Badger Stynylrez Primer - thoughts, reviews, alternatives

[Texan76]

The Badger primer is very thick. I find it hard to spray out of the bottle even with a .5 needle. I always thin it about 70/30 and it sprays great and lays down nice.

[CedB]

I think there may be a temperature element involved in this... warmer temps = thicker primer?

Also it REALLY needs shaking up, a lot, before use.

That said I'm finding it a bit thicker now that Spring is here.

[hacker]

been using mine for the last couple of days working on a conversion. Seems to work fine for me

[TonyTiger66]

Hello all,

I'm sorry for being so slow in getting back here with observations. I feel my main obstacle in trialling the product is my airbrush. It is nothing special, and clogs up very easily.

My first experience with Stynilrez was superb. I installed the 0.5mm needle and set to approx 15 psi. I poured straight from the bottle, but found it a little too thick at first, quite eggshell in finish.

I probably made a mistake here as I didn't know what to think it with so tried Tamiya laquer thinners. It went on beautifully thinned with this.

The problem was, that's the last time I was able to use it. I think maybe it was the combination of Stynilrez and Laquer thinners that led to the airbrush being utterly and hopelessly 'glooped up' with an almost chewing gum like residue.

After trying to clean it again and again, two of the rubber seals seem to have swollen, then broken, again I feel maybe due to the laquer thinners.

After more than a week of trying, stripping down, cleaning, failing, I decided to follow a suggestion made by The Spagent and try cleaning with Mr Color thinners. Much better, yet close but no cigar and the airbrush still will not spray Stynilrez.

It will however, spray Alclad White Microfiller Primer. I'm a little surprised to see that this stuff is drying glossy, should it be? The airbrush is also utterly happy with Alclad black base and some 'Polished Steel' I have from the AK Extreme Metal range.

I still get eggshell with the Alclad White (thicker) primer. I get a lovely smooth finish with Alclad black base and AK Extreme metal.

I'm not sure if I should post pictures here, or on the WIP I-16 I have been struggling and bumbling and frankly, despairing with all this stripping down, eggshell and so on? This thread is really about Stynilrez so I don't think my rubbish airbrush or amateurism is appropriate, not sure.

What I can say for sure is that with a cheap (around 60 pounds Stirling) airbrush, the Stynilrez seems too thick as is, in this quite warm climate (quite near Brisbane). Nevertheless, it did go on really well; once

Any advice on a good thinner for it would be extremely welcome!

All best regards

Tony

[hacker]

15 psi is too low. Sprayed mine at the recommended 30 psi and had no problems. Clean your brush straight away as it will harden loke concrete

[Duncan B]

I had another go with mine the other day spraying through a 0.5mm nozzle without any thinning. It went on nice and smooth but I had to keep cleaning the nozzle but this could have been due to the very warm weather. Later I sanded it back in some areas and it feathered out very nicely. I also gave it a light buffing with an old cotton T shirt which helped a little too.

The Ultimate Cleaner wasn't that great at shifting the stuff out of my airbrush though.

I'd be interested to know what others have been using to thin it as I think it could do with thinning a little.

Duncan B

[CedB]

Me too. It seems to be thicker in 'the heat'...

[Cookenbacher]

I've been thinning with my usual concoction of Future, distilled water, flow improver and retarder. It works just fine.

I've been cleaning it up with Windex followed by Iwata Airbrush cleaner. Again, no problems so far.

[AlexN]

Hello Tony,

Interesting. Sorry to hear (well, read) of your clogging troubles, Tony. Does straight distilled water not work? Cookie's method sounds good though - lacquer thinner would have been the last thing that I would have used. Some photos would be instructive from my point of view (as a curious onlooker - haven't tried to get a release of the necessary funds from The Accountant for an SNR purchase yet, but see also below).

Good luck with an, um, solution. I would go with Mr Cookenbacher's.

Fingers crossed.

The more I read about air-brushing, the more I'm inclined to stay with ye olde hairy sticks, timid Luddite that I am!

Cheers,

Alex.

[TonyTiger66]

Hello Alex,

Also thanks to all for advice on pressure, thinning and generally getting the best out of the old 'rez!

I tried thinning it with Vallejo thinner and things went a bit pear shaped, it was as if I had tried to mix oil and water together. It kind of curdled.

I found out what was wrong with the old airbrush; there is a tiny 'O' ring seal on the rear of the nozzle. This had broken. Bubbles were appearing in the paint chamber. I changed the nozzle and needle back to the 0.3, as I also suspect the 0.5 nozzle has had it.

After this Stynilrez worked at approx 30 psi on the old generic Chinese '130' (not very good) series airbrush.

