Question about a modeling tip in the "Walthers' Flyer"

Model Railroader Layouts and layout building
1

One of my recent “Walthers Flyers” included a “Walthers Workshop” about realistic brick. And the first line left me flummoxed: “1.Prime with plastic-compatible auto primer (for a red brick structure, use red oxide primer.”

Can somebody please tell me:

  1. What brand of plastic-compatible auto primer was used?

  2. Is it available in California (strict air-pollution laws)?

  3. Where can I buy it? (I’ve checked Home Depot, several Ace stores, a few Kragens, and Google)

Thanks for the help guys. Karl

2

Karl,go to a NAPA or auto body supply house.

Good luck

3

Karl, I think what they were trying to convey was to make sure you picked a “plastic-compatible” primer. That would mean no lacquer in the spray. I use Rustoleum’s ‘Painter’s Touch’ line with great success. (It does show on the label it can be used on autos.) It fills those tiny sanding lines without covering fine detail. It comes in black, white, dark gray,and red oxide (great for brick or blast furnaces). I get it at Home Depot.

Don

4

I’m curious about why they would specify automobile primer. I sometimes use gray primer for rocks and rock walls. I ran out of my usual stuff, and all I could find was auto primer. It went on thicker, thus hiding some of the details. It also smelled a lot more, and took longer to dry than the old cheap stuff I had been using.

I still use primer, both gray and rust for bricks, but I avoid the “automobile” stuff. I usually buy it at Lowes, but only because they’re right on my drive home. (My local True Value has free popcorn.)

5

Good morning,

The specific brand we use is PlastiKote® sandable primer, made by the Valspar Corporation in Medina, OH — www.plasti-kote.com.

Here in the Milwaukee area, it’s readily available at farm supply and auto part stores, in red oxide and gray, and some stores also carry black.

There are two formulas, the regular primer that we use most often and a spot filler. The spot filler is formulated to fill in tiny surface imperfections on metals. While both will work, the filler type is a little trickier on plastic models with really small/fine details.

Auto primer is suggested as it has a very fine pigment, and dries dead flat, usually within 30 minutes, although I prefer to wait longer than that. Not only does it have a good “tooth” for additional coats of paint, when dry, it’s not affected by turpentine or model paint thinners, a big plus if you’re using oils or solvent-based paint washes for additional weathering.

Hope this helps — good luck with your project!

Lance Burton
Senior Writer, Wm. K. Walthers, Inc.

6

Thanks, Lance. I get the monthly flyers, and I really like the modeling tips and “create a scene” sections that have been added to them in recent issues. It’s always interesting to see how others approach this aspect of the hobby, and, well, we’re never to old to learn new tricks.

7

Lance, thank you: I think I saw PlastiKote at several places-----I’ll try that and then use the mineral red (GOT IT!) and then the foam putty to try to get good mortar lines .

Karl Sonkin

Menlo Park, CA

8

Ace Hardware also carries PlastiKote.