Priming photo etch

[meirion658]

Morning all,

In past when using photo etch parts they have not required much painting. I have recently purchased some grills for a Tiger 1 which will need to be painted.

1. Do you need to prime then?
2. Will ordinary paint primer work i.e Mr Hobby surfacer range ?
3. Do you need a dedicated photo etch primer or metal primer.

Any product advice will be greatly received

Thanks all

[David Lovell]

Best bet is probably YouTube ,personally I've just primed over it when priming ready for painting. Probably a personal choice thing ,ive never had the un-primed police banging on the door. Dave

[Jim R]

I like VMS Metal Prep 4K. There's a video on YouTube. It's very easy to use.

[Tim Marlow]

Depends if you are going to handle it much Merion. If it’s going to be a shelf or cabinet model I would just prime it the same as the rest of your model. The paint adhesion will be good enough to get you through the rest of the build.

If it’s a gaming or model railway piece, that is going to be handled a bit, I would use automotive (car body) primer. That stuff is designed to go onto flat metal surfaces and stay there in extremely adverse conditions…….. ideal for a model that will be handled. Halfords cellulose primer was my go to when I built etched coaches and engines in a previous modelling life.

I’ve never bothered with specific “etching” primers such as Zinc Chromate, I find they are very thick and obscure detail. They are also quite difficult to get on evenly.

[JR]

There's a reason for priming , to induce a surface to take the paint well. I always use MR Hobby metal primer first then after its dry normal paint. A primer will provide you with a matte, non-reflective surface that adds “tooth” and helps paint adhere to your model. In other words, a primer acts as a glue for your paint to hold on to any uneven surface of plastic, resin, or metal miniatures.

[rtfoe]

I find that priming neutralises the different surfaces of a build into one that has added AM parts like resin or metal onto plastic as well as the fillers.

Cheers,
Wabble

[meirion658]

Depends if you are going to handle it much Merion. If it’s going to be a shelf or cabinet model I would just prime it the same as the rest of your model. The paint adhesion will be good enough to get you through the rest of the build.

If it’s a gaming or model railway piece, that is going to be handled a bit, I would use automotive (car body) primer. That stuff is designed to go onto flat metal surfaces and stay there in extremely adverse conditions…….. ideal for a model that will be handled. Halfords cellulose primer was my go to when I built etched coaches and engines in a previous modelling life.

I’ve never bothered with specific “etching” primers such as Zinc Chromate, I find they are very thick and obscure detail. They are also quite difficult to get on evenly.

Thanks for the comprehensive reply. What product do you recommend?

[Ian M]

Which paint range do you use. I have found for most brands acrylic , on their web site state that the primers are suitable for metal and plastic. Which I have found to be much the case. As long as the surface you are painting is free from grease and oil. ( so no chocolate of bacon butties at the model bench!) And dry.
Some will say to burnish the brass, either chemically or physically Both of which are impractical if the parts are built. A fret of etch can be cleaned both ways while whole and one sheet.
I can say that from personal experience I can say that as long as it is clean, as mentioned above, I have had no problem with the use of Vallejo's primer. The one from Badger that is impossible to spell... STYNYLREZ (had to look it up.... again). Is very good indeed and dries to a hard smooth surface.
If I am doing something with a lot of etch or large area's of etch, I will burnish it and then spray with Alclad II primer which is a solvent based primer. stinks, will give you headaches, and all that but is Excellent. It goes down well, dries flat and covers great with a thin coating.

[Tim Marlow]

Thanks for the comprehensive reply. What product do you recommend?

I’d go with Ian’s suggestions. Not been able to source stynylres myself, but if you can get it go for it. Otherwise the Alclad primer he mentions is very close to the old automotive cellulose primer I used to use. Tamiya spray is pretty similar (though I decant it for airbrush use) as is the Mr Color Surfacer stuff.

[Mr Bowcat]

Not been able to source stynylres myself

Tim, the UMP primer is the same as Stynylrez, both are rebranded Badger primers, but all are the same formula. Was my go to before swapping to lacquers.

https://www.umpretail.com/collections/ultimate-primers

[Dave Ward]

With PE, I brush clean it with IPA, then prime with the normal primer. - but I don't tend to handle my finished models too much...........
Dave

[Tim Marlow]

Tim, the UMP primer is the same as Stynylrez, both are rebranded Badger primers, but all are the same formula. Was my go to before swapping to lacquers.

https://www.umpretail.com/collections/ultimate-primers

Cheers Bob. Next time I need some I’ll keep them in mind…..