White primers

[MikeMc]

What is the trick to get full coverage using white primer...I have both plastikote t235 and duplacolor white filler.

I love Tamiya fine white but at $$ ain't gonna happen!

I have the same issues decanted or rattlecan

I don't have any issues with the grey fillers or sealers...just white!!

as my '56 soaks in DOT3 I'l be ready soon!!

Edited December 11, 2009 by MikeMc

[Dave Wood]

Mike I've been getting cracks in the White Primer also (plastikote) But I've found that unlike the Gray and Red Oxcide if you mist it on in 2 or 3 Light coats it works fine. Hope this helps you as it did me

Dave Wood

[jbwelda]

is the problem cracks (too much paint) or the opposite, lack of coverage?

[MikeMc]

is the problem cracks (too much paint) or the opposite, lack of coverage?

poor coverage...3 to 5 mist coats w/airbrush...same technique with grey and great coverage!

[jbwelda]

yeah thats what i thought. it just seems to be a fact of life. in this case i think tamiya is even worse, though its actually better because you can build up thin coats. but it takes a lot of thin coats especially if youre shooting over varied under surface like red putty on white plastic or patches made with dark plastic on a white body. ive just found you have to build up some coats which might take a while.

another thing, maybe you can get the surface uniform with the grey primer and then do a final with white. i assume you want a white base for whatever color youre going to shoot?

no matter what, painting is always tricky and ive found if you skimp on even one little step you pay for it later...

[MikeMc]

yeah thats what i thought. it just seems to be a fact of life. in this case i think tamiya is even worse, though its actually better because you can build up thin coats. but it takes a lot of thin coats especially if youre shooting over varied under surface like red putty on white plastic or patches made with dark plastic on a white body. ive just found you have to build up some coats which might take a while.

another thing, maybe you can get the surface uniform with the grey primer and then do a final with white. i assume you want a white base for whatever color youre going to shoot?

no matter what, painting is always tricky and ive found if you skimp on even one little step you pay for it later...

The tamiya will cover grey filler/sealer in 2 or 3 mist coats....t235 thinned correctly is uneven after 4 mist coats. I guess I'l shoot a linen white base after primer as it does work.

[Zoom Zoom]

While I prefer decanting Tamiya spray colors, I prefer shooting their white primer straight from the can. What I have found is if there's a plastic color that's being b*tchy about being covered, for example one of the infernal Revell AG kits where they mold different body in different colors of styrene, to shoot it w/their gray primer first...it covers better allowing a uniform shade to apply the white primer. Since Tamiya primer goes on relatively thin & smooth, it works quite well. To me it's worth the extra expense vs. automotive primers...and my favorite, Plastikote, has become nearly unobtanium around here. I do not like Duplicolor primer...it's a bit too strong for styrene, and stinks terribly. I use Plastikote liberally on resin & in mist coats on styrene bodies that are getting a lot of bodywork.

[Chuck Most]

I do not like Duplicolor primer...it's a bit too strong for styrene, and stinks terribly. I use Plastikote liberally on resin & in mist coats on styrene bodies that are getting a lot of bodywork.

Duplicolor also is quite a bit more sensitive to humidity than the Plastikote. It's not as much a problem on primer coats, but still, I don't spray Duplicolor unless A)- the humidity is low (or as low as it gets in Michigan), and - I've sprayed a non-Duplicolor primer (such as Krylon) onto the body first, to serve as a barrier against the Duplicolor. Duplicolor is known to craze parts.

I've never had much luck with the Plasicote, but then again, it's been a while since I've used it. I just remember using it nine or ten years ago, and I thought it came out lumpy and thick, though in hindsight that may have had more to do with my skills (or lack therof) at the time! Maybe it's time to give Plasticote another go?

[charlie8575]

While I prefer decanting Tamiya spray colors, I prefer shooting their white primer straight from the can. What I have found is if there's a plastic color that's being b*tchy about being covered, for example one of the infernal Revell AG kits where they mold different body in different colors of styrene, to shoot it w/their gray primer first...it covers better allowing a uniform shade to apply the white primer. Since Tamiya primer goes on relatively thin & smooth, it works quite well. To me it's worth the extra expense vs. automotive primers...and my favorite, Plastikote, has become nearly unobtanium around here. I do not like Duplicolor primer...it's a bit too strong for styrene, and stinks terribly. I use Plastikote liberally on resin & in mist coats on styrene bodies that are getting a lot of bodywork.

Bob (or anyone else)

Can Tamiya primer be used under automotive paints? I ask because it seems to be lacquer base. At least the bottled primer I have, only lacquer thinner will take it off the brush.

Charlie Larkin

[Ragnar]

On any surface that I have worked on with putty, and/or any surface where I have used multi coloured parts, I always shoot gray primer first, even if I want a white bace. This gives better coverage on these surfaces, and stops ghosting from happening!

CHEERS!

[Guest arni]

Bob (or anyone else)

Can Tamiya primer be used under automotive paints? I ask because it seems to be lacquer base. At least the bottled primer I have, only lacquer thinner will take it off the brush.

Charlie Larkin

I have never had problems spraying auto paints over Tamiya primer,both are I belived acrylic based.If in doubt shoot a coat of Future over it to act as a sealer.I am doing a project at the mo that involves scrap parts..There was a combination of acrylic/enamel and rattle can paint on it.I gave it a coat of Future to seal everything and had no problems.

See here for the pics..

http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=25470

Hope this helps.

[Ddms]

Can Tamiya primer be used under automotive paints?

Yes. I've gotten consistently good results spraying Omni, PPG and Dupont single-part urethane base coats over Tamiya surface primer.

And it gets better! You can even do the reverse. Tamiya primer can be sprayed on top of automotive urethane.

