Prime *EVERYTHING*?

[bigbluesd]

Just curious if you guys prime every part before painting or only the major ones (leaving small parts alone)?

[Stuntman Mike]

I prime only the bodies when working with kits made of white or grey styrene. I try to avoid kits molded in other colors. But when I happen to build one I also prime other parts as needed. I don´t like to prime small parts with fine details. Engine blocks and stuff like that will be airbrushed with ultra thin coats which works very good.

[W-409]

I use Primer only when I paint bodies or parts with spray paint. When using brush paints (I use Revell & Humbrol Enamels) I see no need for a Primer. But when painting with sprays, it makes life much easier as paint will stick better and it won't run from sharp edges so easily.

[Ace-Garageguy]

Everything.

[zenrat]

Nearly everything.

Sometimes I get lazy and don't prime small parts like starter motors or oil filters and then regret it when it takes more coats of paint to get a good finish because of brushing paint onto shiny plastic.

[Bernard Kron]

I prime all bodywork, larger parts in general (seats, interior buckets, engine blocks, etc.) to promote paint adhesion, and smaller parts if they're on the tree next to larger stuff. I find that even with brush paints a light coat of primer gives "tooth" and I get a smoother, more even coverage. Just go light on the primer for the small stuff. The major exception to all this is parts which will be painted in Testors Metalizer paints. Even though they are lacquers they are very mild and don't attack the plastic . I find that you can't beat smooth styrene as a substrate for a nice polished metal finish. Primer adds grain so I avoid it.

[cobraman]

Since most parts need some kind of sanding I pretty much prime everything.

[Guest]

I sand and primer every single piece. Primer makes painting so much easier.

[southpier]

ditto (2 aboves)

[Lunajammer]

Mostly everything. I use different colored primers with a color value closest to whatever color I'm going to paint the part. I also keep on hand one cheap, thin, off-brand primer for when I want a very light but even priming on a part with delicate features like scripts.

[freakshow12]

I usually shoot everything that will be black or silver,steel, aluminum etc with black primer first. Makes painting easier as it gives the paint some bite

[bigbluesd]

Followup question, do you guys airbrush your primer or shoot it from a can?

I have been using Duplicolor primer from a can because it goes on so well but it can get expensive priming everything and also I can't find it in a neutral gray (either white or black). I have also been using Rustoleum Sandable Primer from a can for all of the small parts that don't need a perfect finish but it does not go on well... lots of texture to it after spraying, I'm going to have to find something better and cheap.

[Bernard Kron]

From a can. 4 colors of Duplicolor. Duplicolor Sandable Primer: white (which lately I've been using the most), hot rod grey or black. Duplicolor Primer Sealer in a light grey. Can be sanded too, doesn't fill as well but is an effective color block over colored plastics (red, blue, green, etc.). I buy it at auto parts stores for $5.99 + tax a 12 oz. can.

Edited June 1, 2014 by Bernard Kron

[twopaws]

I sand and prime just about every piece. It really helps pick out defects that I have missed.

[Tom Geiger]

I prep and prime every piece. There isn't a piece on a model that doesn't need a seam removed or a sink mark filled. I use Duplicolor gray primer on nearly everything. It helps me spot further imperfections I didn't see in bare plastic.

I don't brush paint anything. Everything gets sprayed with spray cans, AND off the trees with all the nubs sanded smooth. When I see build progress photos on the boards and I see trees with parts all brush painted in place I just cringe!

For spray painting, I mount everything. Wheel backs and such get stuck to a tape loop. Spray the inside first, wait for dry and flip the parts over on fresh tape. Always paint the side you'll see last. Other parts get put on a tooth pick that is then stuck into large pieces of styrofoam. Sometimes I'll drill a small hole that won't be seen in the build into a piece so I can insert the tooth pick for painting. I mount most of my smaller parts with bits of straight pins, so I drill each piece out, and glue a full length straight pin in each. Then I either poke that into styrofoam or tape the pin end to something like a small bathroom cup for painting. I only cut the pin to the proper length right before I actually mount it on the model.

Oh, I also paint things that some folks will leave bare plastic, like the top side of a chassis, outside of an interior bucket, inside of the body shell or the inside of a wheel... why? Because you can often see these areas through wheel wells or other spots where you can see up into a model body. There's nothing like seeing the back of wheels and seeing the white plastic popping through where the tire meets the wheel. So I paint everything to avoid those moments!

