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I have been painting some Orcs and mechanicum stuff which I primed with grey Vallejo Polyurethane Surface Primer from my airbrush. To my horror the paint is coming off where I have handled the miniatures, some spots just refuse to adhere while painting and the the primer becomes once again visible as the paint dries.

Am I missing something? Has this happened to anyone else or do I possibly have a bad pot.

Cheers guys!


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Just realized I posted this in the wrong section... how do I fix that?

Hit the little triangle in the top right of your post. Type in a message like, "Requesting a move to the Painting and Modelling Section. " and a mod should be along in a bit to move it. ...Ok, I've done just that already for you, but you'll know next time.

Done.

I've had this happen too. I was very surprised how delicate the Vallejo primer is to regular primer. I have found out that you really really really need to clean the mini with soap and water and then more water to get off the extra soap. Also, avoid thinning the primer with flow improver. My bottle contents separate so I have to shake the bottle a lot and then I shake it even more after I think it's mixed. Apply the primer in super thin layers or the primer will pool in detail, which is definitely easier to do well and also do horribly wrong with an air brush. Lastly, you really do need to let the primer cure a full day before painting or you'll just pull up the primer.

Even after all of that, I still find the primer to be more delicate than krylon so I am taking the advantage of the summer to prime while I can and I make sure to put a clear coat over my minis which helps more than I thought it would. I remember being told that the brush on primer will never be as strong as an automotive or regular primer but it's great for touch ups or winter priming. If you find any other ways to make it better then please inform us.

A few things with Vallejo Surface Primer.

1. Wash your models with warm soapy water to remove skin oils and mold release.
2. Prime lightly
3. Let it cure! I let the Vallejo cure at least over night.
4. I personally do not thin it and shoot with no clogging at 20psi.
5. Use a pedestal or something to hold the model while painting (the old GW pots with a bit of blu-tac work like a champ).

Thanks for helping me get this in the right section and for your replies. The main problem I seem to be having is with paint not sticking to the primer, not the actual primer sticking to the model which I seem to be having no problems with. When you say clear coat which of the varnishes is that I have Matte, Satin and Gloss.

Cheers

If the paint seems to be running off the primer it's likely you've put too much primer on in one go - the PU primers go on VERY smooth, almost like a gesso skin - in fact that's pretty much what they are - there's no real chemical bonding to the surface going on. I find that spraying light, even coats (as it tells you to on the bottle) is better than trying to hit it all in one go. Bit of a pain if you're working on a single model, but if you're doing a batch of 5 or so by the time you've done the last you can go back over the first. Try increasing the distance as well - the primer coat should look at most a sort of satin finish - if it's super shiny, your paint won't stick so well.

Thanks I'll try one more mini with the method you described.

While I don't have any answers, I can confirm the exact same problems using the Vallejo surface primer.
Under light finger pressure, the paint will simply let go of the primer even after allowing the paint to fully dry overnight.

Actually, I came here tonight to ask the same question about what might have gone wrong.

So satin finish. Check.

Will give it a try.

I use the Vallejo Surface Primer through my airbrush without thinning and have not had the same problems ya'll are experiencing. Not sure why the differences though.

Only thing I can think of is I do a very light coat of primer then let it sit over night to cure. I also try very hard not to handle the model it's self while painting it.

The primer from Vallejo doesn't need anything thinning though it doesn't hurt to add a drop of airbrush thinner is need be.. Did you clean your minis ? Also make sure you got all the residue soap off give them a good rinse and let them dry. If you're using a degreaser type detergent it could leave some residue on the model itself. Stabilize your minis with something besides your fingers. I use some 2 sided masking tape on a Styrofoam base. Or even try pinning your models. Weather could also be the culprit as well how humid, hot or cold it is.

Good Luck

This may help

http://www.scale-models.co.uk/community/threads/paint-not-sticking.19538/

I have been using Vallejo surface primer since the start of this year and I find it more delicate than sprayed primer. You can spray in such a way to get a rougher finish and that helps a bit, you can make sure it's cured properly and that helps a bit, you can make sure you clean the models and that helps a bit (though I always do that regardless).

But at the end of the day, it's still not going to be as tough as a spray can primer.

You just have to mount the models and/or live with the fact they're more delicate.

I know you "shouldn't" be handling the models when you paint them anyway, but when you have 100 little fethers to paint and they all have separate arms that you can't glue on until after you paint them, no, I'm not going to waste the time mounting them all to paint them without touching them

I've just learned to live with it or still use a spray primer when I really need the paint to stick better.

Once you've finished your paint job, just hit it with 2-3 thin coats of satin varnish and it will be tough enough. It's mostly just during the painting process that it's annoying.

You can also use satin varnish between stages of the model painting, this will protect the underlying paint while working on subsequent layers... but again, you have to wait for the varnish to cure then which adds days to the painting process. It's good for centerpiece models you intend to spend a lot of time painting, not so good for table top standard models.

I've never had this issue; in fact I've played games with my primed-only models and never had any rub off, but I have seen this complaint come up from time to time.

I generally add a small amount of Liquitex AB medium to my surface primer (even though it's not necessary) but it allows me to give a very thorough layering of primer.