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Hey guys! So, I have been practicing with the airbrush lately on some citadel mini's, but the paint does not want to stick to the surface. I have washed them in soapy water and sprayed on a primer, but I can literally just wipe the primer off with my fingers, let alone scratch it off. I've been using Badger airbrush's new Stynylez primer that I picked up at adepticon. Any suggestions and tips would be greatly appreciated!

I'm not sure whats going on there.

How long are you letting the primer cure before applying the paint?

How soon after spraying can you wipe the paint off? Acrylic paint usually takes 12-24 hours to properly cure, so it might feel dry but be easy to wipe off.

Aside from that, when airbrushing you often lay down thinner coats of paint that are easier to wipe off. I've had far more problems with accidentally wiping off paint since I started airbrushing compared to when I was just hairy-brush painting. If you're using VMA paints, they're especially delicate I've found.

You can just hit it with a varnish every now and then to hold the paint on.

Ah! thanks guys, yeah I think I'm just not letting it cure for long enough. I've been trying to work on the models about an hour after the primer gets sprayed on. Thanks!


Automatically Appended Next Post:
The varnish is a good idea as well, I'll have to do that!

My guess is it is the primer. Are you applying one solid coat of primer, or a thin semi-transparent coat?

A.

Painting an hour after priming is probably the issue. Most primers suggest 24-48 hr drying time from what I have seen.

Well, I haven't used the Badger primer (but I'm excited to try it at some point) but I do airbrush the Vallejo primer and I can start painting on that stuff pretty much right away.

Let it sit for a while and see if it cures out, but as you got the very first batch of the primer there's always the chance that you got a bad batch.

I never leave a model to trying for less than at least 24 hours after airbrushing.

 Dullspork wrote:
Well, I haven't used the Badger primer (but I'm excited to try it at some point) but I do airbrush the Vallejo primer and I can start painting on that stuff pretty much right away.

Let it sit for a while and see if it cures out, but as you got the very first batch of the primer there's always the chance that you got a bad batch.

Me too, so much so that I never considered leaving the primer to set for anything longer than touch drying was a good idea.

Well, I just ordered a couple of colors of the primer so I'm going to give them a try and do a review.