Priming models in the winter

[Ammonius]

As my "primed and ready for paint" box is getting empty, I was thinking of what next to assemble and prime. That's when I realized that it's 37°F (3°C) outside today, and my normal priming spot is outdoors.

 

So, brothers, how do you combine proper ventilation and a high enough temperature to prime models when it's cold outside? Or am I going to just have to mark this up as a lesson learned, and take steps next fall to have a full winter's worth of stuff primed?

[Bannus]

While you can prime in winter (if you have a garage or other suitable indoor location to prime), I tend to get a bunch of things assembled and primed in fall/spring when the weather is most conducive for priming and assemble/paint in summer and winter when it is too hot or cold to prime outside.

[Subtle Discord]

I know this problem only too well. I've found that you can get away with priming in colder temperatures if you do the following;

 

Temperature is key. Keep everything as warm as you can. You can even go so far as to hold the paint can close to you, or under your arm, for a few minutes to warm it up before you get started. Don't let the miniatures sit outside at all before you start.

 

And, work in very thin layers. I find if you try to put too much on, it will give an almost glossy surface. each layer needs to dry, but in the cold temperatures the solvents in the paint can evaporate quickly enough.

 

Combine the two by doing the following; Work near a door if you can. Prepare miniatures and warm your paint inside. Step outside and quickly give the miniatures a very quick ghosting of primer. Quickly step back inside and let the first layer dry until it's matte. Repeat the 'step-out, spray, step-in' process until you have 2-to-3 layers of primer.

 

You 'need' to step inside for two reasons; 1) It lets the solvents in the primer evaporate in the warmer air. 2) The paint and miniatures stay warmer, so the paint sprays better, and the miniatures take the primer better.

 

This is not perfect, but it's the best process I've been able to come up with.

[GumbaFish]

I honestly put on my respirator and either prime them in the basement and then just go food shopping or run errands for a few hours, or if it is a little warmer open up both of the windows in a room and bring in a fan or two and close the door while I am priming and after I leave so it doesn't stink up the rest of my upstairs. It isn't ideal, but I try not to have to prime much during the winter so it might be a once or twice a year occurance.

[Ammonius]

Thanks for the quick answers everyone! Regardless of what I manage to accomplish this winter, it looks like next year I need to have a "primerween" party at the end of October :huh:

[Hemal]

If you can get a fan heater near the models (at least near enough to warm the surround) that helps. Although I wuld prime with an spray gun in cold weather not aersol cans...

[Narse]

You can also use artist Gesso to prime minatures. I used white gesso from liquitex, maybe its brand dependent. For me the hard part is figuring out how much to water it down, so I would suggest trying it on some terrain pieces first.

 

When you get it watering it down, it is simply amazing. I don't think I have had one model chip before dull coat using it.

 

 

This is what clued me into it. Dakka article

[Brother Valerius]

I just prime inside. Heck, I prime inside during the summer. My kitchen is my normal hobby area, so when priming I simply put the models on the stove (in some kind of container to catch overspray, like a shoe box), turn on the fan in the hood, and open all the windows. I then vacate the room for a while while the paint fumes drift outside. Works great, no headaches or anything.

[IdOfEntity]

Brush on primer. Slower, but you can do it in a nice comfy chair.

 

Just a warning based on my own stupidity: Dust masks are NOT sufficient protection when spray priming indoors.

[Warsmith Aznable]

My house is so blasted drafty that ventilation is never a problem, though good temperatures can be. I swear my heater runs constantly from October to April.

 

But beyond that, and having many, many ranks of troopers already primed and waiting for paint by the time the weather starts getting foul, I will prime things in my basement. I haven't had a problem with it before, so I'm not worried about it really. If I do it it will be either a one off figure, a single vehicle, or a small squad. I can always open the basement door for a short spell and the Kansas wind will whip the spray fumes halfway to Oklahoma in a jiffy. Seriously, it's windy here. Kansas means "land of the people of the south wind", which is really only half the story, because nobody wants to name themselves after the wretched, evil winter winds, but they blow through the same land nonetheless.

 

The impending bad winter weather is just weighing on my mind. I was born in the American South...

[Solid Zaku]

Sigh...I wish I had this problem. Christmas around this part of the world is around 70F (24C), and that's getting chilly. We get the freak snow, but it's gone within a few days. Also, the air is arid. Huh. Makes you wonder why the desert isn't more often filled with hobbyists...

[chromedog]

I don't prime in winter.

It's too wet and cold.

 

I can't normally prime in summer (it's too damn humid and often wet and hot, too - just because it is summer doesn't mean we don't get some doozy storms around chrimbo).

 

I assemble during the times I can't prime. Prime in one big batch, and dribble those out for painting over the next several months.

[Romulas]

just used liqitex black gesso for the first time and i'm impressed. didn't thin it. no details obscured. just took and old drybrush and coated the marine. the gesso shrinks as it drys. there is the odd pinhole but i'll touch it up easy. i'm sold on it

[Chaoswolf]

You can also use artist Gesso to prime minatures. I used white gesso from liquitex, maybe its brand dependent. For me the hard part is figuring out how much to water it down, so I would suggest trying it on some terrain pieces first.

 

When you get it watering it down, it is simply amazing. I don't think I have had one model chip before dull coat using it.

 

 

This is what clued me into it. Dakka article

 

I second this. It's a little more time consuming, but it works great!

[KJB]

I tend to hang out of the window (ground floor, relax...) spray the model and then back in the room I give it a quick blast with the hair dryer - no frosting/greying for me! (anymore...)

[Redfinger]

The current temperature out side right now is 12 degrees Fahrenheit....I just got down priming about 30 models.....this is what I did; First off I set up a couple of space heaters to run on full blast for about an hour, this brings the basement temperature up nicely. I happen to have windows in my basement and they are almost on opposite walls, I set one box fan on one window to bring air in, I set another box fan on the other window to take air out. Next I set everything up so that I can work quickly, everything that needs to be primed is ready to go and a place for them to dry is already set up, so there will be no wasting time once the windows open and the spraying starts...After all my set up is complete I open the windows, switch the fans on and start spraying, the 30 models took me about 10 minutes to complete. Then once the spraying is done, I head up stairs, close the door to the basement, turn off the heater upstairs and just switch the fan on so that the air circulates through the filter, though I really dont think this is needed, but I do it to keep the wife happy ;) . Now it has been about 30 minutes and I am back down stairs, the windows are closed, there is no odor and the temperature down here is back to normal.

 

As long as you take a little time to plan ahead, and properly ventilate everything you will be fine.

 

Ashton