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Hi guys, is there something I need to do to MDF before painting them, got two droppods that has been lasercut from MDF.

MDF sucks up paint, so a good primer is a must. Then give it a little light sand before painting with your topcoat.

Using my normal primare that I use for my minis?

Spray primer will work, but you usually have to do multiple coats. Make sure it is primer and not just flat spray paint.

I think, and I'm really dredging this up from the darkest recesses of my brain and have never had cause to try it, so do your due diligence before doing anything, but I think that a coat of thinned down PVA before applying any paint to address the paint sponging properties is considered a good idea.

 Azreal13 wrote:
I think, and I'm really dredging this up from the darkest recesses of my brain and have never had cause to try it, so do your due diligence before doing anything, but I think that a coat of thinned down PVA before applying any paint to address the paint sponging properties is considered a good idea.

I think the recesses of your brain are working rather nicely. Yes, that is a good idea. just be sure to lightly sand between coats.

 Azreal13 wrote:
I think, and I'm really dredging this up from the darkest recesses of my brain and have never had cause to try it, so do your due diligence before doing anything, but I think that a coat of thinned down PVA before applying any paint to address the paint sponging properties is considered a good idea.

Yeah, that will save you a ton of headaches.

I just spray painted my Death Ray Designs terrain. They recommend spraying with Rustoleum Filler Primer, which I did:

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Rust-Oleum-Automotive-11-oz-Filler-Primer-Flat-Gray-Spray-Paint-249279/202097276

Works great. Gave me a nice finish, over which I put down my base color. If you don't use a thicker primer, the MDF will absorb a lot of paint and come out patchy.

I don't use much MDF but I have been told you typically want to avoid water based things because they tend to make the MDF swell. PVA can work but if you thin it with water the water can make the MDF swell.

If you use an acrylic primer, you want to avoid the very thinned down types of primer we often use when painting miniatures because it'll soak that up, but thicker acrylics like you might get from an art store work.

You can use enamel or lacquer based primers.

The edges more absorbent and thus more prone to swelling, so you might want to hit those with unthinned PVA or some sort of wood filling putty/primer.

On my first one I used watered down pva glue in several light layers. I've given it one coat of watered down paint and it seems to have no swelling effect. So far so good, thanks guys.

Varnish the wood BEFORE you primer coat it. It will seal the wood so it won't suck up so much paint.

'Ard Coat, or any spray varnish will work well. Give it two light coats, focused on the cut edges, which is where the wood will absorb the most paint.

I've noticed you lose a bit of detail with pva, but not with spray varnish.

Good luck!

What ever happened to the "tip of the day",or something like that thread?