My new Iwata arrived today. I'm a bit scared to gunk it up straight away to be honest, as I'm nearing the 'proper painting' stage of the two I've been working on the most (a Polikarpov I-16 and UTI-4).

I'm in a happy place at the moment, not surrounded by kitchen roll, cotton buds, all manner of thinners, needles, tubes, cleaning agents, pipe cleaners and spillages! I don't want to visit that place again any time soon !

At the weekend I'll try to get some of the flow improver and retarder. There's an art shop nearby so I'm hoping they have them.

I'll follow the 'recipe' given by Cookie as far as possible and add it to some ''Rez in a spare jar to see if it thins nicely.

A problem is I can't get hold of Future, it seems to be no longer available in Oz. The renamed product as found in the swannysmodels website has been discontinued.

I do have some of Humbrol's own bottling of 'Clear'.

What does the studio audience think? Will the Humbrol Clear be ok?

Also, any information on the proportions of distilled water, retarder, flow improver and Clear would be very gratefully received. I need to get the soup recipe right !

I am very fortunate Alex, my good lady wife loaned me the funds for a new airbrush. It arrived yesterday, just one day after I ordered it from airbrushmegastore.com . That's what I call good service! A free 'how to' DVD and a nice lolllipop were also enclosed.

So, that's today sorted for me; some scribing then out with some colours to hopefully spray my 'Popeye' plane at last

I'll avoid the laquer thinners, I think it did for the seals in my old airbrush after the very first time I cleaned it out, hence why I had success the very first time, but difficulties after then.

The Iwata has more robust seals (according to the leaflet), but I'll not run neat laquer thinner through it, I've learnt my lesson!

I've sent off for a new 0.5 nozzle, needle and seals via evilbay; it only came to $20 including postage (10 quid).

The old airbrush may become the 'primer' brush if I can get it to reproduce the great finish I got before I ruined it!

There's nothing wrong with hairy sticks, especially with Lifecolor paints I find. Good old Humbrol enamel is still rather splendid with a hairy stick too

Happy modelling

Tony

[CedB]

I don't think Johnson's Klear / Future and Humbrol Clear are the same thing Tony, but then I've just got back from the local pub so don't trust anything I say... entirely.

I also think (you're my best mate you are) that old airbrushes should be binned, not given a second chance... cheap is still cheap, whatever you're putting through them.

If your mileage varies let me know and I may reinstate my eBay Chinese cheap one for messy jobs.

Hic

[Cookenbacher]

I'm not too scientific with the proportions, but it's mostly distilled water - let's say 75% water, 20% Future, and 5% Flow improver and retarder added in 'drops' (I've added more and more retarder as summer has arrived). I use this same concoction with Stynylrez, Vallejo, Lifecolor, Model Master Acryl and Badger paints, all without problems (for Tamiya, I use Tamiya X-20 since it seems to like being thinned with alcohol).

I think it would work just fine as a thinner for Stynylrez without the Future, let us know!

[AlexN]

With regard to "Future" in Oz, a while ago I asked Brett Green what the closest thing was here, and the answer was Johnson's "One Go". After testing it on an ICM Spit and Falcon Raiden vac-form canopies (we had half a bottle in the laundry), I went out and bought three more bottles of the stuff.

<rant>

The critical phrase in the above is "a while ago" - which is alex-speak for around ten years. There are a number of things that impinge on whether this stuff is available now:

1. having to abide by rules requiring the stuff to be able to be drunk (KEEP OUT OF THE REACH OF CHILDREN labels are so ageist and old fashioned, and possibly people these days can no longer read the BIG RED WRITING, or understand them if they could, oh dear oh dear);

2. marketdroids' delight in changing a well-known product's name to "New and Gwoovy" (I spent a longer time than I actually had time for looking for "Napisan" in the supermarket a few months back - to find that it had been changed to something beginning with "V" but can't remember what the new name was now, it as so memorable. Yeah!);

3. finding a supermarket (chain) that stocks what you are looking for ("Hey, let's stock the joint wth stuff that people don't want - they'll come flocking!").

</rant>

If I sound cynical, it's because I am, sadly, and apparently getting more so with each passing day. I appear to be turning into a grumpy ol' goat. Baaah. Humbug.

Good luck.

Oh, and to be more positive, good luck with your new Iwata, you lucky chap, you.

Cheers,

Alex.

[Duncan B]

Tony congratulations on buying an Iwata, the best hobby airbrushes there are in my opinion (guess the make of my 3). You didn't say which type you'd gone for but all the 'proper' Japanese built Iwatas are lacquer proof (not the Chinese built Neo however) and I've been running Gunze lacquer paints and thinners and cellulose thinners through mine for the last 8 years without any problems.

