appiah4 Posted October 31, 2019 Share Posted October 31, 2019 I started painting figures in the late 90s. Up until not long ago (quite possibly around 5th Ed. 40K hit or thereabouts) it was generally agreed on that using spray cans for short bursts to prime or paint figures was a terrible idea and it generally lead to rough texture and speckling. These days everyone goes on Youtube and tells me to spray figures in short bursts. Even Games Workshop's own WarhammerTV tutorials. So I went ahead and tried it. Result? Terrible finish. How do you make this method work for you, if anyone actually can? Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/359589-priming-with-a-spray-can-short-burts-vs-long-sweeps/ Share on other sites More sharing options...
Halandaar Posted October 31, 2019 Share Posted October 31, 2019 How do you make this method work for you, if anyone actually can? I spray in short bursts and the finish I get is fine. Don't know what to tell you; I'm not engaging in any arcane rituals to achieve it. Is the poor finish you're getting definitely not to do with other things, like environmental factors? Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/359589-priming-with-a-spray-can-short-burts-vs-long-sweeps/#findComment-5417655 Share on other sites More sharing options...
appiah4 Posted October 31, 2019 Author Share Posted October 31, 2019 How do you make this method work for you, if anyone actually can? I spray in short bursts and the finish I get is fine. Don't know what to tell you; I'm not engaging in any arcane rituals to achieve it. Is the poor finish you're getting definitely not to do with other things, like environmental factors? Probably not, because I get a perfectly smooth finish with long sweeps in the same environment. Perhaps it has to do with coarse vs fine pigment sprays? Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/359589-priming-with-a-spray-can-short-burts-vs-long-sweeps/#findComment-5417662 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Halandaar Posted October 31, 2019 Share Posted October 31, 2019 Certainly seems odd that the experience should differ so much. The only time I recall getting reliably bad results was more to do with the particular spray I was using than the way in which it was applied. Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/359589-priming-with-a-spray-can-short-burts-vs-long-sweeps/#findComment-5417687 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jukkiz Posted October 31, 2019 Share Posted October 31, 2019 Remember to give good shake to the rattlecans Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/359589-priming-with-a-spray-can-short-burts-vs-long-sweeps/#findComment-5417698 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ciler Posted October 31, 2019 Share Posted October 31, 2019 It may depend on the brand you are using (GW vs others), whether you use it properly (shaken well, correct distance) as well as external factors (humidity and temperature, though I have never had any issues with either myself). Having said that, if long sweeps work for you, keep doing it that way. Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/359589-priming-with-a-spray-can-short-burts-vs-long-sweeps/#findComment-5417714 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Khornate individual Posted October 31, 2019 Share Posted October 31, 2019 You're not holding the can too close to the miniature when you hit it with a "short burst" are you? Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/359589-priming-with-a-spray-can-short-burts-vs-long-sweeps/#findComment-5417717 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shinespider Posted October 31, 2019 Share Posted October 31, 2019 You know that even with short bursts, you're still supposed to "sweep" right? You don't just point the can at the model and shoot it. Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/359589-priming-with-a-spray-can-short-burts-vs-long-sweeps/#findComment-5417722 Share on other sites More sharing options...
