic search didn't find anything, so I may not have gone back far enough, but is there a good way for priming resin suitable for a couple of decent sized pieces? I tried just washing with soap and water then going straight to paint, as I do with bones figures, but that didn't stick well. I do have MSP brush on primer, but I am getting a little low on it, so while I am going to order more, it will take a while to get here

Hey there everybody. It's coming up on my birthday and I'm thinking of picking up an airbrush rig. What I need to know is how well reaper paint sticks with bones when it's run through with a little Liquitex Airbrush Medium, or any other types of thinners? I'd hate to pick one up and find out that the largest batch of my minis can't easily be primed/basecoated without brushing first. I saw Wren's Basecoating guide, but in all the page, it really only mentions one quick blurb "For those who prefer to use spray primer, the best option is to use an airbrush to apply a coat of acrylic paint to the Bones figure. Reaper Master Series paint thins well with Golden or Liquitex Airbrush Medium, and maintains its strong adhesion, though I have found that adding airbrush medium does noticeably increase the drying time of the paint." This is good to know, but is there any further practical information on this I should know? How well does this compare to the other options? What are we looking at for drying time? Can alcohol be added to speed up the dry time, or does that ruin the paint in some way? Thanks in advance for any advice the community can provide.

So for two straight Kickstarters I've shown the restrain necessary and didn't end up getting any Bones and I'm still reasonably okay with that because I like metal, I won't lie and I really appreciate the detail metal provides. But those dastardly Reaper people put out a few that couldn't be gotten in metal, like Yephima, so I ordered one from my hobby store and sooner or later, actually probably later or sooner, I'd like to think about painting her up. Here's my dilemma: after giving her a sudsy bath and letting her dry, I think I really would like to prime her, even though everybody says it's not necessary. Is there any bad aspects of priming Bones? I'd use a Vallejo brush on white primer, which is what I've got. Has anybody had any bad primer experiences?

My wife got me a Bones Cthulhu for my birthday and I excitedly, put him together, removed the flash and primed him. Now he's a sticky mess. I came to the boards and read some of the recommendations to my chagrin. Is there anything I can do to restore him to a non-sticky state? Any suggestions would be appreciated. I would also suggest putting a large notice about how priming isn't necessary for the Bones line on your packaging. Thanks, Dave Margowsky

Hi guys I am new to reaper minis and to the forum! Just received my first shipment today(had to wait for a 1 god damned month). I got some bone stuff and some metal dark heaven legends minis. So I have few questions for you guys. 1. When painting metal miniatures do I need to use a primer? 2. Is a black primer just higher density acrylic paint? 2. If I haven't bought the reaper primer but I have Pure Black paint can I use it instead? 3. If not, what can I get in paint shops? (because we don't even have games workshop where I live) If I understand correctly the primer is needed because with simple black paint the remaining coats of colors will not stick well and will rub off on the edges. Is all that correct? Thanks in advance guys

Due to logistical problems with spray primer, I'm switching to MSP brush-on. Should I thin down the primer before use as I would paints, or use it as-is?

I recently got back into miniatures. Well, I bought some regular primer from Home Depot and it dried really fast, which was a plus. But when I was painting, the primer was rubbing off, and when it wasn't rubbing off. The paint would like, 'chip' my paint. Is there a different type of primer that I could use to get more detail, or can I just somehow turn my primer into liquid primer. Any suggestions?

I have a mini that I primed using Krylon primer (spray on oil based I believe). However, before I got around to painting it I realized that I wanted to make some additional modifications to the mini (with green stuff). In addition, I noticed the primer got rubbed off in a few areas. I don't want to spray the entire mini with primer again, so I was thinking of touching it up using some of Reaper's paint on primer. Will this probably work without any issues, or is it bad to mix different types of primer on the same mini?