Rattle Can Primers

[Philly Boy]

Need information on recommended rattle can primers for polystyrene?  How about for ABS?

Thanks for your help!

Philly Boy

[Rocking Rodney Rat]

I have been using DupliColor Gray Filler #FP101 (available at your local auto parts store).  Will cover anything and sands out nice. You can use the red  version for undercoating red based overcoats. You won't be disappointed. As with all primers, don't apply it too heavy, as a 'filler' it will fill in details if apply too much in one coat. This paint is easy to apply in light coats. My $.02 and worth both pennies... -RRR

[Ace-Garageguy]

Using Duplicolor and other rattlecan primers intended for real cars on styrene models is becoming more and more problematic (though you should be OK on ABS, as it's much more resistant to "hot" primers and paints).

I've been painting for well over 50 years, and developed my skill to where I could shoot a slick, wet coat of primer that would flow out smooth with no orange peel, cover well enough, but not obliterate any details.

Recently, many automotive primer formulations have apparently changed, and many kit plastics are nowhere near as solvent resistant as before.

The net result is that, if I shoot wet and slick (as worked fine for 30 years), the cheap new plastics craze instantly, leaving a model that's useless for anything other than a rusty rat. Attempting to shoot multiple "dry" or "mist" coats, as often recommended, makes a pebbly or badly orange-peeled surface needing much careful, fine sanding to look decent.

I'm still working on solutions, and haven't found one that works 100% of the time yet.

Here's a thread that examines these problems in some depth.

[Philly Boy]

I have been using DupliColor Gray Filler #FP101 (available at your local auto parts store).  Will cover anything and sands out nice. You can use the red  version for undercoating red based overcoats. You won't be disappointed. As with all primers, don't apply it too heavy, as a 'filler' it will fill in details if apply too much in one coat. This paint is easy to apply in light coats. My $.02 and worth both pennies... -RRR

Thanks much Rocking Rodney Rat for your input!  Understand, do not apply heavy.

Thank you for sharing

[Philly Boy]

Using Duplicolor and other rattlecan primers intended for real cars on styrene models is becoming more and more problematic (though you should be OK on ABS, as it's much more resistant to "hot" primers and paints).

I've been painting for well over 50 years, and developed my skill to where I could shoot a slick, wet coat of primer that would flow out smooth with no orange peel, cover well enough, but not obliterate any details.

Recently, many automotive primer formulations have apparently changed, and many kit plastics are nowhere near as solvent resistant as before.

The net result is that, if I shoot wet and slick (as worked fine for 30 years), the cheap new plastics craze instantly, leaving a model that's useless for anything other than a rusty rat. Attempting to shoot multiple "dry" or "mist" coats, as often recommended, makes a pebbly or badly orange-peeled surface needing much careful, fine sanding to look decent.

I'm still working on solutions, and haven't found one that works 100% of the time yet.

Here's a thread that examines these problems in some depth.

Ace-Garageguy,

Thank for the quick reply.  Under stand the formulations have changed and solvents may be the problem.  Thanks for the link.  I'll check it out.

Philly BOY

[Snake45]

I'm using cheap Walmart flat white and flat black almost exclusively these days. I did love their gray even more, but they stopped making or carrying it. Wonderful stuff, works almost as well as Tamiya at a tiny fraction of the cost. One of the last few bargains left in the world.

[1st 700 Quad]

The most forgiving primer I have found is Testors Lacquer Primer. It goes on smooth with no runs or orange peel. It's available in grey for use under dark colors and white for use under light colors. It's sometimes kinda hard to find and I have had to have it special ordered for me at the LHS. There's an Enamel primer but I haven't has as good a luck with it getting runs and for some reason the Enamel one spits sometimes. I have never had the Lacquer one do that.

MY .02....  :-)

Steve

[M1ks]

I get whatever the local hardware store has in at the time or failing that if I happen to be in town, (it's rare being 75 miles away), I go to Halfords and get a can of theirs, (Halfords is a big UK motoring goods store).

Best advice I could give is decant it and use an airbrush, it's thin enough that you can coat the model at low pressure and get a fine mist coat on before a couple of wet coats and no chance of flooding the model like with an aerosol designed for larger areas.

Decanting is easy, covered here.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UqVnb7_FDrE

 

[o-man]

I'm using cheap Walmart flat white and flat black almost exclusively these days. I did love their gray even more, but they stopped making or carrying it. Wonderful stuff, works almost as well as Tamiya at a tiny fraction of the cost. One of the last few bargains left in the world.

I agree

[Miatatom]

I'm using cheap Walmart flat white and flat black almost exclusively these days.

Out of the can or airbrushed?

[Snake45]

Out of the can or airbrushed?

Right out of the can. If I'm gonna airbrush primer, I pick a Model Master military flat that's as close as possible to the final color. But I'm doing less and less of that these days, and using the cheap, easy Walmart stuff more and more. Right out of the can.

[aurfalien]

Hi,

You know I'm really liking Rustoleum Painters Touch 2x gray.  Goes on super smooth and covers like a mofo.  Practice a bit to get a feel for the paint flow.

Cost is ~$4 at HomeDepot etc..

It's enamel so takes a day or 3 to fully dry but man, very smooooooth.

Problem is the nozzles tend to clog even though they are supposedly self cleaning.  So buy a few nozzles as they are cheap enough and swap out when needed.

In fact I sent an email to there support and they are supposed to be sending me a bunch of nozzles so we'll see.

 

[High octane]

I've been usin' Tamiya primers over the last few years and have been happy with them. They are compatible with Black Gold, Tamiya, Testor, MCW, and Dupli-Color paints.

[Rocking Rodney Rat]

I've NEVER had a problem with DupliColor primer on any plastic kit (and I've built a few...) -RRR

[StevenGuthmiller]

Using Duplicolor and other rattlecan primers intended for real cars on styrene models is becoming more and more problematic (though you should be OK on ABS, as it's much more resistant to "hot" primers and paints).

That's where a coat or two of a hobby primer comes in.

I've found that a couple of coats of Testors lacquer primer before a few light coats of Duplicolor primer works well.

Why not just stick with the Testors primer you might ask?

I've found that the Testors primer affords better initial coverage than some of the automotive primers, but it doesn't level as well & is not a particularly good barrier for hot paints.

But it does offer enough of a barrier for Duplicolor primer as long as you start with a light coat or two & then a couple of heavier coats.

The Duplicolor primer levels much better & will give a stronger barrier for automotive paints.

So in short, I start with a couple of coats of Testors lacquer primer, followed by several coats of one of the Duplicolor sandable primers.

I rarely have any crazing issues as long as I am careful about not applying any really heavy coats.

 

Steve

[Rocking Rodney Rat]

This was applied with Duplicolor Hot Rod Gray primer. No crazing...  -RRR

[MrObsessive]

I'm one of the paranoid ones when it comes to rattlecan paints (even primer), and airbrush everything ESPECIALLY bodies! I stopped trusting spray cans in 1985, and Testors is the reason. Their newer stuff might be a little more user friendly, but I can't trust whatever pressure is coming out of the can, and I've gotten cans in the past that got a lot of "trash" in the paint that wasn't caused by me-------such as not washing the body thoroughly before painting.

But that's just my 2¢..................your mileage may vary!

[Mercuryman54]

That's one of the things I hate about Walmart!! First they move it so you can't find it then they stop carrying it all together !!

[misterNNL]

Wally World also stopped stocking the large cans of grey primer. Michaels Crafts still has it and offers a 40 off coupon which helps keep the cost down.