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've read that spraying in damp weather can affect the look of the base coat.

Is that true? If so, how do I get around it?

I've just built about 12 units I got for Christmas and want to get to painting but the weather is very wet and I don't really have a ventilated indoor space to use.

Thanks in advance.

I live in San Francisco (lots of fog, and these days more rain) and I've had some bad results on humid days. I never spray when it's raining, threatening to rain, or foggy. (or cold)

I've found that the primer doesn't dry properly (not sure the technical term here!) but instead gets this powdery, gritty residue that is horrible to paint on.

So yea, not sure what advice to give. Can you try an enclosed garage where you could do a test mini?

(and so you learn from my mistakes: I took down my new Skaven Blood Bowl team to my garage to paint shortly after the rain, when the brilliant sun was out and it was dry. I thought I was being so clever, but somehow forgot the heater intakes were sitting right next to me. Sucked the spray paint smell right up into the apartment. My wife nearly killed me!!)

I live about 5 miles from the North East coast of England so it's going to be wet, foggy and about 5 degrees Celsius for the next 3 months.

Yes. You may want to do a bit of research and build your own spray booth. (Not really that difficult)

If in doubt, get some brush on primer.

After living in Alaska where it's snowing/freezing for about eight months out of the year, I got very good with brush on primers. I use my airbrush these days for priming and leave the rattle cans on the store shelf. It amazes me how far a 17ml bottle of primer for about $3 will go. Way, way further then any rattle can of primer I've ever used.

Rules of thumb for priming with a Rattle Can:

1. Make sure the can and the model you are spraying on are the same temp
2. Never spray when any kind of precipitation (rain, snow, fog, mist) is present
3. Always use a well ventilated area
4. Never spray outside when the temp is below 40f or 5C.

Everything affects spray cans.

Too humid, dry, close, far, hot, cold.
Not shaken enough.
phase of the moon, spirits not appeased,
etc.

Read the can, play it safe, shake the crap out of it.

and pray.

If you get a bad prime, it can be a good idea to get it into the paint stripper before it fully cures. Will make it easier to scrub off.

I second what most of the others have said here; I've just switched to airbrush priming, but before that I was using rattle cans for years. I'd prime in the garage during winter and one trick I found was keeping the can in the back pocket of my jeans between sprays, helps keep the temperature up. That and only bring models out as you spray them.

I always found hot and humid a bigger problem than cold and humid, as long as there's not actual mist or fog in the air. I've sprayed stuff when it was raining before (outside but under the cover of my verandah) and it turned out fine.

Keep the cans and models warm inside your house before going out to spray and don't have an excessively long spray session. Wait for the most favourable time of day (in the summer that might be early morning, in the winter it might be the afternoon).

I have had awful luck with brush on primer. I would strongly encourage finding a way to use spray, FWIW.

Brushing primers can be finicky as well, the GW stuff anyways, especially if it's not extremely well mixed. A lot easier to mess up than spray primer, I feel. I haven't used an airbrush to prime, although I hear it's great, I still use the canned stuff. If you have a heated garage, quickly spray in there, take the models inside, then open the doors for a bit to clear the air. Alternately, build a spray booth. If neither of those will work, it really is a "pray for a good day" scenario. Low humidity and as warm as you can get. Be quick about it before your models and the spray can have time to get cold. Definitely don't if it's foggy, and get your models inside as fast as you possibly can after you're done.

I use an airbrush to spray primer. And I use only flat enamel as a primer, so it can be just about any color and never an issue, regardless of the conditions. Cannot say the same .

However, the other posters are right when spraying can paint. I have gotten some gritty results when I used can primer in the past. The paint/carrier atomization is far sloppier from a can compared to an airbrush and humidity is the danger in any form - rain, cold, hot&humid, etc. I have gotten some less than desirable results from spray clear coats when it was a tad too humid, but have learned to spray to avoid them now.