Shake Can Acrylic Primer Recommendations

Model Railroader General Discussion (Model Railroader)
1

I know this has been discussed before, but it’s now my turn to ask. I placed a paint and detail parts order with Walthers yesterday for my Erie milk car project and forgot to add a bottle of acrylic primer. Love those senior moments! I called customer service, but it’s too late to add to the order and I’m not going to pay another eleven bucks just for shipping a small bottle, so let’s go to Plan B. Modelers here have used shake can primer before and I’m aware of potential nozzle problems, etc., but which ones would you guys recommend for use with acryic paints? Has anyone ever sprayed out shake can primer into a container for use in an airbrush? Thanks!

Russ

2

There has a zillion threads about this, and I can’t remember what the general consensus was!

I know the name Tamyra comes up alot, and Rust Oleum. If I remember Krylon was at the bottom. Not much help, eh?

Now THAT I have done, many times. I got real handy with a section of big diameter plastic straws ( I know “Oh the horror! plastic straws”!) and painters tape to seal my “transfer pipe” so as not to make a mess, while transferring the paint from can to air brush bottle.

You usually don’t have to thin it, as it seems to be the right consistancy. I’ve painted locomotives, various frieght cars, and most recent, an overhead crane I scratch built.

I used Rust Oleum’s Painters Touch 2X paint, and it flows nice from the air brush.

I would think any decent primer would work, maybe avoid the automotive primers that have the filler included.

Mike.

3

I use rattle can auto primer from Krylon or Rustoleum straight from the rattle can. Use light gray under light colors, dark gray under dark colors and red under red. Hold the rattle can maybe 18 inches back from the model. Make sure the paint goes on just barely wet. Too dry gives a knubbly finish, too wet causes sags and runs. Move the can back and forth in a straight line and run it clear off the end of the car before letting up on the nozzle. And start the spray before it hits the model. If the first coat doesn’t cover, let it dry and give the model a second coat. Practice spraying on a piece of scrap to get the feel of the can before starting on your model. You can get a little more pressure and a little finer spray if you hold the can under running hot water for a minute. When finished, hold the can upside down and spray until it comes out clear. This cleans the nozzle so the can will spray right next time.

4

Krylon is easier to control than Rustoleum, but both work fine for priming and what I typically use.

When I have something that warrants the best, I use Tamiya spray primer. It comes in white and gray.

5

Hello All,

There have been several threads about the use of “rattle-can” or as you put it, “shake can” type primers.

Spray Painting

Prepping Plastic Structures

Recently Cody Grivno; MRM Group Technical Editor, has been espousing the use of Rust-Oleum “Painter’s Touch 2X”.

I have used this rattle-can paint. The viscosity is somewhere between the thicker coat of a traditional primer- -which can mask or hide details- -which is what primers are designed to do, and the thinner finish coat.

Recently I painted a resin GP30 shell with the Painter’s touch 2X Semi-Gloss black.

I prepped the raw shell using the warm water and dish detergent method. Allowed it to air dry and then painted it.

At first, the rattle-can paint+primer seemed to be applied too thick and obscured the door and panel details of the shell. After drying the details were revealed.

I will be decaling, weathering and sealing this unit soon.

The problem with light-colored finish coat paints is that underlying colors might show through.

Not a big problem if your finish coat is a dark color. If your finish coat is a light color; yellow, white, some oranges, the uneven colors of the underlying model might show through.

What is your final color scheme?

Valspar®; Lowe’s house brand, does make a clear primer for plastic in a rattle can as does Krylon®.

There is a member of these forums that does that. I cannot

6

Read my post above.

Mike.

7

If you are using an airbrush, a very nice acrylic primer is available from Vallejos.
If there is a Hobby Lobby nearby… That is still open…

They just might have it in stock there…

8

While I’m not normally a fan of paint in aerosol cans, I got near-to-airbrush results using Tamiya’s Grey Primer in a spray can.

I also found Alclad’s ALCLAD II LACQUER GREY PRIMER & MICROFILLER (ALC 302) very good for airbrushing, on both metal and plastic. It came in a 4oz. plastic bottle, and is ready-to-use after appropriate shaking of the contents. Its coverage is very good, without obscuring fine details.

I am pleased to have finally found a replacement for Floquil’s Grey Primer, the only Floquil paint that I’ve really missed.

Wayne

9

If you are doing a job where you want to preserve as much detail as possible I also vote for Tamiya primer which seems thinner that “household” rattle can paints. I used to use Testors but that was not acrylic. Mixing paint types (regular enamel, lacquer, acrylic enamel can give interesting if not desired results if the top coat attacks the primer.

10

Hello All,

Thank you for your input and knowledge!

Hope this helps.

11

I would second the Tamiya rattle can recommendation as a close second.

Never had much luck with the Testors, but it’s also not acrylic.

My best results have always been with an airbrush, but Tamiya seems to apply nice and thin as well.

Again, if there’s a Hobby Lobby nearby, that’s open…

12

I also “decant” spray paint. A good way to do this is to shoot the spray into the bottom of one of those short canned mushroom cans. Get enough for present needs, because after 10 minutes or so it dries rapidly. Repeat as necessary.

13

Thanks for the info, Guys! I’ve also heard of “decanting” the shake can primer and I think that may just be the way to go to get around lousy nozzles. The hobby shops here are still closed, so my choices are limited to what’s available in the hardware and home improvement stores. I know that Lowe’s has an acrylic spray primer, so I’ll plan a trip there. Thanks again! [tup]

14

Hello All,

I’m in the finishing phase of my kitbashed Walthers Northern Light & Power kit- -two kits combined to make one large structure to cover the 5A booster.

The two kits I’m combining were manufactured with slightly different colored plastic. If one kit was assembled on its own all the components would color match.

Because I have combined two kits, with slight color variations, I rattle can painted the wall sections with the same color for uniformity.

I then custom blended acrylic paints to replicate the granite colored lintels. After masking I airbrushed these details.

As I was working on the interior walls of the kit I noticed that the acrylic paint on the lintels was being scraped off on the work surface, despite over two weeks of drying time.

On my paint rack, for a clear matte finish, there is:

  • Krylon, Matte Finish; #1311
  • Valspar, Project Perfect Top Coat Flat Matte Finish; #84237
  • Valspar, Primer For Plastics; #68109

I chose the Krylon.

Using the “bain-mare” method I prepped the rattle can.

The only problem I had was the nozzle on the rattle can. Occasionally the spray would collect on the nozzle, form into a drop, and fall onto the wall section underneath.

Shaking the can frequently “cleared” the nozzle of this build-up.

Another option would have been spacing the wall panels farther apart on the painting rack. That would have prevented the unintentional drips from the nozzle falling on to the panel below.

The dry time was quick. This product sealed the acrylic paint to the underlying rattle can base.

Next step- -highlighting the mortar lines with joint compound.

Hopefully, an additional side-effect of the matte finish is it will give the joint compound something to “bite” into on the plastic kit.

Hope this helps.</

15

I don’t have much new to add but I will also put in my vote for my favorite being the Tamiya primer. I use Krylon Fusion for some things but if I want to keep detail for my WW2 models, Tamiya is my go to.

16

You can add my vote for Tamiya Primer also for the same reasons.

-Kevin