Paint Questions

[Goblin-King]

I would consider buying a spray even if it was just for a single game. Even GW is like £10. It's affordable for a one time buy.

Spray IS the way!

[Jewels!]

I would consider buying a spray even if it was just for a single game. Even GW is like £10. It's affordable for a one time buy.

Spray IS the way!

So I shouldn't just go to the hardware store and get a can of whatever spray primer?

[Sjeng]

Minotaur, Troll, Illithid. Must haves. There will be more Bones later. SOON!

[Jewels!]

Yay I broke down and got 2 paint kits and a handful of Boneses. Can't wait

[Goblin-King]

I would consider buying a spray even if it was just for a single game. Even GW is like £10. It's affordable for a one time buy.

Spray IS the way!

So I shouldn't just go to the hardware store and get a can of whatever spray primer?

Heavens no! Different sprays are designed for different purposes. You definitely want one specifically for minis.
Imagine what would happen if you used a spray for painting walls or cars on your precious minis! *shudder*

[Redav]

With regards to spraying primer, naturally you don't want to spray when the temps too cold. Our Aussie (Brisbane) winter's aren't really that cold but you still get cool mornings. Just wondering if anyone could suggest a rough temperature when priming minis might not be the wisest of choices?

Also, what's the minimum about of gear I'd need to get? Clearly paint and brushes. Other items I expect I'll need is magnifying glass, scalpel and toothbrush for a clean. Would an eyedropper be of use for mixing colours?

I have plenty of the common minis for mistakes and experimentation. I have two complete original sets plus two KK's and WL (lost a mates quest books when I was at school so bought two extra sets to replace his books). Hoping that gives enough to practice with for when Billdask's minis arrive.

[bruenor]

I use Halfords grey car primer spray on all my miniatures for an undercoat.
Cheaper and comes in big tins that last for ages.

Always used Games Workshop paints, since I was 15, and I'm 41 now and will continue to use them as I haven't used better anywhere else.
Vallejo have some nice metallics to complement but never switched to the range.
Stay away from tick paints as they will just obscure any details and the cheaper brands tend to chip off.

All in all, you wouldn't use a 3" drill bit to drill a 1" hole, so just use the stuff thats been designed for mini painting and more than anything else enjoy it.
(and take many many tea breaks....HUzzzzaaaahhh!!!)

[Jewels!]

Thanks everyone. At least the kits come with minis to practice and mess up on

How long does it usually take for Reaper to ship something? (within the US)

[Daedalus]

With regards to spraying primer, naturally you don't want to spray when the temps too cold. Our Aussie (Brisbane) winter's aren't really that cold but you still get cool mornings. Just wondering if anyone could suggest a rough temperature when priming minis might not be the wisest of choices?

This link doesn't exactly answer your question, but it has a lot of good information about priming. Check the spraycan. I kind of remember at least 10 degrees celcius being a minimum, but you may want to go a bit warmer than my memory dictates as this may only be accurate for a particular product.

[chaoticprime]

PEDANT MODE ACTIVATED

The first thing you need to know, is never buy any versions of products (paint, brushes, etc) specifically marketed to hobby-gamers. You will always pay more for "gaming" products. There is a lot of verisimilitude about the efficacy of products distributed by Army Painter, Reaper and Games Workshop. Allow my dispel.

Primer:
Games Workshop is a company that really knows how to make miniatures. You know a company that really knows about paint? Krylon. That's what they do. That's all they do. Their entire business model is paint. And various other products like spray-adhesives. For a can of Army Painter Spray Primer, you must pay $15.00 or so. They are a quick n' dirty way to base coat/prime your miniatures. Its pretty dense material, and the canisters are of very low durability. They heat up really quickly, and hot, overly-dense, spray paint does not spray paint, it sprays plastic-miniature-dissolving propellant. When you shop Army Painter's website, all you see is the title and price of each product.

