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Well, I've been having this problem with models as of late..

Everytime I get them painted up the paint just "comes" off, it "fades" back to its basic primer. I'm fairly confident of the cause, handling the minis via helmet/arm/limb/etc., but I'm not sure how to stop it or prevent it even! (and sometimes it just "fades" on its own) I don't know what the problem is and its very disheartening and discouraging. (I just want to get these damn marines painted, without fault!)

I primed with the cheap-o walmart stuff, $.93 cents or so, but I've also used Krylon and both have given me this problem. Today I went into my LGS and talked to some veterans of table-top and they were a bit confused about the whole thing. They asked me what paints I used, Vallejo/Citadel, then asked me to present the bottles I owned to them. Which I had on me, they both concluded that my Blood Red was really thin, watered-down even.... and I've not put water in the bottle..

So,
Now I'm suspicious of buying paints from my LGS and really frustrated because last night this marine looked very good. I was impressed at how striking such a simple color scheme was.. then I woke up and found bits and areas of paint were just completely gone, like someone had come along and scratched it away. It gives an interesting "battle-damaged effect" but its not what I want. Any help is greatly appreciated as this is stressing me out more than it should be. (Sorry for the rant!)

Ark wrote:I primed with the cheap-o walmart stuff, $.93 cents or so, but I've also used Krylon and both have given me this problem.

Blood Red was really thin, watered-down even.... and I've not put water in the bottle..

quote]

Sounds like your paint is WAY thin. I am not a big fan of any primer I have bought at Wal-Mart..I have tried them all. I did manage to pick up some of the older Citadel Black primer and I love it. The new Chaos Black you can get works really well, but you MUST be very very careful with it or it will go on too thick.

Also, what might help is to varnish them. You did not mention this in the op but from the sounds of it they are not. A nice flat carnish should do the trick. Again VERY careful with it as most varnish will clump super easy.

I don't spray primer anything other than large items (Dreadnoughts or larger) anymore. I use artists gesso, both black and white. It takes about 24 hours to dry, but even when I thin it, it dries rock hard and won't rub or flake off.

Reds...I've never been happy with any bright red made by the paint manufacturers. I had great success with my BA army with nothing more than red artists ink. For about 12.00, you can get enough ink to fill a small sealable container and just dip the spray primed (krylon sandable white) figures into the ink. Usually 2 dips will coat the figure with some strong pigment and no clogging of details. Also no brush strokes like red paint tends to show. I finally sold my BAs for about a thousand dollars when I finished with them.

Yea', I was going to mention varnish but forgot to. They're definitely not.

Peredyne wrote:I don't spray primer anything other than large items (Dreadnoughts or larger) anymore. I use artists gesso, both black and white. It takes about 24 hours to dry, but even when I thin it, it dries rock hard and won't rub or flake off.

Reds...I've never been happy with any bright red made by the paint manufacturers. I had great success with my BA army with nothing more than red artists ink. For about 12.00, you can get enough ink to fill a small sealable container and just dip the spray primed (krylon sandable white) figures into the ink. Usually 2 dips will coat the figure with some strong pigment and no clogging of details. Also no brush strokes like red paint tends to show. I finally sold my BAs for about a thousand dollars when I finished with them.

Peredyne would you happen to have any pictures left over? Also was there any particular brand you purchased? As for gesso, I've used it with little success. The brand I use is Liquitix, just never works for me though. I think its just bad luck on my end though as everyone seems to have great outcomes with it. The problem isn't the primer flaking off though, its the paint.

Thanks for the replies guys, additional feedback is wanted and welcomed.

Could you post some pictures? At this point my money is on the lack of sealer coat.

Pretty much all paint rubs off miniatures with enough handling.

The only true way to prevent this is to seal your miniatures, which is what should be done with any minis you game with (as they will be handled enough that your paint job will be compromised).

BigToof wrote:Could you post some pictures? At this point my money is on the lack of sealer coat.

I wish I could, but my camera is pretty terrible. :\.

As for sealing, that's what I thought but I'm not even done with the SM and his paint is all "lol i'ma rubbin' off". Argh, well thanks guys. I guess I'll try finishing this guy up and then figure out how to seal [lol]. Oh, one last thing to seal do I just need to get a can of matte finish? Any help there would be equally appreciated, thanks again.

If the paint is to watered down or thin. I would think you would see the pigment not covering your model as you painted it. Not effect it afterwards.

I don't know if this might be the cuase or not, but just a thought
Did you eat anything greasy like potatoe chips, and not wash your hands before you started?

Sounds like the paint isn't sticking. Oil can cuase this. As the paint dried it may have seperated leaving unpainted parts due to the oils.

PC Veteran wrote:If the paint is to watered down or thin. I would think you would see the pigment not covering your model as you painted it. Not effect it afterwards.

I don't know if this might be the cuase or not, but just a thought
Did you eat anything greasy like potatoe chips, and not wash your hands before you started?

Sounds like the paint isn't sticking. Oil can cuase this. As the paint dried it may have seperated leaving unpainted parts due to the oils.

Naw, I hate handling anything when my hands are greasy. Been a habit since back in the day with NES controllers and stuff. I think I'm going to give it a coat or two more of paint and see what happens. Gonna head out and see what I can do for a sealer. Thanks for reply, I'll surely let everyone know if the problem persists .

I really like Armory Matt Sealer at the moment. Seems to be the only thing that's not effecting the color of the minis once it's added. You literally can not tell that the mini has been sealed, unlike a lot of stuff where it adds some tinting, and shininess.

Question: You mention "handling via helmet/arm/limb/etc." Is this handling you speak of done during play or during painting? If it's during painting, my recommendation is that you wash your hands thoroughly before painting. Oils and/or dirt from your fingers can get on the primer before you paint it cause the paint to not adhere to the primer well, thus causing the problem. If you're sitting down for an extended painting session, I would suggest washing your hands a few time throughout the course of your session.
If your experiencing this during play, on finished models, I would first look into sealant as the culprit, as others have said.


Ghidorah

Get yourself a GOOD sealer... get a couple, in fact...
I suggest almost ANY brand of gloss sealer and Testors (Model master, I believe?) matte. It's expensive, but it's worth it... and I'm a cheap-@ss. If *I* say it's worth the money, that's worth listening to. LOL

Anyway, after priming, paint them in their basic colors, then give them a quick (light) hit with the matte. This will seal in what you have.

Complete the models and hit them with 2 or 3 light coats of the gloss. Finish with a coat of the matte.

The gloss will give you a nice, hearty protective coating and the matte will make them look better.

Eric