Which Primer?

[luchjeg6]

I have to spray a Bijo Supra body and the colour is very similar to the clsonic skyline's one so I bougt a Tamiya French Blue spray can.
For this color is better to spray a white or a grey primer?

Another question: do you usually spray with primer the interior parts before painting them?

[MPWR]

French blue is a rather light color, so whit is probably best. Personally, I always prime in grey first, and spray white primer overtop for any colors that require a lighter background.

Some people like to prime everything that will be painted. If that makes you happy, go for it. However it is entirely unnecessary, and a bit silly. Primer must be sanded before it is painted. It is intended to create an even, flawless surface for painting a bodycolor. But sanding complicated and detailed parts is a huge effort. For engine, suspension, interior and other detail parts it's a waste of time and effort to bother with primer- you will get no real benefit (unless the paint you're using requires primer to protect the plastic).

[luchjeg6]

Thank you for all but; if I have to paint red a black plastic part of the engine I have to spray the primer or the colour won't fix, right?

[tuned.by.twenty]

I always use primer-the results are always better. I coat everything with grey primer, and then use white over top if a part will be a light colour.
Especially when the plastic is dark and you want a light colour, primer is a must.

[klutz_100]

Originally Posted by MPWR

Some people like to prime everything that will be painted....

Yep. me.

Originally Posted by MPWR

...However it is entirely unnecessary, and a bit silly.

I would tend to disagree with that (but not entirely). It is perhaps a little overkill in some cases BUT on the other hand it has a lot of benefits.

• Chassis and suspension parts frequently have sink marks, pin marks, mold lines and sprue joins in the most awful places. Grey primer really helps in seeing if the clean up has been 100% good;
• You don't need to sand these primed mechanical parts (as opposed to body/interior parts)- the little texture that is present in the primed finish adds a bit of realism IMO;
• These piddly little parts often need 2-3 colors on them if you want to paint them accurately (e.g satin black, aluminium, titanium gold on suspension parts). To do this easily I use liquid masking. In my experience, priming the parts helps reduce the risk of the paint pulling off when removing masking.

Originally Posted by MPWR

If that makes you happy, go for it.

Totally agree with that sentiment.
My motto is "Primer is cheap, so why skimp?" but that doesn't mean that it's everyones thing. But on the other hand, it doesn't make me silly

[renekingcrosby]

hello there,
Is it a must to sand a primed body? In the tutorial I read that I have to prime the body and then I can already go for the color.
thanks everybody!

[MPWR]

...That depends on how much texture you like in your paint.

[tuned.by.twenty]

If the primer dries smooth, sanding isn't required. If it dries rough, sanding is recommended.

[renekingcrosby]

Aaaaah,

ok I use the blue RevellofGermany spray-can (grey primer) I don't know how it dries. I will build my first car...
So if I want to have a great color job I have to:
1. Sand the body and wash it
2. primer the body and sand it if it dries not smooth, then wash the body
3. spray the color and spray gloss coat
4. put the decals on it and spray the final gloss coat?

Is this the right way?
Thank you very, very much boys!!!

[bark]

what ive figured out with a grey primer is this:
it helps any imperfection there may be stand out!

so what i have done is,i take it out of the box, wash it in a mild soap, let it dry, i then file/sand any blemish i may see, i then give it a good scrubbing with a toothbrush and maximum stregnth sensodyne toothpaste (this seems to have a good grit to it) after that dries i then prceed to spray a grey primer (tamiya baby!). i then sand any other imperfection i see!

if i choose a light color for the body (such as yellow) i use tamiya white primer, if i choose a dark color (such as black) i use tamiya grey.

of corse there is a lot more sanding (dry and wet) involved than mentioned, if i listed absolutly everything i did to prepare a body for spraying, i would more than likely crash this websites server!