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I have a repeating problem with base coat being damaged when I hold the mini during paining. I first thought that it may be due to specific paint, not cured paint or thick coat but I've seen this on so many minis using different paints (and brands) as well as using airbrush that I don't think it is related to particular paint, dry time or to thick coat. I also tried different primers. This turns my painting into repeatedly fixing same areas and building up thick coat or texture on most worn parts making everything even worse. Not mentioning how ridiculous this becomes when it is not only base coat but shading and highlighting as well.

I think it is related to handling the miniature while I'm working on it. I usually have miniature just attached to the base and the base on painting handle but when I need to reach some hard to reach spots I remove mini from base and just hold it in my hands. With bigger minis like the one on the picture, I often need to support it a bit by my hand while painting even reachable areas.

I have a varnish but I always thought that it should just seal the mini when I'm done with the paint job. Do I need to seal every layer to avoid this problem?

What is the correct way to prevent it while still having good access for painting badly reachable parts? It is so frustrating to see my paint job damaged before it is even finished.

Cleaning the model first + Primer.

First many plastic things come out of molds that have been coated in a release. The plastic still has the release on it. If you don't give the plastic a little wash in a tub of warm water with a drop or 2 of dish soap in it (and then rinse) they may still have release on them.

Think of painting as a series of links in a chain. Whatever the weakest link in the chain is is going to determine how strong your chain is and how long it's going to last. If your base coat doesn't have a very strong link to the model then none of your paint does.

Base color paint is still paint. Paint is not primer. They do 2 different jobs. Paint provides a degree of protection and color. Primer can have color but it's real job is to prepare the surface for paint. A primer made for plastic makes a chemical bond to plastic and has a rough chaulky texture because it's surface under a microscope looks like a set of hooks. A perfect surface for paint to adhere too. Prime your models.

Fun fact, GW does not make a primer. They sell you paint. If you go to home dept and find paint and primer in 1, it's just paint because all paint sticks to itself. Just find a can of cheap primer in the white, black, or grey you prefer then go from there.

If you're using a wet palette and thin glazes then you probably need to use an ultra thin varnish between coats.

I use Future/Pledge.

The other problem might be overworking the paint, which then pulls off the model. In which case a retarder to slow down the drying time to allow you to work the paint for longer.

Either way, I swear by varnish between layers.

Cleaning the model before you paint with soapwater might help, if the plastic is very slick after assembly.
Allso our HANDS, they are greesy and oily and our fingersin general acts like files. Use a medical glove on the hand that holds the mini/parts.

 Lance845 wrote:
Cleaning the model first + Primer.

First many plastic things come out of molds that have been coated in a release. The plastic still has the release on it. If you don't give the plastic a little wash in a tub of warm water with a drop or 2 of dish soap in it (and then rinse) they may still have release on them.

Think of painting as a series of links in a chain. Whatever the weakest link in the chain is is going to determine how strong your chain is and how long it's going to last. If your base coat doesn't have a very strong link to the model then none of your paint does.

Base color paint is still paint. Paint is not primer. They do 2 different jobs. Paint provides a degree of protection and color. Primer can have color but it's real job is to prepare the surface for paint. A primer made for plastic makes a chemical bond to plastic and has a rough chaulky texture because it's surface under a microscope looks like a set of hooks. A perfect surface for paint to adhere too. Prime your models.

Fun fact, GW does not make a primer. They sell you paint. If you go to home dept and find paint and primer in 1, it's just paint because all paint sticks to itself. Just find a can of cheap primer in the white, black, or grey you prefer then go from there.

I use Vallejo polyurethane black primer - sometimes with white ink zenithal. I don't think that it is problem with primer/zenithal. When the base coat peels off, it doesn't go to plastic, primer and zenithal are still there.

Generally it’s the oils in your skin that cause paint to rub off.
Painting handles or similar items work for smaller models, but for larger ones, you really can’t avoid touching the model.

I tend to use very thin layers of matte varnish to seal layers as I work.
The other thing you can do is to use a pair of latex gloves.
This prevents the oils in your skin from removing the paint.

Ladislav wrote:

 Lance845 wrote:
Cleaning the model first + Primer.

First many plastic things come out of molds that have been coated in a release. The plastic still has the release on it. If you don't give the plastic a little wash in a tub of warm water with a drop or 2 of dish soap in it (and then rinse) they may still have release on them.

Think of painting as a series of links in a chain. Whatever the weakest link in the chain is is going to determine how strong your chain is and how long it's going to last. If your base coat doesn't have a very strong link to the model then none of your paint does.

Base color paint is still paint. Paint is not primer. They do 2 different jobs. Paint provides a degree of protection and color. Primer can have color but it's real job is to prepare the surface for paint. A primer made for plastic makes a chemical bond to plastic and has a rough chaulky texture because it's surface under a microscope looks like a set of hooks. A perfect surface for paint to adhere too. Prime your models.

Fun fact, GW does not make a primer. They sell you paint. If you go to home dept and find paint and primer in 1, it's just paint because all paint sticks to itself. Just find a can of cheap primer in the white, black, or grey you prefer then go from there.

I use Vallejo polyurethane black primer - sometimes with white ink zenithal. I don't think that it is problem with primer/zenithal. When the base coat peels off, it doesn't go to plastic, primer and zenithal are still there.

I have not heard of any issues with Vallejo before but there could be an issue with the paint you are using and the polyurethane base.

You may have heard in the past about oil and water not mixing. traditionally you cannot paint water based paint over oil based primers. Polyurethane is another factor in that equation. And while paint tech has advanced a LOT and some of those rules no longer apply in some of those products. In the past I have always used a black water based primer. Whatever the brand with the Munchkin style people on it was. Not saying that is it for sure, but just working with the data I got.

Painting handle. You don't want to touch any painted areas, especially when they are fresh (eg not cured after a few days which leaves them slightly tougher). I normally only touch the painted surface once I'm placing it onto a base, and I usually do this at some stage after about 50% done so I can touch up any areas that may get rubbed.