With regards to Humbrol Clear, I'd stay away from it as I had a bottle which turned the surface of my models into crazy paving and others have had the same experience. In fact I wouldn't bother trying to find a bottle of the Johnson's Kleer or it's brethren either as there are plenty of hobby specific clear gloss products on the market now that work better anyway. My favourite is Gunze's UV Cut Supergloss which comes in an aerosol but I decant it into small pots for spraying through the airbrush but there are many others out there.

Finding the type and make of paint that works best for you and lots of practice will be the trick to getting on with your new airbrush. Most problems are caused by not thinning the paint enough (always mix your paint before you put it into the airbrush or else you'll have problems) so that is always the first thing to try when the paint doesn't do what you expect it to.

Good luck and let us know how you get on with it.

Duncan B

[AlexN]

Thanks for the information, Duncan - very useful. Can of Gunze Supergloss on the shopping list - near the top, just below the Stynylrez.

[roginoz]

I tried Stynylrez for the first time today [thanks for the trial, Norm] on my Tanmodel RF-84F Thunderflash, with a degree of trepidation as the model has very feint panel lines.

Have to say I am most impressed, it sprayed through my el-cheapo SCA a/b at 30psi brilliantly and the result is extremely satisfying.

The finish is smooth and panel line definition has been maintained, a better finish than the Tamiya spray can primers that I normally use, which often give a roughish finish.

A thorough clean with AV Airbrush cleaner, followed by a quick flush with ipa and the a/b was good to spray white on a different model in the same spraying session.

Think I'm a convert !

Hope to find some for me at this weekends Melbourne Model Expo.

[Homerlovesbeer]

I still am impressed by Stynylrez as it does give a lovely finish however I am finding that within a few minutes I have to increase my airbrush flow to nearly maximum to get a decent amount. It really hates the heat and humidity here in Australia. Before I have even finished using it the product is drying in the cup of my airbrush and is completely dry in it by the time I go to clean.

 

It comes out of the cup in big dry lumps during cleaning and I still have to tear town my airbrush after every use which is a real pain in the you know what.

 

Does anybody have a way to delay drying somewhat and make it easier to clean?

[CedB]

I love Stynylrez - but then I'm in England and it's rarely hot  

 

Badger recommendations for use:

No thinning necessary. Shake well before using.
Best applied with a .5mm or larger nozzle airbrush at 20-30 psi (1.5-2 bar).

Pour the desired amount of STYNYLREZ primer into the airbrush color reservoir. If using a bottom feed airbrush attach jar containing STYNYLREZ to the airbrush.
Holding the airbrush 4-6” (10-15cm) from the item you are priming, apply STYNYLREZ in even coats over the entire surface of the item.

Apply in light coats, building the primer up until the entire surface of the item is covered and the items actual color is hidden.

Check all areas and re-spray any light areas or any areas where the items actual color is still detectible. Let dry 5 to 8 minutes (3 minutes if dried with an artificial heat source). Your item is now primed and ready for painting.

 

I expect you're doing all that - just here for others.

 

I've had a look on the 'net and others in hot climates seem to be thinning with water, mixing outside the bottle/cup. If you put water in the bottle it effects the mix and causes problems later. Our own @Cookenbacher (also somewhere hot) uses his own thinners which is 75% distilled water, 20% Future/Klear and 5% flow improver, although he reckons it'll work without Future on the Stynylrez.

 

I have had problems with clean up in the past and, after long sessions, the primer drying on the inside of the cup. 

Experience has shown (ahem) that if this happens it's best to clean the cup first and separately (take it off if you can) as the dried primer 'flakes' can block the brush.

The lady from Barwell Bodyworks (the original UK importer) told me to flush ASAP with water and an old brush and then use their own cleaner - Modelflex / Minitaire - for the final clean out. Works well for me.

 

There are some posts elsewhere reporting bad batches where the primer has separated in the bottle and is grainy/gritty - get it replaced if you have this problem.

 

HTH  

[colin]

Never had any luck with Stynylrez, especially if it needs to be sanded to correct any blemish. Just use the Mr Surfacer 1500 with their Levelling thinner as I know it will work, and when I remove the masking, that's all I'm removing 

[azureglo]

I asked about cleaning stylnylres from airbrushes a few weeks back and was  deafened by the roaring silence of the replies (not) so did my own tests and decided not post my findings as no one seemed interested. at that point.

