Joe Kutz Posted January 23, 2008 Share Posted January 23, 2008 Although this is something that should have occurred to me before hand, I haven't actually had a chance to do any observations in the issue... This past weekend one of the guys I game with came over to work on his car in my shop. We were getting ready to finish things off and he wanted to prime it next week. I was against it since we weren't planning on painting it till closer to spring (no reason to have a new paint job ruined by the ice/gravel right away). Anywho, the reasoning is that automotive primer is most effective for only a few weeks after applied. After that time the good things about the primer that help paint adhere to it get clogged up by oxidization and various chemicals that are floating around in the air. So the question is...have you noticed that paint applied to fresh primer sticks better than paint applied to old primer? I know that I have some unpainted minis that I had primed years ago - and they feel smoother than the fresh primer. I had never connected the two in the past, but before I go chasing a white elephant - I wonder if anyone else has noticed changes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vutpakdi Posted January 23, 2008 Share Posted January 23, 2008 Could also just be dust and other things that float around and land on the mini. I've had minis that I primed last year (kept in a covered plastic box) and painted recently which have no discernible difference in paint adhesion or smoothness (at least, to a casual inspection). Ron Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
All-Terrain Monkey Posted January 23, 2008 Share Posted January 23, 2008 I've had minis sitting out in the open for 2+ years after priming that have no problems holding paint; I just dust'm off and go (I use Tamiya Fine Surface Primer). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kang Posted January 24, 2008 Share Posted January 24, 2008 That might apply more to primer used on vehicles than on minis - sitting out in the rain/sunshine, driving through clouds of exhaust on the highways and all that. That's just a theory, mind you; I've never considered primer getting clogged up as you've described before. Nor can I say I've ever noticed any difference between a mini primed a couple years ago vs. one primed a couple days ago. The size and shape of primed surfaces may also make any loss of effectiveness more or less drastic and/or noticeable on cars vs. minis too, I suppose. Interesting question; I'm hoping priming minis long ahead of time like I did quite a while back wasn't just a new and improved way of shooting myself in the foot! Kang Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Kutz Posted January 24, 2008 Author Share Posted January 24, 2008 I had never noticed the issue with miniatures either - but I have definitely noticed the difference with cars. Primer itself is designed to absorb stuff quite well. Whether it is paint or exhaust fumes, it doesn't care too much. Eventually though, the primer will become clogged for lack of a better word, and works about as well as a primer as normal paint. For the record - I normally pop open blisters, prep, clean and prime them shortly after purchasing the minis. Quite often, I end up doing this 1, 2, 3 and even 4 years before I get around to painting them (some have been sitting even longer waiting for paint). So far, I haven't noticed a huge difference between the old primer and new primer - but at the same time I haven't really been looking. I am guessing that miniatures limited exposure to the environment should prevent a lot of the problems that you see with automotive and household primers, it is something that will probably bug me until I have a chance to actually test it out (which will be bugging me for awhile - since I will have to prime something and wait a while to let it age...prime something else...paint them...and then scrub the paint off to see if one holds up better...). Rainy day project. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
olliekickflip Posted January 24, 2008 Share Posted January 24, 2008 I have noticed a difference at least with white primer. If I wait to long to paint it, it seams to form a protective shell around the model and that makes the paint bead up a bit. I counter this by wetting the area and letting that dry. It seems to soften the paint just enough to accept new paint. Same thing happens on a model that I have almost finished and then for whatever reason, it gets set down for a while. Now this may effect me more because of the dilusion of my paint. I go way watery, more than most. Lately, I have not been having this problem at all because of the way I prime. It is more of a light dusting of the mini itself, then and emidiate application of paint. Also, I do not prime until I am ready to paint the model. This is not true for when I am painting armies. In that case I prime them solid with paint and then let them sit for years before I get around to painting them. So I am back to the water dip...let it get dry to the touch... and paint away! a Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
All-Terrain Monkey Posted January 24, 2008 Share Posted January 24, 2008 I put on a layer of Dull Cote if I notice odd beading, and it usually takes care of the problem quickly. I haven't found a consistent cause of it for me yet though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PurityThruFire Posted January 26, 2008 Share Posted January 26, 2008 I pretty much do what Ollie does, except I wasn't really thinking about it that way. If I have models out that have been sitting primed for a couple of months I usually wash them before I start painting them. So I've never really noticed a difference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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