primer question?

[themaddenfan123]

Hello, I went to my local Michaels today and bought a can of Testors All Purpose spray enamel Flat Gray Primer, and was wondering if it was any good/ okay to use? Thanks alot.

-Al

[VW Dave]

If you're shooting enamel over it, yes. Lacquer? Mmm..... not so much.

[themaddenfan123]

yes that was my plan i was going to prime the body and go over it with a lacquer

[Chillyb1]

  On 9/24/2011 at 10:20 PM, themaddenfan123 said:

yes that was my plan i was going to prime the body and go over it with a lacquer

Well, I suggest you change your plans. Lacquers tend to be incompatible with enamels. It may be the case that Testors' lacquers work just as well over Testors' enamels. I wouldn't be willing to bet on that, though. If you are going to use lacquer for the color coats, then you might should get some different primer. While I prefer Tamiya, you can find primers that many modelers swear by at your local auto parts stores. Plasti-Kote and Dupli-Color are quite popular and can handle lacquers with no problem.

Personally, I can't stand Testors' primers and will never, ever use them again so long as I'm building models.

Edited September 24, 2011 by Chillyb1

[themaddenfan123]

thanks alot, just want to make sure before i start the body and such. Personally, this is my first time using primer so how many coats should i put? Thanks again

[MrObsessive]

Al, a few thin coats (maybe three or four) should be sufficient for primer coats. However, since this is your first time working with primer painting, I strongly suggest you test your paint out on some cheap plastic spoons. They're styrene just like the plastic kits, and will give you a very good idea of what is compatible and what isn't.

Like Chilly mentioned, Testor's "primer" paints are the worst, and I haven't used them since 1985 they gave me so much trouble!

Just my 2¢ for someone that's been there.