WarriorFish Posted October 31, 2019 Share Posted October 31, 2019 A good shake and short bursts works best for me. I think it's important to make sure you do so from a distance (I do about 15"?) and keep moving so you're not blasting the same spot. "Bursts" is perhaps the wrong term as it's really just presses, so each is probably less than half a second. Seems to reliably get a good coating for a primer, ready for painting :) Worth noting that I do this inside and safe from the elements, I imagine it wouldn't work very well if I had the wind to contend with! Don't forget the primer is just that - something to prepare the model for painting. It doesn't need to be a full covering of every nook and cranny :) Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/359589-priming-with-a-spray-can-short-burts-vs-long-sweeps/#findComment-5417745 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fajita Fan Posted October 31, 2019 Share Posted October 31, 2019 So I've sprayed a whole bunch of stuff lately as this is the time of the year to get it done in Virginia where it ranges from hot/humid to freezing cold/dry. Shake the can vigorously! Shake it throughout spraying, keep shaking as you switch models. I hold the can about 18" away and start spraying off to the side, sweep across the model and stop. Turn, start spraying off to the side, sweep across again. They're short bursts but I sweep across the model. The trick to using rattlecans is that you don't want the initial aerosol blast to hit the model, that will absolutely help cause bad finishes. That first blast has more clumps or splatters of paint as the propellant gets moving, the leftover paint in the nozzle gets jetted out when you spray again. If you're getting a cloud of spray (I get this with white cans) pull the model out of the cloud too, that cloud of paint is drying very quickly in the air and will settle on your model like sandpaper. Also any time you're using a spray can, whether it's paint or canned air, you're causing the temperature to drop which can cause the paint to clump up as it leaves the nozzle. Shake the can vigorously! Shake it again! If your can gets cold stop and let it warm up, this effect is more dramatic with canned air when you get frost accumulating on the tip. Don't spray too much on at once, it's better to make one pass on each side and put the model down then come back for touchups. Smothering a model with primer to fully cover it in one pass can cause terrible finishes and fill in detail. Another small tip which might work for you is to tilt the model so you're spraying the underside first. Plenty of primer will still hit the side faces and help the layer start. Then when you spray from the top angle you don't need to apply too much, the top and front sides of the model are the most critical as that's what you're looking at most often so make sure they're the cleanest. The advice you get on spraying varies from brand to brand. White primers tend to be very hard to use effectively, the Rustoleum aluminum primer I keep talking about is almost idiot proof and goes on REALLY well for me. It's very forgiving while stuff like GW or Krylon white give me the hardest time. Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/359589-priming-with-a-spray-can-short-burts-vs-long-sweeps/#findComment-5417763 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bryan Blaire Posted November 1, 2019 Share Posted November 1, 2019 I warm my rattle cans in tap hot water for about six to six and a half minutes before using, and shake them for at least one minute (warming it helps the spray come out more finely). Start the spray before you reach the model and sweep the spray across the model and keep spraying until after you are past the model. Only spray one thin coat at a time and set the bit/model aside to dry for 30 minutes or more before spraying again. You shouldn't have to heat the can more than once per priming session, and don't get it too hot - you don't want a primer grenade. I use hemostats to hold the pins in each model bit (also allows me to easily prime components separate colors) because they lock tightly and keeps me from dropping wet model pieces. I use disposable gloves on both hands to keep from getting primer fingers from the spray. I use small bits of blu-tac to cover the glue join areas so that they are clean of primer for when I go to glue the model together (doesn't matter if it's plastic or metal). Once the primer has dried, carefully peel the blu-tac off and toss it. Turn the can upside over and spray until the spray is clear when you stop using it, and clean up any drops that might occur on the nozzle with some paper towel or other wipes before they get sticky. All of this is as I was taught by my hobby guru, BCK, and it hasn't failed me yet! Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/359589-priming-with-a-spray-can-short-burts-vs-long-sweeps/#findComment-5417996 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fajita Fan Posted November 1, 2019 Share Posted November 1, 2019 I warm my rattle cans in tap hot water for about six to six and a half minutes before using, and shake them for at least one minute (warming it helps the spray come out more finely). Start the spray before you reach the model and sweep the spray across the model and keep spraying until after you are past the model. Only spray one thin coat at a time and set the bit/model aside to dry for 30 minutes or more before spraying again. You shouldn't have to heat the can more than once per priming session, and don't get it too hot - you don't want a primer grenade. I use hemostats to hold the pins in each model bit (also allows me to easily prime components separate colors) because they lock tightly and keeps me from dropping wet model pieces. I use disposable gloves on both hands to keep from getting primer fingers from the spray. <- YES I forgot this, it's not good for you! I use small bits of blu-tac to cover the glue join areas so that they are clean of primer for when I go to glue the model together (doesn't matter if it's plastic or metal). Once the primer has dried, carefully peel the blu-tac off and toss it. <-Bluetack is amazing, also you can use it to secure little bits to toothpicks for spraying Turn the can upside over and spray until the spray is clear when you stop using it, and clean up any drops that might occur on the nozzle with some paper towel or other wipes before they get sticky. Also forgot this too All of this is as I was taught by my hobby guru, BCK, and it hasn't failed me yet! Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/359589-priming-with-a-spray-can-short-burts-vs-long-sweeps/#findComment-5418009 Share on other sites More sharing options...
