Primer for Plastic TSSD Soldiers!? (1 Viewer)

Aggie99

Aggie99

Private 2
Joined
Nov 1, 2010
Messages
120
Okay, so I have finally started painting my TSSD's miniatures that arrived a few weeks ago (btw fantastic product! I highly recommend!!).

However, I used a spray primer (grey in color) made by KRYLON.

As some of you know, I have a bag of cheap plastic army men that I test stuff on, and I had a couple of those who were first to get sprayed down with the primer. The primer dried quick and seemed to work great....so, after the test, I tried it on my TSSD figure.

Within minutes, the TSSD figure was dry and ready to go.

That was last night, so I primed him over 24 hours ago.

Tonight I sat down to start painting him. The little green army men that I tested the primer on were fine. They were dry, and paint stuck to them very well. However, my TSSD figure was very sticky! The painting went okay, but every time I would set him down, he would be stuck to my fingers. After pulling my fingers away, there was grey primer stuck to my fingers (so it was clear that the primer was the sticky part).

What was weird, is that the cheap crappy toy solider were not sticky at all!!

Anyway, this is not a "knock" on TSSD...there product is amazing, and I highly recommend it.

What I am writing for is to see if anyone else has had problems with this before? I have studied the figure and he doesnt appear to be "melting" or deteriorating in any way...so I think I am okay.

However, I am just worried that I will wake up tomorrow or the next day, only to find out that he has melted away!
 
Oh sorry, I should have mentioned that.

YES, I did wash them before I primed them. I was told that I didn't need to really "scrub" them or anything, but essentially I just need to run some warm water, get them wet, cover them with soap, and rinse. Almost the same as if I was just simply washing my hands.

On this particular miniature, I actually did this twice. Once, when I first got him (b/c I planned on painting right away) and then again just the other day when I finally got to actually start painting.

However, if that is the problem, then I am guessing I need to wash them down a little more??
 
Try Shaking the Paint Can A Little Longer and
Spraying With a Feathering Motion.
 
The TSSD plastic i find has a good surface and a quick wash is all you should need.
Cant say about your primmer as i have never used it.
 
Is the primer oil based? I bet it is, and it is reacting to the plastic. I had a similar thing happen to me with saddle cloths that were a rubbery type plastic and I had used oil paint on it, it never dried and was really sticky. I used paint thinner to clean it up then had to use acrylic paint. Bet if you bought an acrylic primer you wouldn't have that problem.
 
I've had it happen on TSSD using Krylon Fusion flat. It wasnt real sticky just stayed tacky. It only happened on some TSSD I painted and I primed some other things at the same time and they weren't tacky. I went ahead and painted them anyway. After the paint dried it cracked. I put another coat on it and it was fine. That was months ago and the figures are still fine. I dont know what caused it. I guess it's something about the make up of the plastic in TSSD and that certain paint maybe. When I wash mine I use a toothbrush to give them a good scrubbing. That had nothing to do with the tacky primer coat in that case though. Good Luck Aggie99.
 
thebritfarmer:

Here is a link to the primer I am using. I didnt think it was oil-based, but it apparently is.

http://www.homedepot.com/Paint-Spra...splay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053

I actually selected this primer b/c I had found (via google) several forums with people saying that this primer was one that they liked and recommended for use with their plastic miniatures.

Captain:

Thanks for the response, as now I don't feel nearly as worried (since this has happened to someone else). I am guessing it is just the primer, as most of my cheaper figures didnt react at all to the primer when sprayed.

Your description is also a little better. It is sticky, but "tacky" is probably a better word. I am really hoping it doesnt affect the figure at all....and hopefully the paint wont crack either.

I went ahead and painted over the entire firgure with some light grey paint, in order to cover up the "sticky-ness." Otherwise, I would follow britfarmers suggestion of trying paint thinner to clean it up.


As I said before, I am a big fan of these TSSD figures, and a big fan of TSSD as well...so I really hope I havent gone and ruined one of my figures!!

We shall see.....

Any other recommendations/suggestions are welcome! Thanks!!
 
Hmmm....

