Spray Can Primer Question
 

Does anyone have a spray can primer that they can say, "This is THE stuff to use"?

Otherwise, I am just going to get some Rustoleum primer.

Opinions welcome!

Greg

Any of the lacquer primers. I use Plasti-cote and Duplicolor lacquer primers. Both are high solids, so they fill a little better than plain jane primers.

What Tim said...
Recently (here somewhere), I was told the Plasti-coat was better than the Dupli-color. Since I have 3 cans of the DC, I'll use those up first, then try the PC.
High Solids=GOOD!

Allen

Thanks Tim/Allen (Home Improvement? :D ) for the suggestions. I'll give it a go.

Greg

BTW, I'm not knocking other primers. Lacquer primers just work better for me because they dry very fast and don't clog sandpaper when dry sanding. Other primers take longer to dry and many will clog sandpaper when dry sanding.

When I mention fast drying, I'm talking 10-15 minutes to start sanding with regular lacquer primer and 30-45 minutes with high solids primers like DC and PC. If the weather/temperature is right, I can start sanding the high solids stuff within 15-20 minutes.

The best "spray can" primer I have used is the Dupli-Color Automotive Lacquer based primer that is available at any Auto Zone or O'Reilly Auto Parts store. Have not tried the Plasti-Kote stuff though.
I will say that I use DuPont Lacquer Auto Primer out of a spray gun or airbrush much more often than any "spray bomb" as it is much better. Pactra Prep (Long out of production) is even better but is about as easy to find as original cans of Pactra Aero Gloss Royal Purple (next to impossible).

Never use ANY enamel-based "primers"; NONE I have ever tried are ANY good at all for sanding/filling; this includes all Krylon and Rust oleum primers NOT specifically labeled LACQUER.

Make sure you DO NOT GET Rustoleum's Bare Metal Primer - this is not fast drying. It's basically flat white paint, and you need to wait around a week before you can sand it. It's intended for you to shoot over it within an hour of application. That may be fine for lawn furniture, where you're not trying to get a smooth, shiny surface. But it's not well suited for models :)

Doug

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I get the RustOleum "automotive" primer at WalMart, in the paint section. This is the fast drying, lacquer-based stuff Tim is talking about.

I also wander over to the automotive section at WalMart and pick up the some of the specialty automotive primers from RustOleum, which include the high solids stuff. This is fast drying, too. But only the bigger WalMarts have a separate automotive paint section.

Doug

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Agree with Doug, but not just the primer. I used gloss black Rustoleum Rust inhibitor spray and it was terrible. Looks good out the can, but come back after a while and you'll see tiny bubbles all over the finish (on an Estes Reflector). :mad:
Had to wetsand it all off and use black lacquer like I should have in the first place.
I had it, used it (too lazy to go get the right stuff) and paid dearly for my laziness!

Allen

One thing I've noticed with RustOleum is that their Painter's Touch brand fast-drying (automotive) primers aren't as sanding-friendly as their premium (Stops Rust) brands. Seems like they clog the paper more.

It may be humidity related. That is, it may not be a problem in some parts of the country, but I suspect the humidity here (North Texas) is a factor in how it cures which in turn affects how it sands.

Anyway, I spend the extra buck or so and get the premium stuff.

Doug

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