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I have tried several different kinds of sprays to prime my minis for painting. I have found that I prefer flat Black undercoats and have grown quite fond of Krylon Ultra Flat Black.

However, I found this link on the Reaper painting forums, and I think I ought to change to using proper Primer.

Now, I am wondering what to get. I am going to start out with a two layer primer of Krylon grey primer followed by my black, but I worry that I might lose details with the extra layer.

Dang, that's definitely cause for pause. The Painter's Touch grey I use has excellent coverage, so I wouldn't worry too much about losing detail. Never tried (or even seen!) Krylon's primers, though.

This just goes to show that SOMEBODY NEEDS TO MAKE A GOOD-QUALITY BLACK PRIMER!!! Only kinds I can find are Automotive, and I've been satisfied with none of them.

That's a very interesting test, and I may try something similar to test the black paint I use to prime the next time I start a batch of minis.

However, I'm somewhat concerned that there was no picture of the actual miniature primed with the Krylon flat black. Also, I would be curious to see how some sort of varnish would affect final paint adherence once the paint job is complete.

i used to work in my dads body shop as an automotive painter. if i recall correctly Grey and Red primers are the thickest as they have the most fillers added, white has less and black has the least. im not sure if spray cans follow the same guidelines as commercial paints.

i have found the best primer for me has been krylon white for metal, i cant find black primer in my local stores anymore.

ive also had mixed results with krylon H2O white primer but its very sensitive to temp/humidity.

Duplicolor makes a very good black primer. I like the Duplicolor sandable black primer alot. I believe (former) PPS Fluffy used it to prime her Warmachine studio minis. Check out her work- it's gorgeous.

Remember that the finish depends on a number of factors. Makes sure to thoroughly clean the mini. I recommend then smoothing it with a fine grit (wet sand) paper, since many castings can be fairly rough. Then wash again. Let it dry thoroughly- water is primer's enemy. Prime in light, smooth layers- overspraying can obscure details. This should result in a very smooth and even surface to begin painting on.

Hordini wrote:That's a very interesting test, and I may try something similar to test the black paint I use to prime the next time I start a batch of minis.

However, I'm somewhat concerned that there was no picture of the actual miniature primed with the Krylon flat black. Also, I would be curious to see how some sort of varnish would affect final paint adherence once the paint job is complete.

while varinsh would seal the paint on the outside, the actual adherence is still in the primer, and as shown the krylon flat black was pull clear off the test strip. it would only be affected by how well the pewter would adhere to the flat black. if you failed to remove any of the mold release, you could kiss your paint job good bye.

I think I'm going to try this masking tape test on a miniature next time. The test is interesting, but I think pulling paint from a flat sheet of metal is probably a bit different than pulling paint from a model with a lot of shape and texture.

I have been priming with thinned down Chaos Black for years, and have had no problems, especially if the minis are varnished. I have heard that most "primer" sprays that are made for miniatures are not true primers (like what is used on automobiles) anyway. I know at least one professional painter (Evan from Battlefront, the company that makes Flames of War) that uses a similar priming method - i.e. thinned down black paint. He actually was using an enamel undercoat, and then acrylic for everything else. All this information I got directly from him on the Battlefront forums. He also said that a true auto primer could actually damage miniatures, especially plastic or resin, as it is not designed for those materials.

Krylon does make a black primer and that's what i've been using.

ColorPlace Wal-Mart 96 cent special baby. Nozzle clearance, humidity, temperature and distance usually matter more than the brand in my experience. All of those things being in the green (Which is hard to attain every spray), the difference between high price sprays and 0.96 specials is negligible.

Cheers

This is a very interesting sort of test.

I would like to see this done again with a wider plethora of brands and colors.

Not only that, but a variety of surface textures as well.

A flat piece of metal, to my mind, isn't the best indicator of adhesion on a miniature.

Hellfury wrote:Not only that, but a variety of surface textures as well.

A flat piece of metal, to my mind, isn't the best indicator of adhesion on a miniature.

Exactly what I was thinking. That said, I think it is a worthwhile test, and a good place to start for further research.

I think a flat peice of metal would indicate the worst case scenario.

However with metal being more pourus, I wonder what it would look like for plastic adhesion? Plastic models tend to have lots of flat surfaces on them particularly vehicles.

I am trying a two coat priming now (Krylon Grey Primer followed by the Flat Black).

Krylon Flat Black gives me the surface that I love to paint over, I am just worried about losing details with two spraypaints on my priming.

I have never had any problems just using the Krylon over plastics, so I doubt that a sturdier primer is required. But that's just a testimonial, nothing scientific.



Oh, and on the flat piece of metal... well, it isn't the same, but I think it might be a good indicator of whether or not your mini will chip at the edges (since minis only ever chip on their edges anyway). I'm interested in new tests if anyone wants to perform them.

I did a new test today, and you can see it here.