Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

I just primed a unit of 20 skeleton warriors and a "finecast" liche priest with Citadel skull white spray and holy h*** am I annoyed!

Shook the can like normal, sprayed like normal... What's this? Not only did the effing spray can start leaking on my hands (seriously, paint literally gushing out from beneath the spray nozzle, wtf?) the paint that actually got on my models also ended up looking all flakey and s***?
This is not the first time I've had problems with GW's primers (a few times I've had black primer end up lookin flakey) but it's the first time the can has started leaking like that.

Anyone else had similar experiences? With the leaking that is, because I know folks have had the flakiness happen..


I know I'm preaching to the choir but if GW charges us 12.50€/spray can they really should get their quality control up to some decent standards. I'm a relatively slow modeller who takes his time making sure no mold lines are visible even in my most basic of troops (in this case, my skellie warriors), so it is really annoying to have hours of work go to waste because of like this.

What's more annoying is the Helsinki GW is already closed for the day so I'm bound to lose my momentum before I get back there and I'll probably be all nice to the store manager instead of ranting in a loud voice...

...

'Cause I'm a nice person, after all.

Dude, I had the exact same thing happen with the exact same skull white primer.

I shook the can like mad and tried to paint and all that came out was massive blogs of white "primer". I tried cleaning it, I tried holding it upside down to clean, shook it more. Nothing seemed to work. Luckily I only managed to spray a half of a single spur so my models were ok.

I sent an email to GW and they sent a replacement can right away. Must happen quite frequently because they simply asked for my address and sent it no problem.

The funny thing is I kept the can and about a month later I was doing yard work and needed to mark digging spaces and used that white primer. It now works perfectly.

This is why I only use Vallejo Model Air primer anymore.

The primers I've had from GW have never been a problem with me, and trust me, I've been through a few. I'd say you got unlucky, and got a faulty one...

Just take it back into your store, explain the problem, and I'm sure they'll give you a replacement can.

Are you guys using these cans when its too cold?

White spray, period, I've found has the most chance to fuzz up.

Vallejo, Army Painter, Armory, Citadel, all of them tend to suck.

It's why I use Vallejo's Gray primer instead. It lets you do light colors well, but it also lets you do dark colors just as well.

I've only had one problem with the Citadel Sprays (Black)
but this was purely cause I didn't shake it well, got a new one anyway because my GW is awesome.

Give them there due, Games Workshop are a trusting bunch who do seem to have a very good customer support system.
Ive never had leaky problems (touch wood) but I did get 1 can that was a bit flakey but that was the old Choas Black 1.

Just to let you know as a technical support guy who deals with applied coatings...on occasion you get a can where the nozzle does not seat correctly. I just happens. GW spray primer is not made by GW. It is made by one of about 3 companies worldwide, and then it is re-branded with the GW name. It's called converting. On occasion batches aren't mixed correctly this can happen. I think their primer is overpriced when there are so many cheaper and just as good options available, but don't jump on them for a common issue that accounts for about .01% of the total product.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Also when dealing with white of any brand you have to remember the pigment size is actually considerably larger than other colours. No matter who makes white it is generally pigmented with titanium dioxide to get that pretty bright white. But generally if you are going to have a problem with a colour it will almost always be white simply for that reason.

I had problems with the white primer too, I was spraying some harlequins that I was gonna paint up for a competition. So I shook the can for two minutes or more and when I started spraying it was really, really thick. It was like dipping them in a can of regular paint, the real thick one you paint walls with etc.
So all the details on the models were full of thick primer and I had to clean it away by hand.
When I went down to the GW and explained the problem the store manager went outside with it and the models. When he came back in; BAM. They were primed awesomely.

I have no idea what he did with it or if I did something wrong. It could have been since it was cold when I primed too, not really sure.

The question, really, is why the hell are you paying $15 USD for a can of spray paint that you can get for $2 or $3 in any hardware store?

You can get acrylic spray primer for $2-3 a can that covers small detail correctly? What brand and which store?

Had the same issue with Citadel primer. After two cans of BS I chose to go with a different brand. Went with Rustoleum, which is MUCH cheaper and has never failed me.

I've recently used army painter spray and have had mixed results with it. Models were left with a dimpled finish which kind of ruined the finished effect. Next time I used it the spray worked well, just a pity that the paint leaked over my hand just like the OP mentioned. UK dakkaites; what cheap alternative spray primers should I look out for in the UK?

I was under the impression that the GW Skull White and Chaos Black spray paints weren't primer at all... aren't they just spray paints for undercoating?

You cannot get decent spray primer for 2$

Was the can cold? Running warm water over the can before use keeps mine working fine.

aerethan wrote:This is why I only use Vallejo Model Air primer anymore.

Amen to that. Your problem with it looking flakey and s*** MAYBE due to the prep of the models. Sometimes, particularly with resin models, you need to gently wash them in warm soapy water, then wrinse them, then ensure they are thoroughly dry before priming. This removes any residue that maybe on the models from the casting process. It could of course just be paint, but it's something else to consider.

Tzeentchling9 wrote:Was the can cold? Running warm water over the can before use keeps mine working fine.

I'd be willing to bet that most complaints of "bad cans" are related to the can being too cold.

I usually get the hottest water possible from the tap, fill a bowl half way with it, and stand that can in it for about 5 minutes. You can literally feel the shaker ball inside moving around with less resistance after doing this.

This happens all the time with GW Primer, FW products, and GW products (FineCast).

A can of Krylon works just as well btw, and costs 75% less, look on the boards…

Everyone always says GW has great customer service, blah blah...

But, the truth of the matter is, when something goes awry with a product from any other company, that company will ask you questions.

