Prep work - airbrushing

[Guest]

Just a quick question about prepping for airbrushing.

I am glad to say that i am seeing better results now with tamiya acrylic with thinners (although i think that this might have been down to lack of thinners with the Revell paint). The only issue now is that the paint seems to come off a little to easy. Not that i am trying to get it off but with moving the parts and slightly knocking them perhaps, some of the paint comes off.

Could this be because i have not left the paint work to set for long enough?

Or perhaps because i have not used primer? I just wash the parts, rinse and let dry.

I wonder what coat of primer would do to the model/detail.

Any pointers would be great.

Cheers

[Guest]

revell acrylics spray great when mixed with their own thinners...revell aqua colour mix, also contains a drying retarder but it is quite expensive. just could not get good results when mixing with water .

[Guest]

If you find the paint is easy chipped from your model, then the finger usually points to a poor undercoat, primer creates a nice surface for your paint to cling to. I usually prime, then leave for 24 hours, then airbrush the paint on, and also leave for 24 hours.

If your airbrushing, then I have found that if you keep the primer coat light, then there is no real loss of detail.

[stona]

I'm with Ray,particularly for acrylic paints. I prime for everything and don't think there is a significant loss of detail. The primer is just one coat amongst many.

Cheers

Steve

[Guest]

Thing to ascertain first is what is coming off is it primer or the top coat.

If primer. I use a very fine grade wet & dry in wet form & go over the whole of the larger pieces. The plastic is a polish shine finish & however good the primer it will not adhere well to that surface. With a fine wet & dry it is difficult to remove or chip. Also I make sure the primer is at leas cured over 48 hours. I use Vallejo primer & find that that is hard over 24 hours but all depends on temperature & humidity. With Vallejo primer it is airbrush ready & I apply without thinners. It is still a thin coat but adheres very well. Not tried others so could not comment.

If it is the top coat coming away form the primer not had that one : yet. Is the primer coat dry, although if not you would have thought the top & primer would have bonded better providing they are left to cure.

Whoops senior moment just read you do not use primer. But all the above still goes. I do not use primer on very small pieces but do wet & dry where practical. Apart form adhering I find with wet & dry the paint gives better even coverage.

Does primer lose detail. When I started I used Humbrol enamel primer & found that did lose detail & had a lumpy finish. Since using Vallejo Model Air primer found it gives a very thin but resilient cover & does not affect detail in any way at all. Also found the primer, as it is very fine, catches me out having a nasty way (frustrating) of showing up where my detail has not been carried out very well.

Apologies meandered a bit (or lot).

Laurie

[stona]

Also found the primer, as it is very fine, catches me out having a nasty way (frustrating) of showing up where my detail has not been carried out very well.Laurie

Another very good reason to prime as the problems it shows up,and it nearly always shows something,can be much more easily addressed at this stage rather than during final painting.

Cheers

Steve

[Guest]

Having read that you have had good results with Revell thinners then i might just give that another go (got some proper Revell thinners recently). Mixing with water clearly wasnt working.

I like the pointer that the primer highlights potential issues and obviously it provides a good undercoat. Last question (at least for now hehe) any recommended primers? Something thin perhaps just for starters.

[Guest]

Doh, seen the bit about the Vallegio primer hehe. Cheers. Preference between grey/white/black primer? I would have thought a nice grey but not sure if there is a general rule with the colour for the base coat.

[stona]

Grey works well for most things. You might consider white if you are going to cover it with a "difficult" colour like yellow.

Cheers

Steve

[Guest]

Cheers fella, grey ordered. Plus.... something for the weekend hehe.

I just cant help myself.

[Guest]

i use bog standard halfords primer, also stuff from wilkinsons and if you have a poundland close they are selling cans of grey primer allthough i have not tried it yet as i still have half a can of wilkos stuff left.

[Guest]

I would be worried that the big aerosol cans would be a little to heavy for the models.

[Guest]

Best thing is to test before you apply to the model. While primers for modeling are produced with that in mind primers in DIY etc are marketed for a wider usage.

Noticed that some are more primer fillers. That is they seem to have a percentage filler element which is ok for other wood & other items but not for plastic models. Tried a couple & they are much thicker than Vallejo & also take longer to dry. The filler type needed a good wet & drying. In the end experiment & if it works that is the end game.

One thing to remember is that it is not only the stickability to the plastic it is how compatible is the primer to the top coat in its finish & to fillers you may apply on the primer. Tamiya & Vallejo have a complete compatible system.

Laurie

[stona]

I would be worried that the big aerosol cans would be a little to heavy for the models.

You need to be careful and try to mist it on.

It is possible to decant aerosol paints and then airbrush them but you risk making a hell of a mess if you get it wrong!

Cheers

Steve

[Guest]

Thanks Laurie, i started with Revell kits and just got the paints that matched. As usual i seem to be replacing all the gear i originally purchased to get better/more suitable equipment hehe.

Not sure i like the sound of that Steve, think i shall just stick to airbrush primer