celest flame
Recently got a more expensive airbrush and have been having major issues with weird gritty finish on the models. Turns out it was the black primer. I have no idea why this is happening.
I think down Vallejo Black Surface Primer 4:1 ~ 3:1
I spray at 20-25 psi
I do light passes on the model with the brush and try to be light with it.
I wait about 10 mins for the spray to dry before applying another layer.
spark roost
drying before it reaches the surface ...
celest flame
Hmmm
How do I fix that issue?
I keep it fairly close to the model like 15-20 cm
Too far?
FYI I live in fairly moderate humidity so…
tribal tulip
It's recommended to not thin primer, and if you must do, thin them as little as possible.
I spray Vallejo surface with a 0.5 mm airbrush, at 40 psi.
If I have to thin, I just add a few drops of flow improver only, at a rate of 1 or 2 drops for every 10 drops of primer.
celest flame
Vallejo Surface Primer is a bit chunky for me
It clogs constantly without thinning. Is the bottle bad?
Or needing more shaking
tribal tulip
It is a thick primer. As long as the primer still looks a liquid rather than a mess of hard particles, it's fine.
It definitely needs a lot of shaking.
Usually when I need to use it, I do a deep clean of the airbrush before, put a bit of lubricant of the needle, and if I have to do a long session, I frequently clean the needle tip with a qtip and IPA.
celest flame
Is this how the primer is supposed to look on the model?
tribal tulip
No, but I'm not surprised with the dilution you used. Generally I get a solid opaque colour in 2 passes.
tribal tulip
Give me a few minutes, I'm getting some primed models out
celest flame
Thank you
tribal tulip
Primed black, not with Vallejo Surface
celest flame
I see
Can I get a close up of the texture on the mini for comparisons sake?
I’d like to compare and work from there
tribal tulip
Basically a primer should keep the texture you have below.
Also aspect will vary from primer to primer. On this model, the one I used is satin, so there's a lot of light reflection. If I had used the AK 3rd gen one, it is so matte that it would have been hard to see some light reflection.
celest flame
I see
However since it is a matte finish would there not be a rougher texture on it?
tribal tulip
You shouldn't really see it. It will be rough but at a microscopic scale.
manic kiln
PSI sounds good. Is it possible your passes are too light? Unless you need to do a 'dust coat', try a little heavier 'wet coat.'? Obviously don't flood the model or push splatter, but a lot of primer levels out pretty good.