depressed lemur Posted July 15, 2012 Share Posted July 15, 2012 Hi Guys. I hope I am not being too naive, but I have a question (or series thereof) about primer used for acrylic paints. Currently I use either white or Tamiya light aircraft grey as an undercoat through an airbrush, but I have decided that this is a little on the expensive side. Looking through these hallowed pages, I notice mention of Halfords "rattle cans" being used as a primer. Is this stuff suitable for covering with acrylics? and can it be safely sprayed indoors (it is always windy in Oldham, which makes for interesting variations in paint application)? If not can you decant it? This leads to a second thought I have had. If you can use a rattle can for undercoating, can you use any specific automotive paint? Is there a paint blender who could mix up a batch of white / light grey which could be diluted with water / IPA and used straight through an airbrush? I would have thought that you could pick up a lifetime supply for very little money, which would be so much better than using small bottles of paint. Any ideas out there? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pte1643 Posted July 15, 2012 Share Posted July 15, 2012 Yep, good old Halfords Acrylic primer is what I use. I don't even bother with the "Primer for Plastic" just use the normal one. It's safe for a base for both Acrylic and enamel model paints. Does no damage to the kit plastic. But you can't spray it indoors... Or, at least, I wouldn't. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
depressed lemur Posted July 30, 2012 Author Share Posted July 30, 2012 Update for anyone interested. We have had a new starter at our workplace who used to work in the lab where they manufacture the paint for Halfords. He has advised that the grey primer in the tin is the same as that in the rattle can, but without the solvents. I now have a heads up on how to approach this, so I am looking forward to doing some trials with a sacraficial airframe, through my external mix airbrush. At £5 for a tin of 250ml primer (which needs to be diluted at low levels) sound too much of a bargain. Trials will hopefully take place sometime next week, and I will post any result (good or bad) if anyone is interested. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul178 Posted July 30, 2012 Share Posted July 30, 2012 I use any rattle can car Acrylic primer that comes to hand I have had no problem with them. Do not spray it indoors though. I hold the model out of the door by one wingtip wearing a disposable glove, in 5-10 mins I hold the wing I have just coated and finish the job! Make sure the wind is not comming at you though as I am not sure how to get primer off doors or glass!!!LOL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Giorgio N Posted July 31, 2012 Share Posted July 31, 2012 I've used Halford's primer for years and always using acrylics of different brands on top (vallejo, xtracrilics, lifecolor...). Never had a single problem ! However when compared with Tamiya's, it is not as fine and now I only use the Tamiya one. Still, as I believe the reason for this was mainly the nozzle size in the rattle can, if you can use the primer from the tin with your airbrush, this might be the perfect solution. At least as long as the thinner required is not aggressive on the plastic Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
depressed lemur Posted July 31, 2012 Author Share Posted July 31, 2012 I've used Halford's primer for years and always using acrylics of different brands on top (vallejo, xtracrilics, lifecolor...). Never had a single problem !However when compared with Tamiya's, it is not as fine and now I only use the Tamiya one. Still, as I believe the reason for this was mainly the nozzle size in the rattle can, if you can use the primer from the tin with your airbrush, this might be the perfect solution. At least as long as the thinner required is not aggressive on the plastic I intent to do tests with submerged sprue, and also a couple of old kits which I don't mind if they end up dissolving. This will (hopefully) work out, though if the paint manufacturers get wind of this, you will see the proces going through the roof!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avro683 Posted July 31, 2012 Share Posted July 31, 2012 I use the acrylic version of Halfords indoors without any problems. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul178 Posted July 31, 2012 Share Posted July 31, 2012 I use the acrylic version of Halfords indoors without any problems. Try being married to my wife and you would not say that!(LOL) To be fair to her she does suffer from Asthma quite badly and that stuff does have a habit of permeating the house. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avro683 Posted July 31, 2012 Share Posted July 31, 2012 Try being married to my wife and you would not say that!(LOL)To be fair to her she does suffer from Asthma quite badly and that stuff does have a habit of permeating the house. I think my wife would take issue with that! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kev67 Posted July 31, 2012 Share Posted July 31, 2012 I use Halfords and other makes of acrylic primer, I always spray outside and use a mask as well, I think if I started doing rattle can spraying in doors I would be chucked out onto the streets. These paints are brilliant for priming and are good for rubbing down to get smooth coat if left over night to harden Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julien Posted August 2, 2012 Share Posted August 2, 2012 I use the vallejho plastic primer and a bottle has lasted me ages? you dont need much of it at all. Julien Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