Do you want to prime some plastic miniatures? http://www.krylon.com/products/colormas ... ic-primer/
Observe how Krylon describes its products. It also provides a MSDS. Army Painter does not do this, because the less you know, the better. They're probably not proud of the fact that their products become worthless, permanently, the instant they hit 70-degrees (Krylon's go up to 90-degrees). That product I linked to was made to paint plastic and poly-vinyl, by a company that does nothing but make paint. Poly-vinyl Chloride, or PVC, is what Reaper Bones and DDM are made of. Also, how often do you see hobby-gaming primer advertise that it "preserves colors." Which is the entire point behind priming things. A can will set you back $6.00, by the way.

For priming metals, use this: http://www.krylon.com/products/colormaster-primer/

Using your primer well requires a simple routine. Shoot for dry places, first. Place your miniatures someplace open on all sides, at your chest-level. If you spray into a box, your spray will scatter against the back of the box and "snow" on your minis. That's bad. Follow the manufacturer's instructions on agitating/shaking the can. Then, turn the can upside down and make a quick spray (not necessary on your first use). This will clean out any crap before it lands on your miniatures. Spray your miniatures from a distance of 12", and from a 45-degree angle. Its not important to get them primed in one session, and its not important to completely obfuscate the original coloration of the miniature. You want an even coating, above all else. Don't spray many miniatures at once, either. Spraying one or two per effort, from your most comfortable and accessible position, will get you full and even coated miniatures.

Acrylic Paints:
Games Workshop paints are actually very good. Next to comparably priced tubed-acrylics sold at a crafts store, however, they're garbage. The only hobby-gaming acrylics that rank among professional grade are those sold by Wargames Foundry (by the palette; and they're expensive). For my money, however, I buy the cheapest acrylics I can get. I use an ice-cube tray (everyone should be doing this) for a palette/mixing tray. The key to good acrylics is Retarder. You can mix it with your paints, but I find that its better to dilute a dozen or so drops of it in a tiny spray bottle, and spritz it over my paint tray. Spritzing the mini you're going to paint will also break down the surface tension of most surfaces, making it easy to paint directly onto metal miniatures. Put some Retarder in your brush cleaning water, too.

You can get a ton of colors of acrylic paint by staking out the weekly ads for Hobby Lobby and Michaels. Both stores have massive discounts over entire departments every single week. About four months ago my daughter and nieces basically destroyed my entire paint supply. I was able to get in on a deal at Michaels, and picked up thirty-or-so 2-ounce bottles for around $12.00.

Brushes:
With brushes, you want quantity over quality. I habitually turn my brush between strokes; a habit I worked hard to form. Otherwise, the bristles gradually bend in the direction of your strokes (ruined). You can buy a bag of cheap, fine-tipped brushes for about $5.00 at Wal-Mart or wherever and abuse the *lemony goodness* out of them. You know what's better than cleaning your brush between every color-change? Using a new brush.

Tools:
Buy a pin-vice. In any case connecting separate pieces, cut an "X" on each face you want to connect. Drill at the center of the "X" and then glue a segment of paperclip in. Pinning is the smart thing to do. If a miniature already has a "pin" protrusion, pin through it again if its large, or if not, just cut it off and pin yours, instead.

Buy rifled-files (bent nose). Files are the goodest for removing mold-creases on narrow, raised places like spikes and fluting. For flat areas, use a worn out razor blade. It wont catch and carve off a shard from the miniature, but it will easily scrape off mold creases and cut away bits of flash. You dont cut with the knife, you drag the knife backwards along the crease, holding the blade at a 45-degree angle.

Other things:
When you buy a new metal miniature, wash it with soap and water. When you buy a resin miniature, do the same, but use powerful dish soap and scrub it with a toothbrush. Mold-release agent stays on the resin, which primer and paint do not like.

Hold your breath when you file. You will accidentally inhale metal/plastic/resin diaspora, and that freakin' sucks. Ever picked a plastic booger out of your nose? I usually wear a mask and/or when I do anything with anything that can get in my nose and/or tear-ducts.

Wash your hands with dish-soap to dry them out before handling your miniatures.

Don't, um, eat nails, either.