Sharknose Posted February 18, 2019 Share Posted February 18, 2019 (edited) Hi all, new member so apologies if this had been covered. Very new to using an airbrush and my number of schoolboy errors is rapidly rising. The latest of which seemed to be decanting Taiyma light grey primer into a jar and then into my airbrush (yeah i read that on a forum!). Smh. Took me ages to clean the ab after. So obvious question - what's general consensus for the best primers to use with an airbrush? Vallejo bottled? Edited February 18, 2019 by Sharknose Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colin Posted February 18, 2019 Share Posted February 18, 2019 Not sure what your asking, cleaning the airbrush, decnting or what primer to use Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sharknose Posted February 18, 2019 Author Share Posted February 18, 2019 21 minutes ago, colin said: Not sure what your asking, cleaning the airbrush, decnting or what primer to use Edited now sorry but I'm after recommendations for primers to use with an airbrush. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bmwh548 Posted February 18, 2019 Share Posted February 18, 2019 Mr. Surfacer 1200. It takes a lot of thinner (1:1 or even 2 parts thinner to 1 part primer) so you get a lot of use out of 1 bottle. Dries nice and smooth, grip is amazing, it can be used as a filler too (though in all honesty you should use the 500 variant for that). Recommended thinner would be Mr. Leveling Thinner. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fewr9fkr9595 Posted February 18, 2019 Share Posted February 18, 2019 Airbrushable primer? One word. Three times. Stynylrez, Stynylrez, Stynylrez. Much better than any vallejo or ak type stuff. Two companies have rebottled it too its that good - UMP and mig ammo one shot. No used any smelly Mr. type stuff for over two years now... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colin Posted February 18, 2019 Share Posted February 18, 2019 I use Mr Surfacer primers 1500 thinned with their Mr Levelling thinner.They are lacquer based primers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pin Posted February 18, 2019 Share Posted February 18, 2019 1 hour ago, Sharknose said: Took me ages to clean the ab after. What were you cleaning it with? Laquor based primers, such as Tamiya Primer, should be cleaned with cellulose thinners. Stinky, yes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sharknose Posted February 18, 2019 Author Share Posted February 18, 2019 25 minutes ago, Pin said: What were you cleaning it with? Laquor based primers, such as Tamiya Primer, should be cleaned with cellulose thinners. Stinky, yes. Probably the wrong stuff. Vallejo cleaner. Tamiya thinners. Blood, sweat. Some tears. Bit more thinners. More tears. Then hassle from the Mrs when she walked into the kitchen and saw it was like a war zone. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pin Posted February 18, 2019 Share Posted February 18, 2019 6 minutes ago, Sharknose said: Vallejo cleaner. Definitely wrong, as intended for acrylics 6 minutes ago, Sharknose said: Tamiya thinners. Which thinners? There are thinners for both acrylics and laquors Rule of thumb - there are three types of paints - acrylics, enamels and laquors (yes, I know that this is _not_ accurate from chemist point of view and I deliberately simplifying things). Thin acrylics with water/alcohol, enamels with white spirit and laquors with cellulose thinners. It does not work the other way around (yes, I know it is not always true but you should know what you doing so don't try unless you know) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Noble Posted February 18, 2019 Share Posted February 18, 2019 The best primer I've found for airbrushing is Tamiya primer in the aerosol can, used from the aerosol can!! I don't go through the hassle of decanting it when I can get an excellent finish straight from the can, oh and no need to clean out your airbrush after use as you never used it in the first place.. Seriously, I've never had any luck airbrushing primer so I just spray it from the can. Less fuss, less cleaning and a better finish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiwimodeller Posted February 19, 2019 Share Posted February 19, 2019 I've always used Tamiya Liquid Surface Primer thinned with their lacquer thinner 50:50 It sprays nicely but as others have mentioned, it's very smelly. Recently I've started buying Mission Models paint and primers. These also spray really well but with the added bonus of no nasty smell, as well as being super easy to clean up. Their primers come in black, white, grey and red oxide. I have no affiliation with Mission Models, I'm just a very happy customer who wishes I found their paints sooner Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sharknose Posted February 19, 2019 Author Share Posted February 19, 2019 7 hours ago, Pin said: Definitely wrong, as intended for acrylics Which thinners? There are thinners for both acrylics and laquors Rule of thumb - there are three types of paints - acrylics, enamels and laquors (yes, I know that this is _not_ accurate from chemist point of view and I deliberately simplifying things). Thin acrylics with water/alcohol, enamels with white spirit and laquors with cellulose thinners. It does not work the other way around (yes, I know it is not always true but you should know what you doing so don't try unless you know) Thanks. I half understood the split between enamel and acrylic but not the make up of the primer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sharknose Posted February 19, 2019 Author Share Posted February 19, 2019 5 hours ago, Steve Noble said: The best primer I've found for airbrushing is Tamiya primer in the aerosol can, used from the aerosol can!! I don't go through the hassle of decanting it when I can get an excellent finish straight from the can, oh and no need to clean out your airbrush after use as you never used it in the first place.. Seriously, I've never had any luck airbrushing primer so I just spray it from the can. Less fuss, less cleaning and a better finish. Interesting. I have done this before with the grey but feels like it's going on far too thick and filling all panel lines in etc. The white version just seemed like a disaster, splattering no matter how far I move the can and leaving me with a lot to clean up on the model. Maybe I'm just rubbish though! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Noble Posted February 19, 2019 Share Posted February 19, 2019 Place the can in a bowl of warm water for 5-10 mins before spraying. It helps by warming the paint inside the can and creates a better, more even pressure, allowing the paint to atomise more evenly.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bmwh548 Posted February 19, 2019 Share Posted February 19, 2019 Or you can just buy the bottled Tamiya primer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Noble Posted February 19, 2019 Share Posted February 19, 2019 2 hours ago, bmwh548 said: Or you can just buy the bottled Tamiya primer Which one is that? Never seen bottled Tamiya primer? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bmwh548 Posted February 19, 2019 Share Posted February 19, 2019 https://www.tamiya.com/english/products/87096surface/index.htm The one in the link is white, it also comes in gray. Lacquer based just like Mr. Surfacer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sharknose Posted February 19, 2019 Author Share Posted February 19, 2019 Thanks for the advice. I've got cellulose thinners now and will look for some of the other recommended primers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Night Owl Posted March 6, 2019 Share Posted March 6, 2019 Sorry for the late reply I just used Model Master Super Fine Gray Lacquer Primer on a jet I am painting no thinning ready to spray super easy. Use regular lacquer thinner for clean up. The finish is as advertised super fine absolutely incredibly smooth. Happy modeling. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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