Primer Problem

[HarlequinZero]

Hey all,

I recently had a problem with a can of Army Painter color primer. Basically, I was priming some models and all of a sudden the spray wouldn't stop. Even though I let go of the spray nozzle the propellant kept coming out and the actual color was pooling in the depression around the nozzle. I tried to pump the nozzle a couple of times like you would car brakes to get them unstuck, but no such luck. I lost all the propellant even though the can is still about 2/3 full of paint. I can feel it sloshing around when I shake the can.

Anyone have a similar experience? Is there any way to make the propellant stop? Or is there a sort of preventative maintenance to stop it from happening? I mean, I've probably gone through well over a hundred cans of primer since I started painting without this problem so this might just be a fluke.

[athelu]

I have had a few issues with Army painter primer, but they all involved not following their directions

You really DO need to shake the can for at least 60 seconds before spraying.
You really DO need to shake intermittently during spraying
You REALLY REALLY need to hold the can upside down and clear the nozzle after each use.

Since I followed the above- I have had no issue with their primers and they still are my favorite to use.

[s_o_r_r_o_w]

Sounds fluke-ish to me--possibly something broke in the stopcock inside. Did the nozzle remain depressed a bit? It's possible that some semi-dry paint got down in the workings and jammed it open.

You could clean that with some paint thinner, but obviously hard to do mid job or while it's spraying all over the place.

Email Army Painter and get them to give you a replacement.

[spiralingcadaver]

Nope, but the Armory primer I got was the worst can of primer I've ever used.

I don't know about you (the ambiguous internet 'you,' that is), but I'm willing to pay an extra $3 per can of primer so my models don't, with some regularity, come out fuzzy and need to be stripped :/

And I've confirmed that I'm not the only one who's had this primer fail them, though I don't know how (in)frequent it is. I've used probably a dozen cans of GW primer and a couple of PP, and regular ol' spray paint (not on minis for that one) and never had my spray paint come out powdery.

[athelu]

Yes - the tolerances for humidity on the Armory primer is absolutley miserable. I have thrown away that stuff after one use.

[spiralingcadaver]

Sorry to hear that. Yeah, I'm not touching anything else by Armory because of that horrible primer. I only know of that company's card games, and it shows: they clearly don't know how to make a product for miniatures gaming. I wouldn't use that stuff if they paid me to. Well, maybe if they paid me more than the models cost...

[porkuslime]

I live by Krylon primer as well as Rustoleum.. rarely have an issue and at only $4 a can, I don't mind the occasional issue..

[CMSheats]

Is GW's any good? It's 15$ at my local game store. And the armory stuff was five. Is it worth the price to get GW?

[spiralingcadaver]

Like I said, never had a problem with GW's or PP's, yes they're expensive, but think of how much the minis you're painting cost, plus your time, and it starts to feel like less of an investment.

There's a reason Armory's is cheap.

Some of the other cheap ones will foam up a touch and obscure a little detail, which is fine if you're just painting for something playable (and in my opinion, not nearly as bad as turning to powder), but I'm more often going for something a little below display quality, so having a thin and reliable primer is completely worth it to me.

[kturock]

no.
i buy the walmart, kmart or home depot flat black or flat white for $1 a can.

if you want 'true metal primer', like rustoleoum, or krylon, they cost more. but less than GW and better than armory.

the only problem i've found with them, is they can cover details.

[HarlequinZero]

I don't do the inverted nozzle clearing exercise after spraying. Always seemed like wasting primer to me. I'll give it a shot, though, if it stops my latest predicament from happening again in the future.

[spiralingcadaver]

I don't do the inverted nozzle clearing exercise after spraying. Always seemed like wasting primer to me. I'll give it a shot, though, if it stops my latest predicament from happening again in the future.

Just spray that on the minis: once you're a couple sprays away from finishing them, turn the can upside-down and continue. Nothing wasted.

[MantisZero]

i buy the walmart, kmart or home depot flat black or flat white for $1 a can.

This is exactly what i do. I buy Wal-Mart flat black at 99 cents a can and it works very well. It sprays on thin too which is really nice. I have never had a problem with over spraying a model which is wonderful. Its also nice to not worry about the weather when i spray, from rain to 100 degree summer to 20 degree winter the only problem i have is a cold fingers in the winter!

[MagickalMemories]

The white primer I'm looking at on my work bench right now is Rustoleum clean metal primer.
It's the non-expanding kind.
It's auto primer that I got at an auto parts store.

I will only ever use auto primer again. I've never had anything go on so clean with such high tolerances for humidity and heat. I have not had one single problem yet.

The prices are about a third the price of a GW can and ten times the quality.


I tried the cheap primers from Walmart and the like. I only ever found ONE that I liked, and it disappeared from their shelves forever a couple years ago. : (


Eric

[Ironhide]

The reason people sometimes get that powdery residue from spray-on primer is due to humidty and cold. When you prime models you want to do it when the weather is warm, the humidity is low, and the wind calm. Spray priming models in the winter is never recommended unless you can somehow do it inside, which is kind of hard since the area needs to be well ventilated. Would suck if you passed out from the paint fumes and woke up with all your models underneath you, all broken; or worse, didn't wake up at all.