brush-on primers?

[ragnarcissist]

hey all, anyone know of any good brush-on primers out there? preferably in the U.S of A? any help is appreciated

[rogue.trader.voril]

I have been happy with the Vallejo brush on primer, but I only use it for touching up spray on areas I missed.

[gwensdad]

I used the Vallejo on a project I was doing and recently for touch-ups and places where spray-on didn't cover right. Works fine for me.

[ragnarcissist]

thanks guys, do you know where i can order some vallejo stuff? cant seem to find it....

[Emerald Rose Widow]

i think the warstore sells vallejo stuff

[AbusePuppy]

Gesso, a brush-on primer available at virtually any art store, is also a good choice. (Only the black variety. White Gesso is terrible for modeling.) It can be applied fairly liberally and shrinks, which generally necessitates at least one touch-up coat, but insures that it does not obscure details, and it is not at all sensitive to temperature or humidity, which is a blessing for those living in less pleasant climes.

Plus, it's cheap. I bought a medium-sized bottle for $7, which is enough for hundreds of figs.

[templarboy]

The Vallejo primers are acrylic-polyurethane. They are a bit harder to rinse out of your brushes if they dry a bit. I wouldn't use your best brushes. Other than that they are great and come in number of colours. I have black, red brown, dark yellow, grey and white. I got mine from the Warstore. They are awesome.

[ragnarcissist]

just got done priming my thunderwolf riders with black GESSO as abusepuppy suggested, and gotta say, this stuff is awesome! super cheap (got it at michaels) and looks superb... proly gonna make this my new go to fo primers. thanks again abuse for the suggestion!!

[pathwinder14]

I always liked GW's smelly primer. As long as you thin it down it's great.

[lobster-overlord]

thanks guys, do you know where i can order some vallejo stuff? cant seem to find it....

Ask at your FLGS. Most will be happy to special order it for you. Go in armed with the item number as well. If you are placing a special order and pay up front, you might even be able to ask for an additional discount (just don't say "I can get it cheaper online").

[DeathsHead]

I use the vallejo brush on black primer for heads. I find that you can control it better then with a spray can. Purchased mine on ebay, came with anitshine additive, and dry retarder, all of which are great stuff.

[inquisitorsog]

Vallejo works, there's also some I've seen in arts and crafts stores ,but those seem hit or miss as to finding in stock.

When I first got started painting minis (in earnest), I used gray testors enamel as a brush on primer. I've not used in quite a while and it isn't water soluble, but if you don't find something that works for you, that may be worth a shot. That said, I've not used it in nearly 20 years, so I don't know if they've changed formula.

Whatever you do end up trying, always try it out on a scrap model or bit of sprue first. I once got to spend a lot of time scraping about 50 minis to get off a "primer" that wouldn't stick.

[Abides]

Black or white gesso from Golden.High quality stuff, shrinks when it dries to keep detail.Its almost impossible to goop on too much of the stuff.
As a bonus, its very flexible when dry.I used to have problems with flaking paint on things like tree armatures made from soft plastic. This stuff just takes all the hard knocks and sticks.

[DeffHeadDice]

I've had the best luck with the Vallejo primer, both with airbrush (thinned a bit) and regular brush. Won't go back to the other stuff.

[weeble1000]

I've never thought to use gesso. I'll have to give that a try. I normally prime with Duplicolor sandable primer, which works fine, but I have been thinking about trying a brush on primer. Thanks for the tip.

[1crazygamer]

Reaper Makes an excellent brush on primer. I have used both black and white and they turn out great.

[ragnarcissist]

since the day after i posted this thread ive been using goldens black gesso primer ALOT. this stuff has been superb, whether doing an entire model or just touch ups after i use spray on, it is a staple to my painting!!

[Spartiatis]

I've had great luck with black gesso. Had a hard time actually finding it in my area as every store I went to was sold out and if it was in stock someone had squeezed most of it out of the bottle. You can brush it on fairly liberally and it does not obscure the details once it has dried and shrunk. You do need a touch up here and there after the shrinking but its a great alternative when the weather does not allow for spray priming. If I'm worried a model has alot of detail and and it may be possibly obscured I thin it with a bit of water.
It was also recommended to me to get the gesso that is in a squeeze bottle as it is supposed to be a thinner consistency.

[fuzzyguy]

Reaper Makes an excellent brush on primer. I have used both black and white and they turn out great.

Reaper primers and paints are very nice.

[Corax.69]

I've had good experience with the brush on Vallejo white primer. I haven't found a good brush on black primer.