MegaVolt87 Posted November 4, 2019 Share Posted November 4, 2019 You know that even with short bursts, you're still supposed to "sweep" right? You don't just point the can at the model and shoot it. Thats what I do, rotate mini as needed. Never had issues or a bad finish yet. Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/359589-priming-with-a-spray-can-short-burts-vs-long-sweeps/#findComment-5419605 Share on other sites More sharing options...
appiah4 Posted November 4, 2019 Author Share Posted November 4, 2019 You know that even with short bursts, you're still supposed to "sweep" right? You don't just point the can at the model and shoot it. No, this is not what WarhammerTV or most people who started painting in the last decade do. They hold the can steady and fire short bursts, moving and rotating the model as necessary. I can't believe this can yield good results, yet apparently it does?.. It just doesn't for me. I use mostly automative or general purpose primers, though. Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/359589-priming-with-a-spray-can-short-burts-vs-long-sweeps/#findComment-5419730 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Imren Posted November 4, 2019 Share Posted November 4, 2019 Perhaps slightly off topic, but I cannot refrain myself from reminding you all that all those problems/issues you have with spray can priming will be remedied with switching to airbrushing. Cheap airbrush setup (compressor, regulator, hose and airbrush) is sold on amazon for 85 USD (+ around 15-20 USD for shipping) which corresponds yo 105/17 USD = 6.18 cans of GW chaos black spray (400 ml can cost 17 USD on GW US website). So approximately 6 cans of 400 ml costs as much as a complete airbrush setup, and a 200 ml bottle of Vallejo primer costs around 15-18 USD depending on were you look. And believe me, a 200 ml bottle lasts way longer than 2-3 cans of 400 ml chaos black spray (way way much less overspray when airbrushing compared to spraying from cans). Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/359589-priming-with-a-spray-can-short-burts-vs-long-sweeps/#findComment-5419781 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rik Lightstar Posted November 8, 2019 Share Posted November 8, 2019 You know that even with short bursts, you're still supposed to "sweep" right? You don't just point the can at the model and shoot it. No, this is not what WarhammerTV or most people who started painting in the last decade do. They hold the can steady and fire short bursts, moving and rotating the model as necessary. I can't believe this can yield good results, yet apparently it does?.. It just doesn't for me. I use mostly automative or general purpose primers, though. The Warhammer TV Studio team are working in pretty much perfect spraying conditions, so it's very forgiving. The less ideal the conditions the more you'll need to compensate for them. The advice given above is spot on though, a pass that sweeps past the target with the initial "spurt" not hitting the model and neither is the point where you release the pressure. Rik Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/359589-priming-with-a-spray-can-short-burts-vs-long-sweeps/#findComment-5422297 Share on other sites More sharing options...
battle captain corpus Posted November 8, 2019 Share Posted November 8, 2019 So....I blue-tac my minis onto a wine bottle (empty!) and then hold the bottle with rubber glove. Then with controlled bursts at every angle from around 12 inches away. You use less spray too! BCC Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/359589-priming-with-a-spray-can-short-burts-vs-long-sweeps/#findComment-5422370 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fajita Fan Posted November 8, 2019 Share Posted November 8, 2019 You know that even with short bursts, you're still supposed to "sweep" right? You don't just point the can at the model and shoot it. No, this is not what WarhammerTV or most people who started painting in the last decade do. They hold the can steady and fire short bursts, moving and rotating the model as necessary. I can't believe this can yield good results, yet apparently it does?.. It just doesn't for me. I use mostly automative or general purpose primers, though. The Warhammer TV Studio team are working in pretty much perfect spraying conditions, so it's very forgiving. The less ideal the conditions the more you'll need to compensate for them. The advice given above is spot on though, a pass that sweeps past the target with the initial "spurt" not hitting the model and neither is the point where you release the pressure. Rik Given how perfectly even their models are sprayed I think their models are airbrushed. Very, very, very rarely do you ever see them spray with a rattle can. Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/359589-priming-with-a-spray-can-short-burts-vs-long-sweeps/#findComment-5422381 Share on other sites More sharing options...
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