Question about priming

[Ezuna]

What do you use to prime a model and when do *you* choose to do it?

Do you use something like a Halfords primer regardless of whether you're going to use enamels or acrylics?

Do you use enamel primer for enamels and acrylic primer for acrylics?

Does it matter?

Do you prime on the sprue?

Or do you remove from the sprue, de-flash and then prime?

Oh and if you've painted a sub-assembly and then you're going to glue it into place do you scrape the paint off on the glue points to the plastic? I've watched youtube videos and seen some very talented modellers put the glue onto the painted surfaces.

Thanks

[Deathgoblin]

I tend to use Duplicolor or Tamiya primer anymore. Duplicolor is cheaper for the amount you get. It's lacquer primer, so it should be good for just about anything. I generally prime on the sprue for the smaller parts. I tend to be a little hammer handed, so little parts evade me if I try to primer them loose.

[Guest]

I use Plasti Kote sandable primer exclusively. I also sand and primer every part. Primer makes a huge difference with paint coverage, especially when spray painting. It even makes a difference with brush painting. Never primer or paint on the sprue. Assemble as much of the sub assemblies as possible before primer and paint. For instance, assemble everything on your engine that will be the same color: block, heads, intake (if not aluminum), water pump and valve covers (if not aluminum or chrome). Scraping the paint off before glue will help adhesion greatly.

[Mike_G]

I use Plasti-Kote sandable primer for bodies and Tamiya fine primer for parts where I don't want a high-build primer obscuring details. Most primers are lacquer-based so you can shoot either enamel or lacquer over them.

[espo]

For myself I have used Tamiya primers (white or gray) depending on the final color. While expensive I have used Mr. Surfacer 1200 for an extra fine finish. On some hard to hang onto parts I'll do some sanding and parting line removal and prime before removing from the spruce. I also have hands not designed for 1/25 scale work.

[Snake45]

I like Walmart Color Place Gray Primer. Cheap, smooth, dries fast, covers well, safe on styrene, what's not to like?

I also like to airbrush Model Master military flats in a color close to my final paint color, if I have such handy. That's worked great for the Model Master lacquers (and of course airbrushed enamels), but I can't speak for anything else.

[Ezuna]

Thanks for these replies guys - so would something like this be suitable no matter if I was putting enamel or acrylic over the top?

http://www.hiroboy.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=48_61&products_id=404

Reason I ask - in my research as I await delivery of my first kit which I've ordered, there are certain paint ranges which we cannot get in the UK due to legislative reasons. So for instance we can get Humbrol enamels, but only Tamiya acrylics, but NOT Tamiya enamels...apparently the Tamiya enamels have a question with EU about a chemical content or some nonsense like that.

My own thought was well was always to prime post sprue removal and flash cleanup but again some people seem to swear the other way.

Thanks again.

[espo]

That's the primer, also in white if your going for a light finish color.

[Lunajammer]

Priming on the sprue is a way to save time but you pay for in results. I don't prime every detail piece but large pieces prone to paint shrinkage get primed. The rest get pulled off the sprue, cleaned and superglued to toothpicks and bamboo skewers, usually at the glue points so they don't disrupt the paint. When they're done, scrape the glue and paint off the contact points and adhere.

>>I've watched youtube videos and seen some very talented modellers put the glue onto the painted surfaces.<<

Very chancy to superglue to painted surfaces since you then count on the paint to hold the pieces together. Styrene glue, of course, won't hold to paint at all.

[Ron Hamilton]

I use Plasti Kote sandable primer exclusively. I also sand and primer every part. Primer makes a huge difference with paint coverage, especially when spray painting. It even makes a difference with brush painting. Never primer or paint on the sprue. Assemble as much of the sub assemblies as possible before primer and paint. For instance, assemble everything on your engine that will be the same color: block, heads, intake (if not aluminum), water pump and valve covers (if not aluminum or chrome). Scraping the paint off before glue will help adhesion greatly.

I agree with Roger.

[ZTony8]

Prime on sprue or not?Depends on where the part is attached.If it's attached at a spot that will be hidden at final assembly,leave it on the sprue.If not, do a sub- assembly and then prime.

Also- be wary of compatability of primer and paint.I've had a bit of a coverage problem when putting Tamiya lacquer over Duplicolor primer.You may have something similar if you use one of your available primers(Halford's?).It's better to match primer brand with paint brand.

[espo]

About the priming on the spruce, I'll use an example of the model I'm working on now. The '58 Nomad along with the other tri-five Chevys have many small hard to handle parts. What I will do is trim away the larger parts leaving the small one on the spruce. I then give the remaining parts a light dusting of primer. This helps me to see the parting lines like on the drive shaft, shocks, starter, and generator. With the spruce holding the part I can gently sand the lines using a Flex-I-File holder and different grades of sanding stripes. Then I can remove and re-prime as needed or mount in someway so that I can apply the color coat. This may seem like a lot of extra work, but I'm not digging around under my desk looking for the part that just flew past my head.

[Ramfins59]

For bodies and body parts I use mostly Duplicolor primers but I have used Tamiya primers on occasion. I usually paint smaller parts by brush, after removing them from the sprues, sanding off mold lines, ejector pin marks, sprue attachment points, etc. I use mostly acrylics, enamels or metalizers to paint them and usually don't prime those smaller parts. As far as scraping paint from painted surfaces when gluing, I usually will just glue the painted parts together using non-fogging CA glue applied in small drops with a toothpick and have never had any problems doing it that way. To paint the smaller parts I either stick them to folded over masking tape on a paper plate, or, drill a small hole with my pin vise on the back side and glue the point of a toothpick in the hole. That way I can hold the toothpick while painting the whole part. There are also times when I'll use small alligator clips to hold a small part by the mounting pin to allow me to paint the whole part. I'll stick the other ends of the toothpicks into a block of styrofoam on my workbench until the paint dries. For the alligator clips I stick the round, open, back end on a toothpick stuck into the styrofoam. Also, I'll sometimes hold the part in a pair of hemostats to paint them. For larger small parts like dashboards I'll glue them to either a wooden skewer or a popsicle stick with a small drop of CA glue to spray prime and paint them, then just snap off the stick when the paint is dry.

Whatever works for each size and type of part..

[jacoballardtattoo]

I'm still new to the hobby, but have been painting for many years on just about any job I do I prime it first. I found by priming you get as smooth and consistent of a final job as possible. As far as what primer of I'm going rattle can I have the cheapest primer you can find is prefect! On bigger automotive jobs with the spray gun it's a bit tricky to find the best. More factors there, so if you want to use automotive quality paints I would do some research and get some practice materials.