Brush Priming? Thoughts?

[kevininpdx]

Greetings. Some life developments have left me with more time for hobbies so I’m committed to paint as much as I can. One topic that contributes to my low productivity is priming. I spray can them which has too many variables. Weather and mainly just the act of taking the figure’s parts outside. Also not interested in getting an airbrush.
I noticed recently a painter I like on FB hand primes his models with brush. I like his work so clearly it’s working for him. It sure would be convenient to hand prime my models. I was wondering what people think about brush priming? Problems/Advantages, tips, products or anything that adds to the conversation would be appreciated.

 

[Civilwar 100]

Hi
While l generally prime figures using an airbrush, l have on a fair number of occasions applied the primer by brush to good effect.
The approach for me on both metal and resin figures is has follows:

1. Wash the figures/parts in soapy water and leave to dry completely.
2. The primer l use is Vallejo Acrylic Polyurethane primer for both hand and airbrush.
3. Use a broad brush, apply the primer undiluted to the figure, be careful use a lightly loaded brush, otherwise you can block the small detail such as eyes, belts buckles etc.
4. Leave to dry over night.

Hope this is useful.
Barry

 

[theBaron]

If you thin the primer just right, you should be able to brush it on so finely as if you had sprayed it. Just like finish colors.

Prost!
Brad

 

[MCPWilk]

Wash the figures/parts in soapy water and leave to dry completely.

Some time ago I read that modern soaps have lanolin or similar in them to be kind to hands, but toothpaste doesn't (!). So I now wash with toothpaste (minty or not, doesn't matter), which I find is a very effective degreasing agent.

I prime with either Humbrol or Halfords primers, the colour depending on what goes on top, e.g. sand colour for reds, white for white, and grey for blues. I block colour in with acrylics and shde with acrylics/enamels/oils. I paint flesh and shade white with oils.

Mike

 

[David Spencer]

I agree with Brad: a thin application with a brush works well. There'll be no strokes visible; just be sparing with how much you load brush each time, to stop runs.

 

[Nap]

I use a well shaken and room temperature black car spray , never thought of brushing but some great responses

Good question to ask

Nap

 

[Blind Pew]

99% of my priming is a thin coat of Halfords (Pep Boys in the US) matt white. I am 100% convinced that this is the exact same stuff as Games Workshop Chaos White primer - and a fraction of the price.
To avoid over spray it's a case of horses for courses. I use masking tape, or very occasionally Humbrol Maskol. I am considering using Vallejo white primer onto a white metal kit I'm currently doing. The nature of the kit means that spray primer is not the best option.

Trouble is, I do find Vallejo primer quite lumpy, so I'm open to suggestions...

 

[theBaron]

As far as washing parts is concerned, if you choose to do so, you want something with a de-greasing agent. The purpose of that step is to remove mold release agents from the piece; more generally, it's remove any other kind of schmutz from the surface.

So, more specifically than "soap", I would suggest dishwashing liquid, and check that the particular brand contains de-greasers (most do). I use SuperClean, myself. It doesn't take much, just a couple of drops in a bowl of warm water, whether dishwashing liquid/soap, SuperClean, or whatever you choose. But it's the de-greaser that is key.

Prost!
Brad

 

[NigelR]

I frequently brush prime using a Citadel light grey base paint (they keep changing the names!). Takes a couple of coats but with just a little thinning it goes down well. The advantage of using a brush is that you can get in all the nooks and crannies. I frequently find that when priming with a spray can there are undercuts where it is hard to reach and you risk flooding the rest of the miniature.

 

[bigtodd]

As Brad said, thin the primer as if you were airbrush it. It is just a coating to give you something to paint over.that won't bead up or peel off later. This was taught to me by the grand masters of the 90's! So it have been working a long time.

 

[MalcC]

I'm using a brush on primer most of the time now, as its not always possible to spray on a primer due to weather conditions.
It's also very beneficial when it comes to priming small pieces.


Malc

 

[PropBlast]

I use Gunze Sanygo Mr Surfacer 1500 white from a spray can. Because of the fine paint particles it goes on great (as long as you obviously don't over do it) and doesn't obscure fine details.

 

[kevininpdx]

Great responses from everyone thanks. It’s been a very long time since I washed a miniature before painting and have never had an issue. I suppose that luck would run out when working on a brush primed figure instead of one primed with a spray can.

 

[Babelfish]

I use Gunze Sanygo Mr Surfacer 1500 white from a spray can. Because of the fine paint particles it goes on great (as long as you obviously don't over do it) and doesn't obscure fine details.

I too prime from a (well-shaken) spray can. Always have, probably always will. I do this in the garage with the door open. It goes on great and takes no time at all really. You just have to mist it on from a sensible distance, don't go in close and blast it on.

Usually I prime first with black and then mist on white (or light grey) from an angle above to pick out the highlights. Occasionally I just do straight black if I'm feeling lazy or if the colour scheme is going to be a dark one. I've even known guys who say they don't bother priming at all, and you wouldn't know it looking at their final results. I guess that as ever, it's whatever works for you. No right or wrong etc.

I have an airbrush but I don't use it for priming. Basically because the down-side of an airbrush is all the cleaning time that it involves afterwards, which I find to be a real ball-ache. An airbrush can be a terrible faff sometimes, so I prefer to save its use to achieve results that you can actually see on the finished model, which I regard as a better investment of my time.

- Steve