A while back, I somehow managed to drip lacquer thinner on a finished urethane paint job. That made a nasty "hole" in the paint. No matter how carefully I feathered the edges, the hole was still visible after re-painting the area with urethane. So I hit it with Tamiya primer, which was thick enough to fill the depression. I sanded it even, applied urethane over the primer, cleared it to match the rest of the car, and the disaster zone is now completely invisible.

Tamiya surface primer is great stuff. It takes any kind of base coat, and you can use it on just about anything, including styrene, metal and resin.

By the way, if you don't want to fool with 2K urethane clear coat, you can also spray Tamiya TS-13 clear lacquer on top of automotive urethane. I prefer U-POL, but the Tamiya does the job just fine.

[E St. Kruiser50]

What is the trick to get full coverage using white primer...I have both plastikote t235 and duplacolor white filler.

I love Tamiya fine white but at $$ ain't gonna happen!

I have the same issues decanted or rattlecan

I don't have any issues with the grey fillers or sealers...just white!!

as my '56 soaks in DOT3 I'l be ready soon!!

Hey Mike

My experience for years has been to always use a good quality gray primer to do all yout priliminay sealing over a body or the parts that have work done to them, and then use your white primer last, as it is extremely transparent, and shows every variation of colors and textures under it's surface.

If you use the white to cover a body that has no surface work done, that always seems to work just fine for me.

I use DupliColors gray "High Build Primer" to start with.

It has a lot of extra filler to add to it's thickness for sanding, but light spraying can accomplish the same light coverage as any other primer, and has the best qualities for sanding and finishing , of any "Rattle-Can" primer I have ever used, and is compatible with every brand of paint I have ever sprayed over it, including urethane primers.

For those wanting a ligher coverage and the same sanding and finishing qualities, simply decant the high-build primer, and thin with a good grade of lacquer thinner to the consistancy you want, and shoot through your air-brush.

The only white primer I use, and have used for over ten years is Plasti-kot sandable Primer #T-237.

IT WORKS WONDERFULLY.

Remember that surface prep is the most important step in painting.

After my last coat of gray primer has been laid down, I wait a week to dry before final sanding.

I use nothing finer than 800 grit - a good grade of Wet or Dry sandpaper. I sand mine dry, as too smooth can be just as bad as too rough, especially at this stage, because you want the next layer of paint or primer to be able to "GRAB" onto the primer surface, and it can't as well if the surface is too smooth.

Once the gray primer has dried for a week, and has been sanded properly, it's time to spray the white primer #t-237, at least for me .

(At this point I want to mention temperature while spraying, because this has a huge affect on adhesion to the surface of whatever your spraying, and how the primer will be able to be finished properly.

I realize that most here spraying don't have the luxury of spraying paint in a warm enviornment, especially this time of year, but remember that paint is a chemical, with certain "Mechanical" features, and was designed with specific qualities and manufacturer recommendations, to get optimal results, and when you compromise those recommendations, you get all the questions I read here continually, about paint problems. Usually reading the label for directions can help eliminate most spray painting problems, if you follow them properly).

O.K. - SPRAING THE WHITE PRIMER.

I spray the way the manufacturer always recommends, and most good spray painting articles recommend, and how "real-time car painters recommend.

3 COATS OF PRIMER!

One light.

One medium.

One heavy.

When sprayed properly under the right conditions, this will normally give you the surface finish needed

to allow you to sand and get the proper surface finish needed to apply your paint to.

Again REMEMBER - THIS IS NOT PLUG AND PLAY. It takes time and practice to achieve a paint job worthy of all the hard work you put into your project.

If you do sand through the white, simply apply more primer, and sand.

Remember that the solid gray base that you sprayed the white over, allows you to have a good solid white primer finish with no variations in color or surface texture.

I learned to paint by spraying as many old bodies and tin cans as often as I could, dozens at a time, as painting once every month or so for most, will never allow you to paint at a level where your really happy with the results, until you have paid your "LEARNING DUES" .

At least thats how it worked for me - MAYBE I'M A SLOW LEARNER , but painting now is a pretty easy step in the building process for me, and I don't sand or strip anything anymore.

And don't forget that there is only so much information that any of us can give you before it's up to you to practice and experiment to find which materials and techniques works best for you, and your particular application.

I hope this helps, and gives you more options to consider for your building enjoyment.

All the best, and have a great Christmas - dave

Edited December 13, 2009 by Treehugger Dave

[MikeMc]

Wow and thanks guys!!

I did make one error I said plastikote t235 white I meant T237.

I did get full even coverage over my grey base duplacolor filler/primer

My issue was needing 6 coats of white primer over the grey and seeing some detail gone

(defroster vents on my '56 del ray ) and as I like a white base for most metalics and pearls

I musta done something different but darned if I know what. I did reshoot the '56 and used a silver base over the grey primer

not quite as bright but no one will know!!

[E St. Kruiser50]

Wow and thanks guys!!

I did make one error I said plastikote t235 white I meant T237.

I did get full even coverage over my grey base duplacolor filler/primer

My issue was needing 6 coats of white primer over the grey and seeing some detail gone

(defroster vents on my '56 del ray ) and as I like a white base for most metalics and pearls

I musta done something different but darned if I know what. I did reshoot the '56 and used a silver base over the grey primer

not quite as bright but no one will know!!

In the future Mike, if there is no body work done to a car, you can just use the white primer and forget the gray, and there'll be very little primer build-up.

Also, on modified bodies and pieces, using Tamiya tape, you can cover up certain detail area's before you spray the gray primer, and then un-tape, sand, and then spray your white primer for way less build-up in detailed area's like you mentioned.

It takes a bit more time, but leaves the details looking way better.

Edited December 13, 2009 by Treehugger Dave