So I started thinking about it, and I looked up the white primer that I have.

http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc...splay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053

Here it is from the same online store as the gray primer I posted below.

However, this time the description doesn't say "oil based."

I haven't used the white primer on the TSSD soldiers as of yet, but I will on the next one just to see if there is a difference.

Also, I guess that just b/c the product description online doesnt say "oil based," it doesnt mean that it actually isnt oil based (as it still might be, but if it was, I doubt they would leave that off).

Interesting enough.....oh well, I hope to get to the bottom of this!!
 
Hi, Aggie, a couple of tips:

If you wash your plastic first, I would use an old toothbrush and gently scrub. Merely soaking in soay water is not really sufficient to remove any mold release compounds or oils. I do the same thing with plastic figures, and with plastic model kits. I fill a large glass dish with warm water, with a drop or two of dishwashing liquid added--it doesn't take a lot. I use an old toothbrush to scrub the pieces genty, and rinse them under running water. Then I put them on paper towels and let them dry. Note that some manufacturer's pieces need cleaning more than others, and with some, you might get by with no cleaning at all. But it doesn't hurt.

For primer, I use cheap-a$$ Walmart automotive primer. Their brand name has changed over the years, but it covers reasonably well and provides good "tooth" on soft or hard plastic, or on metal. I use the darker gray for most jobs, light gray-almost an off-white-for jobs that will have brighter colors, like white trousers, or the white underside of a Navy aircraft in the tricolor camo scheme. I also bought the reddish brown, but I found that it makes the details a little harder to see, for some subjects. For me, primer provides the tooth for the top layers to bite into, but it also helps me to see the details on the piece better.

Hope that helps, prosit!
Brad
 
I use Games Workshop primer, which is made for plastic..It can be more expensive than others, but it has never failed me..Michael
 
Where can I get the GW Primer!?? Is there a site (that is better than others) to order from?
 
I used to use Games Workshop primer with very good results.. but they stopped making gray (which is my primer color of choice).. I changed to Armory Primer - gray and have excellent results with it.. it is now my primer of choice. You can look it up online - and some hobby shops/game stores carry it.

Jim
 
Hi everyone! I'm new today on this forum, but am not new to toy soldier/figures, in fact I had a similar experience with Krylon paint also.

I have found my very favorite primer to use to be: http://www.rustoleum.com/CBGProduct.asp?pid=402 Rustoleum Ultracover 2x in flat gray. This is the only one that works for me and it works very well. I have JUST purchased my first batch of TSSD soldiers and plan to prime them tomorrow with this paint. I will wash in soapy water with a toothbrush, then rinse and dry thoroughly. I don't feel good unless I let them dry for 12 hours plus, even though it claims they are ready in 10 minutes!

This is just my 2 cents, but I have abandoned Krylon completely, I just can't get the hang of using that primer well.

P.S. The TSSD soldiers are amazing!


Thanks for this awesome forum.



John
 
Hi, Johnny, I thought I recognized you from Agape! Wendy is a member here, too. Welcome to the forum!

Prost!
Brad
 
And to the topic--now that I'm operational with an airbrush, I'm going to test using Mr. Surfacer as a primer. I've read online from other folks who have tried it, and I'm curious to see how well it works. I have some Zvezda 1/72 WWI Germans that I think I'll use.

Prost!
Brad
 
Hello Baron Sir!

Thank you for the welcome!

This forum is really great!

Looking forward to learning a lot from you all! ^&grin


JR
 
Welcome to the forum. Looks like Brad knows you from another forum. Are you a painter like Wendy? I live in Marshall. I been to the hobby shop in Tecumseh. Is it still there? Leadmen (John):)
 
Ha! Small world Leadman!

I have been to Marshal before and really live close to there relatively speaking! I go to the model store in Tecumseh AT LEAST three times a week! ^&grin

I help support that company quite a bit! They have a ton of figures!

Also, I am a painter and love to paint, but would NOT put myself up there with Wendy! Not by a long shot! :wink2: I met Wendy in person and saw her work!

Thanks! JR (John)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 2 (members: 0, guests: 2)
Community platform by XenForo® © 2010-2024 XenForo Ltd.
Back
Top