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Anyone have this happen? Every once in a while, I'll spray prime some models, and the paint dries all fuzzy. like the drops of paint from the can dried before they hit the model. I can usually brush it off with a stiff bristle brush, but it's really annoying and sometimes it messes up some finer details on the mini. Is it from cheapy primer? too humid outside? too hot? spraying too far away? Didn't shake the can enough?

Check your local humidity. Never primer models if humidity is above about 50% with no wind, or about 60% with at least a 5mph wind. (Looks like you'll have good humidity Saturday between Noon and 8pm, with 3-4pm being prime.)

 Necros wrote:
Is it from cheapy primer? too humid outside? too hot? spraying too far away? Didn't shake the can enough?

The bad news is that it could be a mix of any of the above!

If you are using a storebrand primer it could just have a rather thick finish compared to others, but this is usually due to humidty, agitation, or even heat.

Make sure the can has been shaken a lot before starting the priming, and keep it a little more than 1ft away from the figs. If it is a super hot day the paint may be drying slightly before even hitting them which gives a powdery result, or it could be a humidty issue, so holding them a little closer can help prevent that by lowering the time the paint is airborne, but you should then paint it in light dustings to prevent it going on too thick.

If all comes to all, you could prime them indoors next to an open window if you place the figs inside a cardboard box to prevent the primer getting everywhere, kinda like this:



Just make sure the room is super well ventilated!

Yeah summers here are always hot and humid and it does seem to happen to me more in the summer time. In the winter I spray outside real quick and then bring them inside to dry and skink up the place.

I've seen painting booth thingies for airbrushing, would something like that work for spray paint?

I thought about trying to get one of those window fans and spray into a box like you suggested and have the fan suck the paint out the window, but I was afraid it would gum up the fan and wreck it.

I have an old precious bottle of GW smelly primer that I use when the weather is bad, but precious is running low :(

I had it happen once and annoyed the crap out of me. But now that you mention it, I did do it on a humid Virginian summer day.... Yet another reason to hate humidity.

Yeah, I've had this happen to me as well. Summer time isn't the best for priming!

How do you get the fuzzy off? A brush is not going to remove what I have done.

Please help!

Sorry to hear this ....believe it or not its a VERY common problem - do a search on "gritty primer", and you will get MANY hits.

This happens when the paint droplets start to dry in mid air, before they hit the model - they form a light skin on them.

This is caused by a combination of humidity (or lack of it), temperature and the distance you hold the can from the model.

I live in a warmer climate, and in the hot months, I spray a bit closer (use sweeping motions so as to no build up too much paint) and ALWAYS spray on a test piece first.

As far as getting it off - sorry to say, there is no good answer.
I was able to use a tooth brush to fix some of mine when this happened (or a stiff cleaning brush) but you might have to strip them.

best of luck