Edited June 1, 2014 by Tom Geiger

[Art Anderson]

I prime all parts, including body shells and hoods, that will be receiving the factory colors, and ALWAYS use my airbrush to apply primer. My rationale is pretty simple there:

I paid good money to get a model car kit with fine, crisp surface detail--it makes absolutely no sense to me to go and hide all that with rattle canned primer, which is about as delicate for painting as a fire hose, IMO. Also, using an airbrush for painting makes it a lot easier to get inside fenders, rear quarter panels and the like to ensure that all visible surfaces underneath will get painted. Airbrushing also makes it possible for me to assemble a chassis completely, THEN paint it as a unit, and still get paint in all the crevasses, nooks and crannies.

I always "color sand" my primed body surfaces with at least 6000-grit Micromesh polishing cloth, to give the primer a satin finish surface--again, this makes final polishing of the finish colors just that much easier.

Art

However, for small parts, chassis, engines, etc. I find no value in priming them, after all, the factory didn't do that on the real car.

[935k3]

I prime everything, it makes parts more solid and less lookiing like painted plastic. I only use a spray can for big stuff like body or chassis. I airbrush all small parts with Alclad's Primer , ready to airbrush no thinning necessary. It comes in grey, black and white

[Guest]

Followup question, do you guys airbrush your primer or shoot it from a can?

I have been using Duplicolor primer from a can because it goes on so well but it can get expensive priming everything and also I can't find it in a neutral gray (either white or black). I have also been using Rustoleum Sandable Primer from a can for all of the small parts that don't need a perfect finish but it does not go on well... lots of texture to it after spraying, I'm going to have to find something better and cheap.

I only use Plasti Kote Sandable Primer straight out of the can. It comes in gray (the color I mostly use), white and red oxide. It lays down really smooth and doesn't bury fine details. It runs around $8 for a 12 oz can.

Edited June 2, 2014 by plowboy

[bigbluesd]

I only use Plasti Kote Sandable Primer straight out of the can. It comes in gray (the color I mostly use), white and red oxide. It lays down really smooth and doesn't bury fine details. It runs around $8 for a 12 oz can.

Who carries Plasti Kote?

[PappyD340]

I sand and primer every single piece. Primer makes painting so much easier.

x2

Who carries Plasti Kote?

Here where I live Car Quest Auto Parts

[935k3]

If you buy Plastikote Primer make sure you do not get the enamel version. The correct numbers are T-235 for Gray and T-237 for white.

[bigbluesd]

Do you know if the Plasti Kote plays nice with Duplicolor on top?

[jwrass]

I prime everything. I do 1:1 custom paint (35+ years) I have tried all of the primers listed (on models) and really don't care for any of them. I use all 1:1 materials for everything. The reason I don't care for any of the primers listed is they contain to much plasticizer and not enough filler material, they easily clog paper and dry times are to long for me. I use HOK, PPG and some AutoAir on 1:1 in my shop. I helped with the development of House of Kolors striping urethane 30 years ago as a beta site. I was (Am) very fortunate to have been part of this process as I learned allot about paint chemistry. HOK and PPG don't offer primer surfacer in rattle cans (PPG used to) However all is not lost! Listed are some products that will make your life easier and your builds better.

These can be purchased at NAPA and are branded as Martin Senour. They are Lacquer based products, they are not cheep( $13 for a 15oz can) but they make things so much easier, they are as follows: #7284 Hot Rod Grey (this is very dark) #7283 Red Primer Surfacer, I believe they make a light grey but my jobber doesn't carry it. The spray head is a fan pattern vs a conical so you have great control and the material lays down very nice. The biggest advantage of these primers is their filling properties and sandability, when sanding they powder up very nice and don't clog your sandpaper. I highly recommend these products.

I take one more step before I primer anything to ensure a good bite to the substrate. I use adhesion promoter, NAPA Martin Senour #7223 or Bull Dog which makes a great product. These products were designed for plastic to primer or plastic to paint, this step may be overkill for models but I don't skip this step because I believe it's best practice. I treat my Models as if they are 1:1

Give it a try! If you don't like it go back to what you were using, It's my guess is that if you try these products you will save those other primers for your Garden Equipment.

Respectfully Submitted, jwrass

[935k3]

Do you know if the Plasti Kote plays nice with Duplicolor on top? Yes, it is lacquer based and works well with all paint. It sands better than any primer I have ever used.