Questions like; the UPC#, inspected by number/code, Lot number/code, receipt number if from a retail store where you bought it, when you bought it, etc.

Why? Quality control, so it does not happen again.

GW still does not track and then fix the issues; instead they just mail you a new one.

A bandage is less expensive than stitches.




Automatically Appended Next Post:
And for all the excuse mongers;

How warm/hot is it in Helsinki during July?

skycapt44 wrote:You cannot get decent spray primer for 2$

Kyrlon is between 2-3 dollars, depending on location, and has never given me one bit of an issue. I'm pretty sure it's acrylic, but I'm not in front of a can right now. I just get the matte finish, and wallah.

Though, as others have said, having recently bought an airbrush I now use vallejo gray primer, and the stuff is magnificent. I'll never use anything else.

rexscarlet wrote:
And for all the excuse mongers;

How warm/hot is it in Helsinki during July?

You do realize that the can being cold isn't the same as the outside temperature being warm/cold right?

My house is cold. It's been pushing the upper 90s Fahrenheit, and my spray cans are inside of a drawer where they're kept at a pretty constant temperature if/when I decide to use them.

targetawg wrote:Kyrlon is between 2-3 dollars, depending on location, and has never given me one bit of an issue. I'm pretty sure it's acrylic, but I'm not in front of a can right now. I just get the matte finish, and wallah.

Though, as others have said, having recently bought an airbrush I now use vallejo gray primer, and the stuff is magnificent. I'll never use anything else.

The actual point being made was that the $2-$3 cans of Krylon have also been known to royally futz up models depending on the kind of Krylon. They have some kind of plastic bonder one for painting lawn furniture that can't be stripped if you make a mistake and it obscures the detail.

Kanluwen wrote:

rexscarlet wrote:
And for all the excuse mongers;

How warm/hot is it in Helsinki during July?

You do realize that the can being cold isn't the same as the outside temperature being warm/cold right?

My house is cold. It's been pushing the upper 90s Fahrenheit, and my spray cans are inside of a drawer where they're kept at a pretty constant temperature if/when I decide to use them.

targetawg wrote:Kyrlon is between 2-3 dollars, depending on location, and has never given me one bit of an issue. I'm pretty sure it's acrylic, but I'm not in front of a can right now. I just get the matte finish, and wallah.

Though, as others have said, having recently bought an airbrush I now use vallejo gray primer, and the stuff is magnificent. I'll never use anything else.

The actual point being made was that the $2-$3 cans of Krylon have also been known to royally futz up models depending on the kind of Krylon. They have some kind of plastic bonder one for painting lawn furniture that can't be stripped if you make a mistake and it obscures the detail.

"The actual point being made"? The guy simply said "You can't get decent primer for $2". Everyone else had positive things to say about krylon. I said in my experience, the kyrlon works well. I've actually never heard of anyone having issues with the krylon primers, except for those that bought the wrong type of krylon. The blame for buying plastic bonder krylon and having it muck up a model doesn't fall on krylon, that's user error. It did exactly what it was supposed to. (I think the plastic bonding sort is called "fusion")

Yeah, you're right. That's user error.

Except when that's what is suggested to people wanting cheap primer and they get recommended brands of spray paint.

Primer != Spray.

In my experience, if you can afford it, GW and Army Painter primer gives a better finish than any hardware store spray primer will.

I've bought 5 cans of AP paint and at least 10 cans of GW and have never had a "defective" can (but I've also been using spray cans for probably 10 years, and there are a few tricks to using them correctly).

Kanluwen wrote:Yeah, you're right. That's user error.

Except when that's what is suggested to people wanting cheap primer and they get recommended brands of spray paint.

Primer != Spray.

I think I'd cry a bit if I accidently used Kyrlon Fusion without realizing....though the models would make decent (if small) lawn ornaments.

I have used the fusion on metal, resin, and plastic without Loss of Detail. It depends on the person I guess. You must have been getting it far too heavy. All of my plague marines used Krylon Ultraflat Camo Primer with Fusion Technology and they look fantastic. They are generally a combination of all three types of medium. Metal, FW Resin, and Plastic. Don't plan on stripping them, and if I did they'd be down to a dark green which in my opinion is perfect for PM.

Sarpedon_702 wrote:I have used the fusion on metal, resin, and plastic without Loss of Detail. It depends on the person I guess. You must have been getting it far too heavy. All of my plague marines used Krylon Ultraflat Camo Primer with Fusion Technology and they look fantastic. They are generally a combination of all three types of medium. Metal, FW Resin, and Plastic. Don't plan on stripping them, and if I did they'd be down to a dark green which in my opinion is perfect for PM.

I was commenting on the fact that it's not really intended for what we're doing, so I didn't expect it to work well. I haven't actually seen fusion used on models (just lawn furniture). Interesting that you got good results from it, I wouldn't have expected that! Good on ya, as they say

The Krylon Fusion didn't work out so hot for my taste, but I have had wondrous experiences with Rustoleum Auto Primer. Personally, the conclusion I have come to is that every painter has his own brand that he prefers. It's all a personal choice, and you have to experiment with different sprays to find the right one for you. I think it might be environmental, too. Where I live it's so humid most of the time that you can just kick up your feet and swim around. The humidity can make some of the primers (specifically Armory primer) have a dusty, gritty texture that rubs off and gets everywhere. For me, the Rustoleum was the cure. If you live in Arizona or Utah, you might find that something else works better.

Kanluwen wrote:White spray, period, I've found has the most chance to fuzz up.

Vallejo, Army Painter, Armory, Citadel, all of them tend to suck.

It's why I use Vallejo's Gray primer instead. It lets you do light colors well, but it also lets you do dark colors just as well.

I can't believe Kan said that something GW sucked!