Paint Chipping off of Metal Models

[eagleboy7259]

Hey, I play demons and I've been having a problem with paint chipping off of my metal models. I don't know if its a problem with the pewter or something that I'm doing wrong but if someone can help me out it would save me sooo much frustration because you can't paint, wash, drybrush, blend a spot the size of a marine eyeball. Theres so many mismatched dots on my mini's I'm about ready to strip them and paint them over.

-I only use Citadel paints, however I hand prime my mini's instead of using a spray prime
-I do not wash my mini's, I have heard that sometimes the release agent can mess with the paint but before now I've never had a problem with it
-I transport my mini's in Pelican pick and pluck foam - Pelican company makes air tight cases and is used by the army, oceanographers, and professional photographers so its not bad material.

I had an all metal army before this, but I've never had a problem like this before. Can anyone help me out?

[The AKH]

Switching to a spray primer will help - it gives a much more even coat and adheres better to the model. Washing shouldn't be an issue with metal models - in my experience the only models you need to wash carefully are resin ones.

The foam you use probably isn't the problem - most chips will happen in the course of regular gameplay. The best permanent solution to paint chipping is to spray varnish your models (GW Purity Seal or some such) after you've finished painting them.

Hope this helps!

[eagleboy7259]

Is there a way to use varnish without getting the glossy finish? The style that I use in painting has a lot of drybrushed textures on the finished model and that glossy finish seems to make them look incomplete / unfinished.

[BlackKnight15624]

Acrylic paints don't naturally adhere to metals very well- that's why they recommend you use a good primer (not GW's Chaos Black- it's just black paint in a spray can... not a primer). Krylon makes a really good Black or White primer for about half the cost of GW. You can pick it up at any arts or crafts store.

Another thing you should be looking out for is sealer- in the vein of GW's Purity Seal or Krylon's Clear coat. Using Testor's Dullcote will remove any shine from a gloss coat. It's a great sealer in and of itself, but apparently (according to the recent article on BoLS) it rubs off quicker than a gloss coat. If you use a gloss coat, followed by the dullcote it'll seal your stuff better than Billy Mays could sell Oxyclean.