 

First of stynylres is uncannily similar to something called lechler hydrofan and those who use it do the following: hot water baths to first clean guns/ unblock nozzles. (Note advice from steve & wife of barwell bodyworks, original importers). After hot water bath, any gun wash will shift most of it but not all unless you use an ultrasonic bath. Tried badgers, premi foaming (non solvent), iwata, neat 99.9% ipa and ultimate cleaners. After each of these a paper point in a nozzle filled with solvent was still yielded large amounts of primer gunge after four or five goes.

 

Depending on your definition of 'clean' and desire to start endless 'Why doesnt my airbrush spray properly?' threads, this may work  for you.

 

Nice man at local bodyshop suggested i break down my gun (airbrush), make sure there is nothing with left with neoprene/viton and chuck the nozzle ,cup, needle and main body (minus airvalve) into a bath of acetone. Voila , melts stylnylres on contact and everything is factory clean after 5 minutes. Downside is acetone is super aggessive and baths of it are hardly safe. Breaking and re-assembling H&S brushes takes minutes, others maybe a pain with tiny nozzles that disappear etc.

 

As for spraying, temperature and viscosity theres plenty re the freezing properties of STYN to google: my experience is all except white , work perfectly in an a dedicated H&S 0.4mm evolution provided that:

 

1. the ambient temperature is at least 18C 
2. pressure is 15-25 psi and is steady (i.e. air tank)
3. everything is spotlessly clean and you've thoroughly degreased your model (neat ipa or acetone) and dont touch it with bare oily fingers
4. your STYN is thoroughly mixed, i decant mine into 30ml dropper bottles with a 5mm agitator ball bearing
5. My batch of the white grunges up the 0.4mm/0.6mm nozzles after about 60 seconds but easily unblocked using very hot water

I have a mini production line going for my Airfix therapy build thread so you can the results yourself.

 

 

I also used the white STYN as the finishing coat on this STGB mustang

 

 

As an experiment I'm using mr surfacer 1500/levelling thinner on this 

 

 

as an easier to clean alternative so that maybe of interest. I realise this was a lengthy post  but I hope it was more useful that the " I use it everyday, spraying it buck naked outside my igloo in the North Pole at sub zero temperatures and never clean my airbrush and it works fine so you must be doing it wrong" type of reply.

 

Cheers

 

Anil

 

 

 

[Homerlovesbeer]

Fantastic post. Thanks Anil.

😊

[azureglo]

6 minutes ago, Homerlovesbeer said:

Fantastic post. Thanks Anil.

😊

In that case this is  for you:

 

 

Cheers & woohoo!

 

Anil

[BikingLampy]

Hi,

 

After some advice please re: Stylnrez. I'm having no end of trouble with it just not adhering to the plastic

 

This is the second model I've tried it on. It sprays lovely (0.5 needle @ 30psi straight out the bottle), but there's patches where it just flakes as soon as I come near it with anything - I've just had some come off when trying to sketch camo demarcation lines in with an HB pencil.

 

The first model I tried I had ended up handling a lot and there had been much filling & sanding, so I wondered whether I'd managed to contaminate the surface, but this one I've been very careful to a) wash and rinse the sprues b) only handle the model with clean dry hands.

 

There are plenty of areas where it seems to have taken properly and doesn't chip when poked, but there's plenty of bits that it's just falling off. As I now have to mask for the camo, I'm not looking forward to the next bit, as I can see trouble ahead when I try to get the tape off - even detackked before use!

 

Is there anything else to try? I've used Vallejo (yuk - pulled off in great sheets) and Halfords rattlecan primer for plastic, which is tough as old boots but doesn't level very nicely at all.

 

Thanks

 

BL.

[hacker]

Personally l just gave up. It sits there longing for me to use it. Great stuff at first but as time wears on ( very little time at that) it began to lose it's abilities to the point where it became useless. Badger on the other hand seems to be in denial that the stuff has problems even after a lot of us made complaints. So what do l use now? Well back to basics. Either tamyia fine primer in a rattle can for those quick priming jobs or Tamyia XF19 sky grey. Work without problems other then l go through a lot of bottles of that stuff. Tamyia needs to get a dedicated primer in a large bottle. Maybe in time when sales drop Badger might figure out there is a problem and look back on complaints but highly doubt that

 

Hacker

[CedB]

On 21/12/2018 at 18:27, BikingLampy said:

After some advice please re: Stylnrez. I'm having no end of trouble with it just not adhering to the plastic

I've not had problems and I love the stuff so all I can say is you may have a duff bottle? Did it get frozen?? Did you shake it well before spraying?

I don't bother cleaning plastic on the sprues as I know I'm going to be handling the model a lot while filling and sanding. I just go over the whole thing with a cotton bud dipped in IPA before priming.

Just had a scratch at the white Stynylrez on my current model and it's strong as, er, strong stuff.

Sorry I can't help more