depressed lemur Posted August 13, 2012 Author Share Posted August 13, 2012 Ok guys, first trials have now been completed. Halfords grey primer in a tin (not aerosol) can be used through an air brush. First trials using Halfords cellulose thinners managed to melt the plastic, so that was a bust. However, Mr Hobby thinners does the job of diluting the paint, and not attacking the plastic. I used it through an external mix brush at 50:50 ratio with no problems at 20psi, and I suspect that the ratio can go to 40:60 thinners to paint. Cleaning is a bit of a pain having to use Mr Hobby thinners before a water wash and ipa dry. Paint is £5 a tin, and about 1 - 1.5 ml covered a 72 scale messerschmitt with left overs. I am hoping to find a cheaper source of thinners next, but this is still cheaper than using Tamiya. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alpha Delta 210 Posted September 3, 2012 Share Posted September 3, 2012 Hi Depressed Lemur Thanks for the tip on the Halfords Primer. Have you conducted any further trials with alternative thinners? Up to now, I've used Halfords aerosols, but since starting to use an airbrush last month, I have been experimenting with Alclad grey primer because it was praised by many on BM. I think this is a very expensive solution and I am trying to find something cheaper! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
depressed lemur Posted September 3, 2012 Author Share Posted September 3, 2012 Hi Alpha, Yes I have still tried alternatives, no, nothing valid as yet, but Mr Hobby is still quite cheap if you get the larger bottles.. I am tempted to try Halfords Acrylic thinners as this has some quite useful solvents, but I think it may have an effect on the plastic. I think it will be down to drying times. It is also very smelly, so I will probably use a mask and keep the windows open. I have used this paint sucessfully on undercoating a Revell F4 and a very small F-15 (1:144) - I will post pics soon, including the particular can of paint (there are a few variants on the shelf). Bit of an update, I am now using around 35% paint, 65% solvent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy K Posted September 3, 2012 Share Posted September 3, 2012 Have you tried Halfords Plastic Primer? I use that rather than the ordinary Halfords primers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thx6667 Posted September 3, 2012 Share Posted September 3, 2012 Some swear by Tamiya grey primer, I tend to swear at it - I just don't get on with its coverage and really can't stand the smell. It reminds me of the cellulose primer you can find in Poundland, only not quite so grotty. I've tended to stick with Halfords over the years, but of late I've been using the new Humbrol acrylic spray primer and I have to say its really good stuff. Great coverage, nice and smooth, dries in minutes and I even got it down to the last life of the pressure without it spitting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
depressed lemur Posted September 4, 2012 Author Share Posted September 4, 2012 Have you tried Halfords Plastic Primer? I use that rather than the ordinary Halfords primers. Halford Acrylic primer in a tin is the same as the Plastic primer in a rattle can. The only difference is the rattle can is thinned more. I got this info from a guy who used to work for the paint manufacturer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pte1643 Posted September 4, 2012 Share Posted September 4, 2012 There seems to be a little confusion over the two types of Halfords Primer. They are BOTH Acrylic primers, it's just that the "Primer for Plastic" (which is more expensive btw) contains Plasticizers which make it more suitable for spraying the Flexible parts of your car (Bumpers, Trim, Spoilers etc). This isn't really a consideration when spraying plastic models, as they are not generally needed to "Flex", therefore it's cheaper to buy the normal Grey Primer. This, obviously, doesn't include their Enamel Primer, or Filler Primer which are, of course, different. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy K Posted September 4, 2012 Share Posted September 4, 2012 If they are both the same, why did I get a reaction with the ordinary primer and not the plastic primer? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alpha Delta 210 Posted September 4, 2012 Share Posted September 4, 2012 Hi Alpha, Yes I have still tried alternatives, no, nothing valid as yet, but Mr Hobby is still quite cheap if you get the larger bottles.. I am tempted to try Halfords Acrylic thinners as this has some quite useful solvents, but I think it may have an effect on the plastic. I think it will be down to drying times. It is also very smelly, so I will probably use a mask and keep the windows open. I have used this paint sucessfully on undercoating a Revell F4 and a very small F-15 (1:144) - I will post pics soon, including the particular can of paint (there are a few variants on the shelf). Bit of an update, I am now using around 35% paint, 65% solvent. Thanks very much for your helpful reply. I have just sprayed a Tucano with Halfords aerosol grey Primer in the garden. I do like the finish and the speed of drying. I think I will buy the 250ml can of Halfords grey primer, as tested by you to use with my new air brush. When thinned to your suggested ratio, it seems to be very good value compared to the Halfords aerosol and specialist model paints. I will definitely use my extracting spray booth and mask, though!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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