"Primer issues" Topic

I was all jazzed to start in on my Swabian Footmen project. I had primed the figures over the weekend and they were sure to be dry by now. I picked out six sticks of 4 figures to paint and found that the primer was fuzzy. This is not the first time this has happened to me. I figured it was humidity or something. It has happened both with Armory and GW primers. Sunday was not particularly humid and I sprayed in the shade. Is it because I am not shaking the paint up enough? I want to get to the bottom of this so that it does not happen again.

Thanks,

John

No answer but also have had the same problem from time to time without being able to find some common element as to where I went wrong.

I sort of suspect its not shaking the can well enough…

I think its insufficient shaking too for what its worth.

I've had this happen with one can of GW black primer, everything I primed with it came out fuzzy not matter how much I shook the can or what the weather was like. The next can I used was fine so I think its just a duff can or batch.
Mick

I blame the crappy primers! Both Armory and GW have never been good to me. Shake them until your arms fall off, and if that fails, try some Krylon or something.

Not shaking enough and spraying from too far away (so the paint is partly dry before it hits the figure) are the most likely explanations for fuzzy/gritty primer.

I like Duplicolor Sandable Primer (an automotive primer). Comes in several colors, good coat (not as fine as Tamiya Fine Surface, but good enough for me), reliable, and $4.86 USD with tax at the local auto parts store.

Ron

Possibly pollen? Especially if you have trees nearby or flowers.

We've had incredible amounts of pollen here and I've had to be careful with spraying outside.

This has happened to me once when the bottle was nearly empty and had few pressure.

Possibly pollen?

Wow! That is a pretty good guess. The only reason I would say no is because the primer drys so quickly. Which may be another reason. It is drying too quickly maybe? Other than that, in VA, we have no end to pollen for about half the year.

Maybe too far away is the answer as well as shaking.

John

John: In our part of NoVa, the humidity can wreak havoc on spray primers. The spray is affected by the humidity in the air as it is coming from the can on the way to the figure. If you can spray indoors (well ventilated of course), with air conditioning, you can eliminate the fuzz. For whatever reason, white primer seems to be affected most by the "fuzz". However, I have completely abandoned almost all spray priming and now rely on rustoleom brush on primer, thinned down so it doesn't clog any details on the figures.

You could try the cheap cans of paint sold at Wal-Mart. They sell for about a dollar a can, and I've never had problems with them, whatever the humidity may be. They work better than the more expensive cans.

Also, no matter what the paint brand, always shake the can for about a minute, especially if the can has been sitting for awhile. Also, shake occassionally during spraying.

>You could try the cheap cans of paint sold at Wal-Mart

+1, the brand name here is "Color Place", basically the cheapest stuff you can buy there, with "fast drying" on the label (that's important).

Always had good results with it, although some cans seem "matte-er" than others. Not a biggie when you're just priming with it.

w.

Yup and I turn it upside down for shaking too.

I've had this happen several times over the years and I'm convinced that it's the can. I've shaken and shaken and still the fuzzy crap comes out. It looks almost like dust, right? If so, I'd chuck the can.

For the record, I've tried the cheap walmart cans as well. I had it happen to me on one of those. I can't explain why, but I think it might have to do with the seal of the can and how old it is. I think that the paint might solidify in the can and when it comes out it comes out chunky.

Anyway, I suppose the safest method would be gesso, but I've been to lazy and set in my own ways to go that route.

The most consistent paint I've ever found has been Krylon Flat or Krylon Ultra Flat. It's a bit more expensive than the cheap cans and slightly less expensive than GW or Armoury.

Thanks for the advice all. I have my bottle of Simple Green and am ready to strip off the paint. I'll line up a few sticks of figures again and try one more time with a well shaken can of spray…just to see.

If that does not work, I'll try Krylon.

Another vote for Krylon Ultra-Flat. I've been using it for about 6 months and haven't had any problems.