Primer - what is best?

[Barton]

I live in Chicago, IL USA. Mostly metal minis, a few plastic ones, a handful resin.
I am using brush on Vallejo White Foundation as a primer, and Vallejo black brush on paint. I am taking the paint and using a 5 part paint to 3 part water and using that as primer. I seem to be getting good results so far.

I hate using spray primer. It is messy and very smelly. I also got terrible results in the past using GW spray primer. It was suggested to be by people that my technique was poor.
Spray primer has to be done in my garage and dust is a problem, also temperature/humidity was a problem.

What primer(s) do you recommend???

[Skrit]

I have problems with brush on primer as I can never get that on smoothly enough. Myself had a few dodgy GW cans in the past too but overall it's what I like best. I just spray outside in the open air (if weather allows) and I put on the primer in several steps.

There is a (spray on) primer i've been meaning to try out, sorry can't get to the name (hard weekend lol!) but it's grey, could be tamiya...
Also someone suggested priming with an airbrush to me as you don't lose any detail at all and it's cheaper in the long haul.

Might try it out one day and share the results. Not much help I know but maybe sharing helps...

[mahon]

I love car primers in spray cans. Brands may be different here, but it adheres to the model very well and is neutrally grey.
Then you can cover it with any color you like and with some black and white you can easily pre-shade your model so that it's easier to paint

[Dargrin]

I second the GW primer. That is pretty much the only thing that I buy from them.

[Barton]

For those using spray primers, what is your tricks and procedure you use to spray the mini's.
My experience has been TERRIBLE with the GW product. Beading, running, and the stink. I would store indoors and use outdoors (due to stench). Temperature and humidity have been suggested as problems in my use. What say you all?

[Dargrin]

I have only seen beading and running when the spray is on the mini too long. When I prime, I hold the can about 12 inches (30 cm)away from the fig . I start the spray away from the mini and the then sweep past the mini 2 or three times in very short bursts. No more then a second. I do both sides this way and I let it dry. Once dry I look it over and hit the spots I missed using the same technique. It is important to let it dry before each coat.

[flagoon]

I love car primers in spray cans. Brands may be different here, but it adheres to the model very well and is neutrally grey.
Then you can cover it with any color you like and with some black and white you can easily pre-shade your model so that it's easier to paint

I've used a car primer once. Don't recall the name of the firm, but after spraying my mini was about 1mm thicker than it was before . Maybe I used it wrong, but shortly I was back to GW Skull White primer which works fine for me, but it's twice the price of car primer.

[mahon]

Is price so much of a problem? You buy one can and it should suffice for many many miniatures.
How much does it add to a price of one miniature? I think it's very little...

You may also try excellent range of Tamiya Mr.Surfacers - but they're even more expensive than GW primers.

[flagoon]

Is price so much of a problem? You buy one can and it should suffice for many many miniatures.
How much does it add to a price of one miniature? I think it's very little...

Main idea of my post was just to present a terrifying story with no-name car primer in main role, not to speak about prices etc. Especially, what you said in your reply, that it's not such a big expense in a whole. As for primers, I'm using Citadel Skull White, because since I painted my first mini on white primer I loved it. In other cases I use Vallejo Model Air Grey Primer and some black paints with airbrush.

And I guess it's my nature to seek saving wherever I can. Sometimes I'm really crazy about it. I'm buying paints in UK, because even thou they are more expensive than in Poland, I have free shipping. I'm asking my friends for broken refrigerators, because I would like to make a compressor for an airbrush. I don't like to spend too much money to spoil myself

[Coyote]

I use Liquitex Black Gesso, brushed on. It's super thick and while some people glob it on full strength I like to thin it with some black acrylic ink