What Primer Does Everyone Use?

[Sculley]

Hey everyone! I haven't painted in quite a long time. I was just curious as to what primer ya'll use? I've used "Rustoleum Bare Metal Primer" in a spray can from Home Depot, but to be honest it looks like it leaves a chunky/grainy appearance on the mini? Has anyone else had this similar issue?

 

Thanks! :D

[Mad Jack]

 Aside from Rustoleum, people also use Duplicolor and Krylon spray primer, as well as the mini-specific brands of spray primer like Army Painter, Citadel and Privateer Press. I'm sure somebody will be along shortly to mention three or four that I missed, lol.

 

I'm currently using a can of P3 primer, although I don't paint for competition so it doesn't much matter to me what I use so long as it doesn't bork up completely and it's cheap...

 

On a side note, some of the plastic minis like Bones don't react well to spray primer and may not cure or remain tacky.

Edited June 29, 2015 by Mad Jack

[Loim]

I use RMS Brush-on and Vallejo Brush-on. Lots of people have good luck with spray-on primer, but I don't really have a place to spray so I stick with those. Plus I can prime anywhere, any time.

 

I've also used Liquitex Gesso from time to time. It's a good cheap primer for bulk application if you need. I like it for bases to add some texture.

[ced1106]

Rustoleum "Bonds to Plastic" 2x Ultra-Whatever. Reaper Brush on primers for touch up and greyscaling, gesso clear for tooth?

[Laoke]

Just RMS brush on primer, altough given that 98% of my collection is Bones I really don't worry about priming so much.  I prime metal, but Bones?  Nah.

[Serenity]

Chunky or grainy appearance can be due to primer applied at a temperature that it too high or low or the humidity level.  It can also happen if the can of primer is old or if the primer is too far from the mini, allowing it to dry before it hits.  Also be sure to shake the can thoroughly (a couple minutes) and test it on something else before using it on a mini you care about.  I test on newspaper.  I think it is best to spray to one side of the mini, move it across the mini, then finish on the other side, in short bursts. 

 

I usually use Tamiya Fine Surface for my spray primer and then use Vallejo or RMS brush-on primer afterwards for metal minis.  For Bones plastic, I've used brush-on primer or matte medium/varnish mixed with paint, but the RMS liners are also very tough when used as a primer.

Edited June 29, 2015 by Serenity

[Silvervane]

Just RMS brush on primer, altough given that 98% of my collection is Bones I really don't worry about priming so much.  I prime metal, but Bones?  Nah.

^^ This for me as well.

[Sculley]

Thank you everyone!

 

Serenity you said:

Chunky or grainy appearance can be due to primer applied at a temperature that it too high or low or the humidity level.  It can also happen if the can of primer is old or if the primer is too far from the mini, allowing it to dry before it hits.  Also be sure to shake the can thoroughly (a couple minutes) and test it on something else before using it on a mini you care about.

 

I do live in south Florida. The humidity is almost always at 80% or above...I wonder if that would be an issue.

Although most of you guys it seems you use a brush on primer? I may try that. I never prime Bones, to be honest they don't need it.

[Doug Sundseth]

High humidity does matter for spray primer. Humidity doesn't much matter here in Colorado; I most commonly use Krylon Gray primer.

 

Many of the best painters use Tamiya Fine Surface primer, because it goes on very smoothly.

 

(All of the above for metal or resin, of course.)

[Loim]

Brush on primer also goes on very well when pushed through an air brush. 

[Pingo]

I brush on Golden Titanium White paint thinned down, sometimes with the addition of a drop or two of acrylic medium.

 

I find artist's gesso to be a little crude for things as small as minis.

[Chargeit]

I started off with Army painter but got tired of bottles clogging up before they were empty. I since moved to using Krylon and it works great. Other then a defective one, I've yet to have a bottle of it clog up prematurely on me.

 

I've even used the cheap Walmart primers (Under $1) and found that they work fine. They need a lot of coats to get good coverage. Just have to keep the coats thin and allow a few min dry times in between (what it says on the can).

 

 

If you're getting that dry dusty affect from priming your primer is probably drying before getting to the model. Try to avoid priming too far away, in wind, or when it's too hot. 

[Doug Sundseth]

You really don't need much coverage for primer to do what it's intended to do. Your goal is to provide something that acrylic paint will stick to easily, not get a base coat. Further, if you prime too heavily on figures with delicate detail, you can clog the detail enough that it disappears before you really start painting.

[Qwyksilver]

Aersol: Tamiya Fine Surface Primer

Brush on:  RMS Black or White

Brush on (Bones): RMS Liner (Brown, Grey, Blue, Red, Green, or Violet)

[Jokemeister]

I use Vallejo brush-on for single minis and Citadel spray for groups of minis.  No real reason for this other than that they are the primers that are easily available to me in Hong Kong.